06.12.2004

Absolute Radio, owners of North-West local radio station 107.6 Juice FM, the UK’s largest privately owned radio station*, today announced its intention to bid for the newly advertised Manchester FM licence as go-fm (Manchester). 

Absolute Radio has carried out a comprehensive quantitative study with over 1,500 adults in the Manchester market. The research, which was undertaken by NOP and interpreted by Edison Media Research, a leader in radio and consumer research, revealed a gaping hole in the local market for an ABC1 male-biased 40-59 music radio station:
45% of the go-fm target group think that ‘radio in Manchester is not as good as it used to be’.
 
65% of the go-fm target group think that ‘radio stations in Manchester currently don't always do a good job of playing the music they want to hear on the radio’.

According to latest RAJAR figures, local commercial radio only has a 38% share of the total Manchester market compared to a 43% share in London and 51% in Glasgow. Local Programming and a long-term investment plan for go-fm will redress this imbalance, if its licence bid is successful.

Joining go-fm (Manchester) as Programme Director will be Grainne Landowski. Grainne has considerable radio experience in Manchester having been the UK’s first female host of a commercial breakfast show with Kiss 102 in 1994 (later bought by Chrysalis and re-branded Galaxy), and as a presenter and producer at Emap’s Key 103. She is the current North-West Programmer of the Year. In 2003, with Grainne as Programme Director, 107.6 Juice FM won the NTL Station of the Year (>1 million TSA category), beating other nominated rivals XFM and Hallam FM.

John McCann – Chairman of Absolute Radio and CEO of UTV plc says, “As one of the UK's most successful commercial broadcasters, UTV brings a wealth of experience to this application through our television, radio and new media interests in the UK and Ireland backed up by solid financial strength. We are delighted with the progress that 107.6 Juice FM is making in Liverpool and are totally committed to bringing a fresh new adult music alternative to Manchester through go-fm."

Clive Dickens, Absolute Radio’s Group Operations and Programming Director added, “In 107.6 Juice FM, Absolute Radio now has a proven track record of investment, great local programming and real results. We have already invested over £4 million in North West local radio via 107.6 pounds £4.2 in North West Radio since Juice FM, having acquired the station just over a year ago’.

Juice FM is rapidly becoming the number one station of choice for Liverpool 15 – 34 year olds with the recent signing of Louis Hurst as its new Breakfast Host .