Hits Radio to leave St John’s Beacon

Commercial radio station Hits Radio, formerly Radio City, will leave St John’s Beacon by the end of the year, the station’s owner Bauer has said. Tony McDonough tells it

Hits Radio Liverpool is leaving its home at St John’s Beacon after a quarter of a century,

Station owner Bauer Media Audio UK says it will not renew the lease on the site atop the iconic tower, which rises 453ft above the city center and is visible from miles around.

Built in 1969 and opened by Queen Elizabeth II, the Grade II listed tower originally housed a revolving restaurant known as the ‘Tower Restaurant’. There was also a public observation deck on the roof.

The restaurant closed in 1979 due to health and safety concerns, but reopened as a ‘Buck Rogers’ space-themed restaurant in the early 1980s. However, this closed shortly afterwards, and the tower stood empty for several years.

In 1998 Emap Radio, then owners of Radio City, decided to renovate the tower and move the commercial station from its original home in Stanley Street. This move was completed in 2000 at a cost of £5 million and the tower was renamed the Radio City Tower.

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However, Bauer has decided not to extend the lease. The last shows from the tower will be shown on Tuesday, December 24.

Following this Greatest Hits, Radio Breakfast will be broadcast nationally from Bauer’s North West hub, while Hits Radio Liverpool Breakfast will continue to broadcast from another location in the city.

A Bauer spokesman said: “We are incredibly proud to have been part of the vibrant history of the Grade II listed St John’s Beacon. This next step allows us to invest in facilities that better support our vision and evolving needs.”

Bauer Media Audio continues to lease the Radio City 96.7 sign and is currently in consultation with the landlord and planning authorities to change the sign to Hits Radio.

There are 558 stairs to the top of the tower and two elevator shafts with elevators that reach the top in 30 seconds. It is structurally independent of St John’s shopping centre, with a sandstone foundation.