Chrysalis Group, owner of the Galaxy network of radio stations, has unveiled the details of its bid for the London digital radio multiplex licence currently being advertised by the Radio Authority.
For the application Chrysalis has formed MXR London, a consortium comprising Border Television, Daily Mail & General Trust and ethnic broadcasting group Soul Media. The groups, along with Chrysalis, will provide a range of services, some existing formats and some new.
Chrysalis’ existing radio brands, Heart, Galaxy and Century will be offered on the digital service; new stations include Fresh, a pure top 40 service and The River, aimed at providing London’s 40 and 50 year olds with soft rock and classic pop. News Direct, LBC, Jazz and Choice, an Afro-Caribbean station, are also part of the proposed service.
MXR London describes its application as “a sensible split between music and speech, with a spread of music services appealing to both mainstream and specialist tastes, ranging from rock to dance”.
Switch Digital, an alliance between Talk Radio, Virgin Radio and Clear Channel has also applied for the licence, as has CE Digital, a venture formed by Capital Radio and EMAP (see Switch Digital Submits Bid For London Digital Radio Licence).
According to Switch Digital, simulcasting analogue services on digital will serve to decrease the interest in digital radio, as it creates no new choice for the consumer and therefore little incentive to invest money in the new digital radio technology. At the group’s launch, Jason Bryant, development director of Talk Radio commented: “Digital radio will not succeed without clear consumer benefit.”
The London licence is the first of the digital multiplex licences to receive more than one application. So far, the Authority has advertised digital licences for Manchester, Glasgow, South Yorkshire, Tyne & Wear and London. CE Digital has applied for the Manchester and London licences and has been awarded the Birmingham licence as the sole bidder (see RA Awards First Digital Radio Multiplex To Emap/Capital Consortium).
Radio Authority: 0171 430 2724 … http://www.radioauthority.org.uk/
