Kerrang! To Rock West Midlands
Emap Performance has secured the regional local radio licence for the West Midlands to broadcast its alternative rock station, Kerrang! radio.
Emap beat ten other applicants including Capital Radio West Midlands, Jazz FM West Midlands and Virgin Radio West Midlands to secure the licence.
The new licence is the first regional service on the FM waveband for Kerrang! and is part of the group’s extension plans for the brand. The Kerrang! radio format will broadcast a mix of specialist modern and classic rock and talk for music fans.
It is the last FM licence available for the region and will cover Birmingham and Wolverhampton as well as surrounding areas including parts of Warwickshire and Staffordshire. According to Emap, the adult population within the measured coverage area is around 2.3 million.
Commenting on the win, David Witherow, executive chairman of the Radio Authority, said: “This is the last regional licence to be awarded by the Radio Authority before its powers transfer to Ofcom at the end of the year. A variety of proposals were submitted from a wide range of applicants and they were generally of an impressively high standard, making our decision all the more difficult.”
He continued: “At the end of a long discussion, members decided that Kerrang! radio best met the statutory criteria, and its programming aimed at an under-served segment of the younger population will clearly widen choice in the region.”
Lynne Wood, managing director of Kerrang! radio West Midlands, added: “The Kerrang! brand has higher appeal in the West Midlands than anywhere else in the UK. Around one million West Midlanders already consume Kerrang! via the magazine or the TV channel.”
Emap recently unveiled a £1.8 million advertising campaign to promote Kiss 100 to its core 15 to 24 year-old youth audience (see Emap Rolls Out Live Sexy Campaign To Promote Kiss).
Emap: 01733 568 900 www.emap.co.uk
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