NME To Launch Radio Station

IPC Ignite is launching an NME radio station next year in a major strategic partnership with multimedia music company DX Media.

The new station will be available from mid-2008 on various national digital broadcast platforms, and to users of NME.COM.

It will broadcast from new DX Media studios at the NME HQ, the Blue Fin Building, Southwark.

NME Radio will have in-house and national sales house representation and will also become part of integrated pitches for the IPC Ignite sales team, allowing clients to extend their campaigns across all platforms.

Paul Cheal, NME publishing director, said: “Launching a radio service which allows that audience to hear NME recommended artists first, as well as the very best in indie music, is very exciting for our readers, users and of course our advertisers.

“Partnering with DX Media and the founder of XFM – Sammy Jacob, and housing the operation here at the Blue Fin Building, illustrates just how seriously NME is taking this venture and how important a platform we see NME Radio becoming.”

Sammy Jacob, DX Media’s managing director, added: “Indie has become the mainstream although it might be fairer to say the mainstream has become indie, and in the process – like so many other credible genres – has marginalised the very foundations upon which it was built.

“NME Radio will re-address the balance – giving much needed exposure to the great new acts that tend to get ignored by traditional broadcast media thereby making radio more relevant in an increasingly fragmented market.”

Last week, NME launched a 24-hour TV channel on Sky Digital channel 377, with content heavily based on the charts and the latest offerings from the UK’s indie and alternative music scenes (see IPC Launches NME TV Channel).

The latest ABC figures, for January to June 2007, show that the print version of the NME has a total circulation of 68,151, a year on year decline of just over 8% (see ABC Results Jan-Jun 2007: Q Magazine Tops Music Sector Despite 18% Year On Year Circulation Drop).

Earlier this year the title underwent a redesign intending to give it a “radical modern look and feel to switch on NME’s design-savvy audience” (see NME Undergoes Redesign To Boost Circulation).

IPC Media: 0870 4445000 www.ipcmedia.com