I always think it's a stupid move for a station to reposition itself to be more like their main competitor - nobody ever benefits.
I remember Leeds' Radio Aire used to target 20somethings predominantly and had their highest ever listening figures. They then decided to aim more towards teenagers, and in so doing went head-to-head with Galaxy and Radio 1. The result was their Rajar plummeted. Oddly now they're going back to a slighly older format again!
Well this can only be good news for Trent FM - although it is now very similar to Century, but it makes it much more of a listenable station. And at least there is no networked programme at 10pm - that's how it should be!
Gave the 'new' 96 Trent FM a go today (haven't listened for probably a few years, It's sounding great - like Century was before and during the Graham Mack era, Century seems to be going down the 'female orientated' route...good on Trent FM.
I can't believe Jo & Twiggy are still there (or are as the website says the 'New' Jo and Twiggy, theyr'e loving this 'new' branding) Loved them around 1998/99, but it got as if they were doing the same old thing day in, day out for years & years though. Does anyone know if they still have the 'Friday feel good song'?
There should be a specially made award for the Radio Station using the word 'new' as many times as they can in a milli-second - the winner is Trent FM!
It's definately made the station alot better than the current GWR 'Mix' Network - who also seem to be going down the 'female' route. No more trashy pop songs 24/7 - brilliant stuff!
At the NEW 96 Trent FM we're now playing
the best mix of the 80s 90s and today [for the World's Best City]
. That means that everyday we play more songs from more of the artists you love.
Here in Milton Keynes, my local GWR station plays a slight play on words with it's slogan.... "The World's best NEW City" New or not, we certainly haven't had the city status. We are still a town until the Queen weaves her magic!
South Wales was the first place Real Radio launched - right across from Newport (105.4FM), Cardiff (105.9FM) to Swansea (106.2FM IIRC) and later in Pembroke (97.2FM) (these numbers are only from memory, i haven't checked them out). For those who have never heard Real Radio (it's on Sky Digital btw) they launched a more "middle-of-the-road" station for people who were too old for Red Dragon FM (same company as London's Capital Radio) but too young for Capitol Gold. As a result, direct or indirect, Red Dragon introduced a regular, more serious hourly news bulletin and a late-night phone-in as Real Radio grabbed listeners from it and Capitol. Red Dragon is still a hotbed of pop and pap, but at least is more listenable to than what it was five years ago.
In Cornwall, Pirate FM is an amalgamation of the two. I don't know who owns it, but it intersperses pop with "oldies" (70s-2002) with ease. It's considered "cool" by Cornish kids and is middle-of-the-road enough for 55 year olds to appreciate. IMHO it's a good station (overrun by adverts) and for someone of my musical tastes (80s - both stadium rock and electropop, modern ballads, dance, rock and grunge) it's a very listenable-to station when you're doing a 9-hour shift in the bakery at Sainsbury's....until the fat man in the suit who claims to be the duty manager comes and tells you to turn it down.