Absolute Radio Targets 3m Listeners

Donnach O’Driscoll, chief executive of Absolute Radio, has given the station a target of three million listeners.

O’Driscoll said that the station, which launches on September 29, will be investing £15 million on marketing and content over its first few years of broadcasting.

As part of a sponsorship with Sony Ericsson, Absolute Radio will be free of advertising for its first 24 hours on air.

O’Driscoll was speaking at an event organised by commercial radio marketing body the RadioCentre.

The event, outlining the future of the sector, also saw Andrew Harrison, RadioCentre chief executive, tell delegates: “We now have a once in a lifetime opportunity as an industry to reinvigorate commercial radio.

“This is a new era for our industry – in the last year £1 billion of private money has been invested into radio groups and this ownership change provides an ideal opportunity for re-evaluation and revitalising the medium for advertisers.”

Absolute Radio: www.absoluteradio.co.uk RadioCentre: www.radiocentre.org