That's right. I forgot that in the UK you've got national radio stations that are transmitted on different frequencies throughout the country. So that explains why items #1 and #2 are useful when they wouldn't be in the US. #3 isn't useful because I doubt there's any law in the US to prevent stations from using it for reasons other than traffic info, whereas I'll bet that there is in the UK.

Are there any local stations in the UK?

Also, I think you underestimate the size of US states. North Carolina is 48,711 sq mi. Britain (is that the correct term for the island that is comprised of England, Scotland, and Wales?) is 88,800 square miles. England alone is just 50,363, so only slightly larger than North Carolina. And North Carolina is only the 28th (of 50 ) largest state by area.