GWR Prepares To Launch First Local Digital Offerings

GWR’s subsidiary Now Digital is launching the first three of its local digital multiplex services on 31 January (see Now Digital Wins Third Local Digital Radio Multiplex Licence). The three licences, which cover the areas of Bristol & Bath, Coventry & Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury & Telford represent a combined reach of 2.5m adult listeners.

Russell Stuart, managing director of GWR Digital, said, “These are the first of the GWR radio station areas to benefit from the digital revolution. For the first time stations like Classic Gold can be heard in a quality approaching that of a CD. With prices now able to compete with so-called ‘normal radios’ now is the time to get on board and listen to digital radio.”

There are some who would find Stuart’s latter remark a little wide of the mark. True, the cost of a digital radio has fallen from £800 in November 1999 to just under £300 now, but few would consider that competitive with ‘normal radios’. However, at least 20 new listeners in each of the three areas will not have to worry about this, as the leading GWR fm stations in each area are giving away 20 digital tuners as part of a “Going Digital Winning Weekend” promotion to launch the multiplexes.

The growing strength and size of the over-50’s market has not been ignored in the latest Radio Authority award of a local digital multiplex. Saga Radio has won the licence for the West Midlands area (see Radio Stations Appeal To The Older Generation In Bids For New Commercial Licences), which has a catchment area of more than 3m. Content is expected to include lashings of easy listening, along with the more saccharine offerings of the current pop charts for those who shared their youth with that of Radio 1.

GWR: 020 7284 3000 Radio Authority: 020 7430 2724 www.radioauthority.co.uk

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