It's been more than 25 years since one Liverpool radio station first hit the airwaves and left a legacy in the city.
Today, many listeners will tune in to Capital FM, which launched in 2016, to listen to the latest chart hits and more. But back in the 90s, the radio station looked a lot different and also paved the way for another guise in the 00s.
Originally launched in 1995, Crash FM was the brainchild of the late Janice Long and Bernie Connor and first operated from Liverpool city centre’s trendy Palace shopping complex. Initially given as a licence for a month’s trial period, Crash FM became known for playing independent music from North West bands and more.
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Backed by pop entrepreneur Pete Fulwell, the launch in November that year saw brother and sister Keith Chegwin and Janice Long joined by celebrity DJs Pete Wylie, Margi Clarke and Tranmere footballer Pat Nevin. At the time, Janice Long told the ECHO: "Sitting there with a box of records, getting really excited about what you play, is what Crash is all about.
"So is booking someone for the session, doing interviews, and finding out about all the stuff you don’t usually hear." Playing a wide variety of music and broadcasting interviews, documentaries, drama and phone-ins, the team hoped it would return after the month was up.
In a few weeks, Crash FM attracted a host of big-name guests like Julian Cope, The Boo Radleys, Phil Redmond and Glenda Jackson. And by 1998, it was back on the airwaves across Merseyside.
In February that year, the ECHO reported how entrepreneur Tom Bloxham, the man behind the Concert Square 24-hour quarter and the Liverpool Palace shopping complex, was a major shareholder in the city's latest radio station, Crash FM107, due on the air on March 27.
It reads: "Crash cost half a million pounds to set up and will create 30 jobs at its Concert Square studios, led by former ECHO tele-ad girl and Radio One DJ Janice Long. The station is the first in Britain to combine indie and dance music, and Tom says he aims to make it the beginning of a major new radio empire."
At the time, Tom said: "Our music will be more cutting edge. There's very much a resurgence in Liverpool in this market. "We have something here which is a very strong brand and we want to grow this into a major radio business."
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In August that year, an ECHO reader wrote in to rave about the new radio station. They said: "Crash has got to be one of the best things that's happened to Liverpool in a long time.
"I have been listening to it since it started a few months ago and it really is different. Although we have got good local radio stations, CrashFM provides music for a wider range of tastes and ages."
But by the noughties, the station became known as something else entirely. In November 1999, the station was taken over by Forever Broadcasting and the name change to Juice FM in March 2000 was part of an extensive revamp.
Juice FM repositioned itself as a youth-orientated station and many who were teenagers at the time will remember listening to the station on their 00s style phones or in their parents cars on the way to school. Still very much part of day to day life in the city, by 2003, Juice FM changed hands after Newcastle-based broadcaster Forever sold the station to Absolute Radio (AB-UK) to "reduce its debts."
Many will have happy memories of listening to both Crash FM and Juice FM. For teenagers in the 00s, Juice was the station to listen to to keep up to date with the latest hits.
But it's now been a few years since we listened to the station as remembered here. In December 2015, the ECHO reported how Liverpool’s Juice FM will be known as Capital Liverpool from January 2016 after the radio station was sold to the brand’s owners for a reported £10m.
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At the time, Ashley Tabor, founder and executive president of Global, Capital’s parent company, said: "This is a really big day for Global. “Finding the right way to introduce Capital to the wonderful city of Liverpool has been something we’ve wanted to do for a long time and we’re so pleased we’ve found the best local line-up and team to make that happen.
"In 2016, we’ll be bringing Liverpool the biggest hits from the world’s hottest stars and so much more." Graham Sarath, Capital Liverpool’s commercial director, also said: "Adam, Gemma and Imogen are loved by listeners on Juice FM and as we launch 107.6 Capital FM Liverpool, they will continue to wake up the city with their brand of humour and fun alongside the best hit music.
"Local lad Graeme is making a welcome return home to Liverpool together with his co-host Sarah and we know our listeners are going to love them. Anton and Baz will get our listeners in the party mood at the end of the week and into the weekends with their dance music shows."
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But in February 2016, an online petition was launched to bring Juice FM back to Liverpool’s airwaves. More than 3,000 people signed the petition asking Global Radio to ditch the new Capital Liverpool station, or at least bring back "Juice anthems."
At the time, one commenter, Dave Gladwell, said: "Juice FM was always the best station in the city… Although it was also part of a bigger network of radio stations, it was still totally local! Local jocks, local news, it was locally based, and played the tunes that people in Liverpool wanted to hear. Global have taken Juice, rebranded it to Capital, and destroyed any personality and charm that the station had. It should never have been sold."
Another, Abbie Lou, said: "This was one of the things that made Liverpool unique, bring it back!" Pop star Fleur East, Hollyoaks’ Sarah George and singer Ray Quinn were all at the January launch of Capital FM, while radio breakfast show host Adam Weighell said the station would not "lose the heart of what we’ve always done."
Today, Capital is still heard on across the Liverpool airwaves, bringing the latest hits to the city. But for people who remember the 90s and 00s in Liverpool, fond memories are still held of Crash and later Juice.
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