Editing Kerrang! Radio (section)

===Initial launch: 2002/2003===
Launched as a digital station on Freeview in 2002, expanded to London from 2003. It was also known as '''Kerrang! 105.2''' FM in the West Midlands from 2004 to 2013 when its studios in Lionel Street, Birmingham, 105.2 was turned over to [[Planet Rock (radio station)|Planet Rock]] (which was then replaced by [[Absolute Radio]] from 2015) in June 2013. It was London only until May 2018 to make way for Hits Radio.

In July 2002, ahead of the [[Radio Authority]]'s advertisement for a new regional [[FM broadcasting|FM]] franchise for the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]], ''[[Kerrang!]]'' magazine launched an FM radio station in Birmingham on a short-term [[Restricted Service Licence]] at a frequency of 87.7 FM. The station was broadcast from the grounds of [[Birmingham City Football Club]] and was initially on air for one month only.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/trial-kerrang-radio-station-launches-birmingham/150871 |title=Trial Kerrang! Radio station launches in Birmingham |first=Claire |last=Billings |date=16 July 2002 |work=[[Campaign (magazine)|Campaign]]}}</ref><ref name=BhamLive2013>{{cite news |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/kerrang-radio-close-birmingham-studio-4006708 |title=Kerrang! Radio to close Birmingham studio as Planet Rock takes over 105.2 FM |date=23 May 2013 |website=[[Birmingham Mail|BirminghamLive]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608021519/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/kerrang-radio-close-birmingham-studio-4006708 |archive-date=8 June 2013}}</ref>

Kerrang! Radio as a permanent service first launched in late 2002 as a largely automated rock music service delivered over the [[Freeview (UK)|Freeview]] platform, as one of a suite of stations its parent company (then Emap) added to the then-new Freeview TV system, the others including fellow digital jukebox stations [[Smash Hits Radio]], [[Q Radio]] and [[Heat Radio]], and relays of London stations [[Kiss 100]] and [[Magic 105.4 FM]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wohnort.org/DAB/archives02.html |title=DAB Ensembles Worldwide, Archives 2002 |date=2 October 2016 |website=Wohnort}}</ref> This new Kerrang! Radio was also streamed online, and served as a sibling to [[Kerrang! TV]] which launched around the same time: these stations being connected with the ''Kerrang!'' print magazine in name, ownership and style.

This digital 'jukebox' version of Kerrang! was subsequently rolled out to [[DAB digital radio]], beginning with transmission in [[London]] from 1 November 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wohnort.org/DAB/archives03.html |title=DAB Ensembles Worldwide, Archives 2003 |date=2 October 2016 |website=Wohnort}}</ref> The DAB service was extended to other areas from 2004, joining Emap-owned multiplexes in northern England (largely replacing [[The Hits Radio]]) and also made available on the regional multiplexes for the West Midlands and central Scotland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wohnort.org/DAB/archives04.html |title=DAB Ensembles Worldwide, Archives 2004 |date=2 October 2016 |website=Wohnort}}</ref>