Planet Rock is 25 years old today!
Our station has hit the quarter-of-a-century milestone
Last updated 18 hours ago
Friday 15th November 2024 is a momentous milestone in the history of Planet Rock as we officially turn 25 years old! Happy birthday to us!
Beginning life as one of the first digital only radio stations from our previous owners GWR, the first song that was played on our airwaves just seven weeks before the turn of the Millennium on 15th November 1999 was Deep Purple’s timeless anthem ‘Smoke on the Water’.
Now listened to by over 1 million rock music lovers a week, throughout Planet Rock's quarter-of-a-century history we’ve prided ourselves on playing some of the greatest rock music together with showcasing the finest up-and-coming talent from across the globe.
To celebrate our anniversary, we're throwing a 25th Birthday Bash at KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton tonight (15th November) featuring stellar performances from Black Star Riders, The Answer and Dan Byrne.
Stars including Iron Maiden's Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson, Judas Priest's Rob Halford, Jon Bon Jovi, Skindred's Benji Webbe, our very own Duff McKagan, Pink Floyd legend David Gilmour, and Motörhead legend Phil Campbell have also recorded a special birthday message for us, wishing Planet Rock a happy 25th birthday. Watch it here:
Including our current presenters Paul Anthony, Wyatt, Darren Redick, Jen Thomas, Ian Danter, Murray J, Duff McKagan, Susan Holmes McKagan, Elles Bailey, Danny Bowes, Joe Elliott, Bernard Doherty, Mark Jeeves, Sam Hughes, Toby Jepson, Andy Shier and Loz Guest, Planet Rock has featured a plethora of incredible presenters over the years.
After shows started being broadcast live in 2005, a year later we welcomed Rick Wakeman to our ranks for his fabled Sunday morning show. Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi also hosted his own series, with Fish presenting Fish on Fridays and Alice Cooper starting as our breakfast presenter before taking on his much-loved Nights with Alice Cooper show.
Testament to the strong bond Planet Rock has always had with bands and presenters, when GCap Media announced our closure in 2008 (due to their overall financial state rather than the profitability of Planet Rock), the station was sold to a consortium led by Malcolm Bluemel and supported by Tony Iommi, Ian Anderson, Gary Moore, and Fish. It was snapped up by Bauer in 2013.
Over the past few decades presenters have included the late-great Gary Moore with his Blues Power show, The Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood and Mick Jagger, Whitesnake's David Coverdale, Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes, Brian Johnson, Scott Gorham, Ian Anderson, Francis Rossi, Phil Manzanera and many, many more.
Since Planet Rock was sold to Bauer Media 11 years ago, we’ve held numerous Planet Rockstock events, with the 11th taking place once again in Trecco Bay, South Wales later this month.
Planet Rockstock headliners have included Black Stone Cherry, The Darkness, Michael Schenker, Rival Sons, Black Star Riders and Thunder, and we’ve hosted hundreds bands from all over the world including USA, Canada, South Africa, Finland, France, Australia and, of course, the UK.
There was also a spin-off Rockstock Marrakesh event in 2015, and in 2017 we launched our second rock weekender, Winter’s End, in Poole in Dorset. The event is now held every year at Trecco Bay and our latest instalment takes place in January and February 2025.
We also run our Blues Power Live concerts and tours, which showcase the best blues and blues rock acts on the planet.
Thanks to all the guests who've graced our studios, all the bands who've played our gigs and most importantly everyone who's listened to us over the years, whether you've been there from the start, or have only just joined! Cheers!