About
Capital Life was owned by GCap Media, having been launched by Capital Radio PLC before the company merged with the GWR Group PLC. It was one of the first DAB Digital Radio stations to launch in the UK in 1999 on the Digital One multiplex.
The station had two presenters, and to start with and was based in a news studio used by Capital Gold London outside of breakfast hours. Later it moved into a newly created Digital Broadcast studio in Leicester Square, which it in turn shared with Capital Disney and Century London
Until 2005, Paul Phear Magic 105.4 presented the breakfast show on weekday mornings, culminating in "The Life Top Ten At Ten - a chart from years gone by - any year from 1975 onwards - the chart was, in fact, not actual historic chart positions but the order chosen by the programme controller to avoid playing certain novelty songs and those that did not reflect the musical style. After the Life Top Ten At Ten, the station was automated all day - news from IRN hourly, but music at all other times. Paul Phear then returned to present a late night love song show from 10 pm. On Saturday morning, there was a show presented by Phillip Chryssikos. Sunday, it was non-stop music.
After a successful year presenting 'The Life Coach' a quirky weekend breakfast show, comedian Anthony Davis replaced Paul Phear, hosting the weekday breakfast show live, instead of pre-recording, a rare event for a Digital radio station, making Capital Life one of the very few digital radio stations to have live presentation. (Along with sister station Capital Disney, which provided mostly live programming).
Unlike other radio stations, there were no travel bulletins (due to the limited number of DAB Radios in households at the time, and the fact the station provided blanket national coverage), commercials or interviews with celebrities and politicians and sports reports - the emphasis was on music and there was a playlist similar to that of Century Digital.
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