Global to launch wave of new radio stations

Pictured: Kevin Hughes, new presenter of Heart 90s’ breakfast show

Commercial radio broadcaster Global will be launching five new national radio stations over the next week, beginning with the launch of Heart 90s.

Launching tomorrow, Heart 90s will play 90s hits from artists including Take That, Spice Girls and George Michael. Meanwhile Kevin Hughes, who currently hosts Saturday afternoons on Heart, will move to the new station to present its national weekday breakfast show.

“We’re incredibly excited to reveal the latest addition to the Heart brand – Heart 90s – launching tomorrow,” said James Rea, managing editor of Heart.

“The playlist is pure 90s feel good nostalgia and Heart 90s will celebrate the greatest hits from this iconic decade, which produced some of biggest feel-good records of all time. It’s a very exciting time for the nation’s biggest commercial radio brand and we have yet more huge news coming tomorrow!”

Heart is the largest commercial radio brand in the UK, with an average weekly reach of 9.7 million listeners.

The remaining new stations are to be revealed over the next week as they launch nationally on DAB digital radio and on Global player. All will sit within one of Global’s seven main radio brands as part of the broadcaster’s “brand-led strategy”, and all will be focussed on a particular era or genre of music.

The news comes following the release of Rajar’s listening figures for the second quarter of 2019, which revealed that commercial radio had both achieved its highest ever weekly reach and closed the gap on the BBC’s larger share of listening.

Elsewhere, rival commercial radio company Bauer launched seven new digital stations earlier this month.