Capital Radio Returns Following Rebrand

GCap’s 95.8 Capital FM has today unveiled a radical rebranding, returning the station’s name to Capital Radio and shifting its music policy to offer less repetition and fewer advertisements.

The radically reduced ad minutage, first announced in November, is specifically designed to attract those who see advertising as a “turn-off.” The new format Capital will never play more than two adverts in a row, and claims to “get back to the music faster” than any other station.

The overhaul is clearly designed to help Capital reclaim the top spot in London, following its fall from number one in the latest RAJAR results (see Heart Takes The Lead In London Heart Takes The Lead In London ).

Following the broadcaster’s largest ever research study into which shows listeners want, new programmes will feature in Capital’s weekend schedule, hosted by Jeremy Kyle and Craig Doyle. Love songs will provide the bulk of Capital’s output from 11pm to 1am on Mondays and Thursdays, while a “relaxed show” called Easy Sunday will air on Sunday mornings.

The rest of Capital’s shows will be “faster, tighter and with fresh new features” according to the station, which will also include rolling 24-hour news in its schedule, promising to break more of London’s news, as well as offering more travel reporters, more cameras and more live updates.

The new format offers more standout for advertisers, according to Capital, with a simple choice of first or last ad in each break. The reduced minutage will cost the company £4m-£7m in its first year, although the expected attraction of listeners should lead to more valuable ad breaks overall (see Ad Breaks and Minutage Cut on Flagship Capital Radio from December).

Capital Radio: www.capitalradio.com