GWR Hopes For Hit With Children’s Digital Radio Offering
HIT Entertainment has formed a partnership with radio operator GWR to create a new digital radio service for the under-10s, providing entertainment for young listeners, as well as their parents and carers.
HIT and GWR will each hold a 47.5% stake in the venture, called Children’s Radio UK Ltd (CRUK), while Susan Stranks, founder of London’s children’s radio service abracaDABra, will also be involved in the project, holding a 4% stake.
CRUK new digital station will launch in April on DAB digital multiplexes serving London, Essex, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Bristol, Avon and Dorset. The company has also submitted an application to Ofcom for the new Manchester FM licence, and has outlined its intention to bid for other FM frequencies as and when they become available.
The service represents HIT Entertainment’s first venture into radio, providing “entertainment, education and fun” while assuring parents and carers that all content will be suitable for young audiences. HIT promises a “contemporary” feel to the station, catering for the needs and interests of parents with children aged under 10 and encouraging children to learn through music and song, as well as through reading and playtime.
Well-known characters from the HIT Entertainment stable such as Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Thomas & Friends and Barney will be used in the new station’s programming to help build a relationship with children.
Musical content will be tailored to suit young audiences, including popular and soft contemporary music, music from films and musicals, sing-a-long songs, nursery rhymes and classical music, while speech will be centred around fun and discovery for children, as well as parent-oriented entertainment and information for grown-ups.
Commenting on the new venture, GWR’s group executive chairman, Ralph Bernard, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to work with one of the world’s leading independent producers of children’s entertainment, and we’re confident that CRUK will provide a widening of choice for this age group which is currently under-served in the UK radio market. Our objective is to build a radio service that children and parents will want and love.”
HIT Entertainment’s executive director, Nigel Birrell, added: “We are delighted to be in partnership with such a highly regarded company as GWR to create an exciting, quality-assured radio offering. Storytelling and songs lie at the core of many HIT brands, and this is another example of how we are seeking to leverage the strength of our character portfolio through new and exciting distribution channels.”
GWR is set to merge with rival radio group Capital later this year, following confirmation that the Office of Fair Trading would not be referring the two companies’ consolidation to the Competition Commission (see Capital GWR Merger Escapes Competition Inquiry).
Speculation suggests that the high-profile merger could be completed as early as May, creating the nation’s largest commercial radio operator, worth around £711 million (see Capital Set To Merge With GWR In May).
GWR Group: 020 7284 3000 www.gwrgroup.com HIT Entertainment: www.hitentertainment.com
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