Bauer rebranding 53 stations to The Hits/Greatest Hits

That's exactly what RDS was invented for
In the early 80s, Philips brought out a car radio that (before a long journey) you could manually enter up to 6 alternative frequencies for your favourite national station, and it would select the next one in sequence automatically.

My grandmother, who simply couldn't be persuaded away from AM, always said it 'has a nice tone'.

Indeed, especially on a proper old radio set.

It was also good for the opposite too - a slightly spooky sound. One of my main memories of MW listening as a teenager was the station that came belting in at 1179, just 2 channels above LBC but at times with a much stronger signal.

The fading of the signal adding to the Scandi-weirdness of the tune they chose



They had a decent media news programme at one point too

Can't blame her. Even though I've grown up well past AM's peak, I'll admit there is a certain effect to AM radio which isn't there on FM or DAB. I keep trying to recreate the effect in VLC, but it's never quite the same.

I don't think I'd sleep after hearing that!

Loads of strange jingles like that on shortwave until the broadcasters deserted it.

I found Radio Tirana's (Albania) just plain scary. Although it's faintly YTVish!

https://youtu.be/B2mBP40w_hU

I've always quite liked the Radio Netherlands Worldwide interval signal:

Seems most European radio stations liked creepy or haunting jingles. Here's a selection that will make you sleep with the lights on for weeks after listening to it!

The YLE one was pretty creepy too, remember coming across that one in the mid-00s. Gone now, one of the many stations that's given up on international broadcasting.

Even into the 2010s there were satellite feeds which broadcast the DW interval signal on a loop whenever there wasn't a programme on. Obviously not broadcasting any more either now DW have also given up on shortwave.

Radio Netherlands International also had a good media programme, called Media Network. The presenter/producer who ran the programme has uploaded lots of old episodes here:

https://jonathanmarks.libsyn.com/index.php?post_category=Media%20Network%20Archives


They were another foreign MW station that was very strong in the UK, although when I used to tune around the dial it had been taken over by a religious station called Trans World Radio




It's part of a longer tune which is really nice. Here's the full 6'45"

Radio Tirana in the 70s was on 1214 kHz, better known as 247 metres the then home of BBC Radio 1. Used to blast in over the top of them winter late
afternoons

Radio 210 used to have a weekly programme, The Silicon Valley Show. Jonathan Marks of Radio Netherlands International was also a regular contributor to that too.

Yes Jonathan Marks was creator and presenter of Media Network, one of those voices that sounds so familiar even though they never presented in the UK. And a surprisingly British accent on a foreign broadcaster. See also that bloke on Fox Business


I remember another Radio Tirana, I think the one on 1395. It also used Radio Monte Carol's transmitters and popped up on there with another distinctive tuning signal
https://youtu.be/kJ99V5VsOBk