Story

The JACK brand originated in Canada in 2002 and quickly established itself as one of the most successful brands in North America, today attracting over 20 million listeners with more than 50 individual JACKs. Since its inception, the JACK brand in North America has generated more than $1bn in commercial revenues.

In 2007, Clive Dickens, Ian Walker, Donnach O’Driscoll and Adrian Robinson franchised the JACKfm brand in the UK. This same team had previously acquired Virgin Radio in 2008 and created the Absolute Radio brand, building it into one of the most successful commercial radio brands in the country and creating the 'decades' brand extension strategy, which the industry now follows. They had also been the first to introduce in-stream advertising, and were the biggest industry supporters of national DAB.

After franchising the JACKfm brand, they launched the station in Oxfordshire to much acclaim; it is today the most awarded regional commercial radio station in UK radio history, having received over 40 industry commendations, including two for UK Radio Station of the Year. After 2013, the Oxfordshire brand launched a younger spin-off, JACK 2 Hits, while JACK 3 & Chill launched on DAB in May 2017.

In 2015, the team acquired the exclusive ownership rights to the JACK brand throughout Europe, ceasing the previous licensing arrangement with the original brand owners in North America.