Chrysalis Pledges Newcastle Move For Successful Arrow Bid

Chrysalis Radio has announced plans to bid for the new North East FM licence, pitching for the spectrum space using its digital adult rock brand, The Arrow.

Russell Borthwick, former regional marketing and business development director for Trinity Mirror has been appointed chairman of the board formed to oversee the bid, and will lead the campaign to secure the airspace covering the Newcastle area.

Chrysalis claims its proposal will plug a gap in current radio offerings, citing research which shows a distinctive lack of adult rock broadcasts.

The station has pledged to fully support the burgeoning live rock music scene in the North East to underpin its bid, promising both local programming and other special initiatives – including the launch of an annual New Music award to celebrate and promote local rock music talent.

“Radio continues to be brilliantly placed to provide live entertainment and information that is genuinely spontaneous and unpredictable,” Borthwick explained. “That significantly broadens the listeners’ horizons above and beyond what they already know and hear.

“Our bid for this licence with The Arrow is part of Chrysalis’s ongoing strategy to preserve the unique appeal of broadcast radio within the North East by extending listener choice significantly amongst a key demographic which is currently underserved.”

Daniel Owen, director of regulatory and public affairs at Chrysalis, added that, if successful, the bid would see The Arrow’s national digital network relocated to Newcastle as part of continued investment in the region.

He said: “The North East has been part of the Chrysalis success story for six years now, with a dedicated radio sales team and the dance and R ‘n ‘B network Galaxy 105-106 serving the region. Our licence bid will add significantly to our investment in the North East through the creation of a unique new service which meets the demands of a currently under-served demographic and music genre.”

The bid will be backed by a major marketing campaign, combining sports and music events sponsorship with PR and a dedicated interactive website.

The Arrow North East: www.thearrownortheast.co.uk