Kerrang Radio Prepares FM Broadcasts In Manchester
Kerrang! Radio is to run a one month trial broadcasting on 97.6 FM in Manchester later this month following a decision by Ofcom to offer at least 35 commercial radio licences over the next two years.
The announcement follows a successful bid by Kerrang! Radio for the regional ILR FM licence in the West Midlands in October last year. The Emap-owned station beat ten other applicants including Capital Radio and Jazz FM to secure the licence, which was its first foray onto the FM waveband (see Kerrang! To Rock West Midlands).
The Kerrang! Radio brand has grown steadily over the last few years, broadcasting digitally via Freeview and via DAB in the Midlands, announcing forthcoming FM broadcasts and extending into interactive services via digital terrestrial television (see Emap Brings Digital Radio Stations To Gaming Fans).
Kerrang! will initially broadcast in the Manchester area using RSLs (restricted service licences) in preparation for further licence offers from Ofcom, which is looking at the possibility of green-lighting new commercial stations in a number of areas across the UK (see Ofcom Plans To Roll Out Raft Of New Radio Licences).
Speaking about the new venture, Shaun Gregory, Emap Performance’s director of development said: “Kerrang! proved to be the winning formula for the West Midlands licence and we are confident that there is an appetite for Kerrang! across the country.”
Gregory confirmed Kerrang! Radio’s strategy of expansion, stating: “We see the use of RSLs around the country as an excellent way of trialing our formats and is a statement of intent that we will be pursuing new FM licences when they are advertised.”
The latest RAJAR radio listening figures for the fourth quarter of 2003 show Kerrang! to have a weekly audience of 722,000, a dip of 16.4% from the previous quarter, which has been partially put down to increased competition in the market for digital radio services.
Emap: 01733 568 900 www.emap.co.uk
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