Sunset 102
radio station
Sunset 102 was a radio station broadcasting to Manchester, England between 1989 and 1993.
History
Sunset 102 launched as the first of a series of stations in areas which were already served by an Independent Local Radio station. Known as Incremental radio stations, they had to offer output not already available on ILR, such as specialist music or unique programmes for a specific section of the community. Sunset chose to offer a service of dance music and local community programming.
One of the station's founders was Mike Shaft, who was Managing Director and Programme Controller. The station proved popular with listeners, but Shaft left the station in 1990 due to disagreement with some members of the Board about the direction that the station was taking.
In May 1993, the Radio Authority prematurely terminated Sunset's licence, apparently accusing the station of providing inaccurate information about its financial and management affairs. In August 1993, the station reportedly had its transmission facilities withdrawn by NTL for non-payment. Following a brief return to the air, the liquidator was called in and the station fell silent in October 1993.
The liquidator was later to re-apply on behalf of Sunset Radio for its re-advertised licence - but lost out to Faze FM, who had proposed a dance music format.
The public source identifies “Sunset 102” as radio station. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Sunset, radio and station.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Sunset 102”, the useful work is to connect “radio station” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7641202. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1989, 1993 and 1990.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Sunset 102” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.