Chrysalis Plans Manchester Speech Radio Bid
Chrysalis Radio is to bid for the new commercial FM licence in Manchester, if successful marking the first local commercial speech radio station outside of London in England.
The proposed service aims to attract a younger audience for speech radio than currently held by the BBC and promises to be controversial and opinionated, highlighting current issues.
The radio station will be supported by a dedicated team of journalists covering news, sport, showbiz and business news, while incorporating the worldwide resources of major news organisations including Sky News and Bloomberg.
Chrysalis has formed a new company under the name GMBC to spearhead the bid and is currently in talks with a view to appointing a high profile chairman to lead the licence campaign. The executive board will include Phil Riley, chief executive of Chrysalis Radio, and David Lloyd, managing director of Chrysalis’ London-based speech stations LBC News 1152 and LBC 97.3FM.
Commenting on the bid, Lloyd said: “Chrysalis has been a successful part of the Manchester radio and business scene for seven years. We now plan to enhance the city’s broadcast experience even further with a distinctive news and talk format which offers something substantially different to that of the BBC – and gives Mancunians a new talk forum.”
More speech radio is good news for advertisers, with research published last year by Chrysalis Radio and NOP, finding that speech radio listeners recall more advertising, with the medium more involving and attention grabbing than music radio.
The study found speech stations to be more attention grabbing than their musical counterparts, with listeners 19% more likely to pay attention to advertising placed within speech output (see Speech Radio Listeners More Receptive To Advertising).
Speech radio looks set to enjoy a surge in popularity, with radio chiefs speaking at the recent MediaTel INSIGHT Digital Radio and Beyond Seminar claiming the reduced costs of operating digital radio stations, along with their ability to cater for more niche interest groups, will increase the medium’s potential (see Radio Bosses See Speech Renaissance In Digital).
Chrysalis: 020 7221 2213 www.chrysalis.com