Ofcom considers proposal for a national Kiss network

A week after the Q3 2010 RAJAR release, Ofcom has received a format change request from Bauer to launch a new national version of Kiss.

Bauer wants all three FM local stations that make up the Kiss network to be able to share programming, which would mean removing the requirements for a specified amount of programming to be made by each station in the area that it serves.

If Ofcom agrees to the change, a new national version of Kiss radio would be transmitted in each analogue licence area, which would also be available on local DAB multiplexes across the UK.

The regulator said it has approved Bauer’s request in principle, as the changes would “not substantially alter the character of the services”.  However, the request will require a formal consultation to establish “whether or not the level of DAB coverage being proposed by Bauer for its new national Kiss service is sufficient to constitute national coverage”.

Bauer claims its new national Kiss DAB service will become available to 79.4% of the UK adult population within a few months.  The Kiss network is currently made up of Kiss 100 Greater London, Kiss 101 Severn Estuary and Kiss 105 East of England.

In last week’s RAJAR release, the Total Kiss Network enjoyed a healthy 14.2% year on year gain, taking its reach up to over four million listeners.  Meanwhile, Bauer’s Kiss 100 FM is fourth place in the London chart with a weekly reach of almost 1.8 million listeners after a 13.3% year on year increase.

Bauer’s request for Kiss comes less than a month after Smooth launched on a national basis, which followed hot on the heels of the expansion of the Heart brand.  The Capital brand is also set to follow, with a nationwide roll-out expected shortly.

In a recent Newsline article, Mark Barber, director of planning at the RAB, said national brands with networked content are great for advertisers and the changes could be an important factor in helping radio claim a fairer share of ad revenue.

Meanwhile, MediaVest’s Arum Nixon believes the success of the new national Heart network is a sign that listeners are happy with non-localised content – “What is the difference to a local listener if they’re getting quality programming,” he said.  However, other commentators are concerned that people are losing sight of the value of local radio.

Manning Gottlieb OMD’s Helen Keable says we have been “temporarily dazzled by the bright lights of ‘scale’ and lost sight of why we really value local radio; because of the influence it has over its listeners”.  She also thinks the Capital roll-out will be a telling time for the radio business, and will prove a tougher task than the Heart rebrand.