Editing Independent Local Radio (section)

===Development of ILR===
Until the early 1970s, the BBC had a legal [[monopoly]] on radio broadcasting in the UK. Despite competition from the commercial [[Radio Luxembourg (English)|Radio Luxembourg]] and, for a period in the mid-1960s, the off-shore "[[Marine, &c., Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967|pirate]]" broadcasters, it had remained the policy of both major political parties that radio was to remain under the BBC.

This policy changed after the election of [[Edward Heath]]'s government in [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970]]. It is possible that Heath's victory was partly due to younger voters upset by [[Harold Wilson]]'s government closing down the popular pirate radio stations.<ref name="hth">{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/#history/history.html|title=Radio Caroline|website=www.radiocaroline.co.uk}}</ref><ref name="hti">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/3668186/The-day-we-woke-up-to-pop-music-on-Radio-1.html|title=The day we woke up to pop music on Radio 1|last=Reynolds|first=Gillian|author-link=Gillian Reynolds|date=27 September 2007|work=The Daily Telegraph|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The new Minister of Post and Telecommunications and former [[ITN]] newscaster, [[Christopher Chataway]], announced a bill to allow for the introduction of commercial radio in the United Kingdom. This service would be planned and regulated similarly to the existing [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV]] service and would compete with the recently developed [[BBC Local Radio]] services (rather than the four national BBC services).

The [[Sound Broadcasting Act 1972]]<ref name="sba">[https://web.archive.org/web/20051215075512/http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmtvinfo/researchers/legislation/history.html BFI researchers' guide - legislation]. Retrieved 4 January 2006</ref> received [[royal assent]] on 12 July 1972 and the [[Independent Television Authority]] (ITA) accordingly changed its name to the [[Independent Broadcasting Authority]] (IBA) that same day.<ref name="bta">{{cite book |editor-last=Henry |editor-first=Brian |title=British Television Advertising - The First Thirty Years |publisher=Century Benham |location=London |date=1986 |page=145}}</ref>

The IBA immediately began to plan the new service, placing advertisements encouraging interested groups to apply for medium-term contracts to provide programmes in given areas. The first major areas to be advertised were [[London]] and [[Glasgow]], with two contracts available in London, one for "news and information", one for "general and entertainment".<ref name="tr85">Croston, Eric (Ed.) ''Television and Radio 1985 - Guide to Independent Broadcasting'' Independent Broadcasting Authority, London 1984.</ref> Contracts were for three years, extendable for one year each year; thus, they were indefinite if the IBA was satisfied with the contractor's performance.<ref name="iba1976">{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Television-&-Radio-ITV/IBA-Yearbook-1976.pdf |title=TV & Radio 1976: Guide to Independent Television & Independent Local Radio |date=January 1976 |publisher=Independent Broadcasting Authority |isbn=0900485213  |editor-last=Croston |editor-first=Eric |location=London |pages=8-9 |access-date=2025-02-19}}</ref>

The London news contract was awarded to [[LBC|London Broadcasting Company]] (LBC) and they began broadcasting on 8 October 1973. The London general contract went to [[Capital London|Capital Radio]], who began broadcasting on 16 October 1973.  In total, 19 contracts were awarded between 1973 and 1976. Due to government limits on capital expenditure and turbulence in the broadcasting field (mainly due to the [[Annan Report]]), no further contracts were awarded until 1980, when a second tranche of contracts were awarded. All stations were awarded an [[AM broadcasting|AM]] and an [[FM broadcasting|FM]] frequency, on which they broadcast the same service.