Radio Times Gets Marketing Boost

BBC Worldwide is to promote the Radio Times with a six-figure advertising campaign including TV and radio sponsorship.

The marketing push, which is aimed at lapsed and occasional readers, will see the Radio Times sponsor ITV1’s coverage of the BAFTA Television Awards to be shown tonight. Other activity includes national and regional press ads and sponsorship of a new feature on Classic FM.

The campaign, which was created in-house, is designed to reflect the magazine in a “humorous way” and emphasises the title’s interviews and features as well as its TV and radio listings. A direct mail push targeting 100,000 consumers across the UK launched last week giving people the chance to get five free issues of the magazine.

According to the ABC results for the six-month period ending December 2001, the Radio Times saw circulation decline 5% year on year to 1,200,615. The magazine, which launched almost 80 years ago, currently sits just behind IPC’s What’s On TV, which circulates at 1,652,138 and ahead of H Bauer’s TV Choice, which stands at 783,240.

Last week BBC Worldwide announced plans to launch two new monthly magazines, Disney Girl and Disney Comic, for children aged between seven and nine and is to promote both titles with a six-figure marketing campaign (see BBC Worldwide Unveils New Children’s Magazines).

BBC Worldwide: 020 8433 2000 www.beeb.com

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