Vibe FM Claims UK’s Most Successful Regional Radio Launch

Suffolk-based dance station, Vibe FM, is claiming to be the most successful regional radio station to launch under the Radio Authority’s direction over the last four years.

The station has achieved a 13% weekly reach in its first RAJAR, for Q2 1998; this represents an average weekly audience of 228,000.

Vibe says that its early analysis shows that the audience it has gained has been pulled primarily from BBC Radio 1. Paul Chantler, Vibe’s group programme director, says: “The aim of Vibe FM was to target the BBC to grow the overall audience for the commercial sector. We believe that we have achieved this.”

Liverpool’s indie/dance station, Crash FM, also reported its first RAJAR figure last week. It managed an average weekly audience of 19,000, and a very low share of listening at only 0.2%. Kent-based TLR 107.2, which launched in January, returns its first weekly reach at 27,000 and share at 11.4%.

106 CTFM, 107.9 Dune FM, Huddersfield FM, and Surf 107 all reported their first RAJAR figures in this quarter.

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