Hits Radio Rebrand Rollout - Printable Version
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RE: Hits Radio Rebrand Rollout - Stooky Bill - 30-03-2024
(29-03-2024, 06:50 PM)cityprod Wrote: That's because the breakfast show team are joining Hits Radio.Yes, they're continuing and telling everyone they're continuing, but in a couple of weeks a lot of their listeners will turn their radio on to hear them and it'll be Simon Ross instead
It's all very well saying that 'Hits Radio is the new name for Pirate FM' but not telling the audience it's disappearing from FM totally is an odd move, especially for such an established station with such a loyal audience and advertiser base
RE: Hits Radio Rebrand Rollout - cityprod - 31-03-2024
(30-03-2024, 10:54 PM)Stooky Bill Wrote: Yes, they're continuing and telling everyone they're continuing, but in a couple of weeks a lot of their listeners will turn their radio on to hear them and it'll be Simon Ross instead
It's all very well saying that 'Hits Radio is the new name for Pirate FM' but not telling the audience it's disappearing from FM totally is an odd move, especially for such an established station with such a loyal audience and advertiser base
Well, that will depend if you're listening on FM or DAB.
These days FM is pretty much a legacy platform, with DAB or Internet listening pretty much outstripping it. On DAB, GHR Cornwall already exists, so the major change there will be adding it to FM, which will suit the FM audience who will appreciate that particular music mix.
Meanwhile the audience who would be more interested in the Hits Radio playlist is pretty much already on DAB and the internet. And on DAB, Pirate FM will get renamed to something like Hits Cornwall and to them, Pirate FM will have been replaced by Hits Radio. Meanwhile the FM audience will get their local afternoon/drivetime show on the new to FM, GHR Cornwall.
I would say that overall, this is the best that they can do to promote it. Like with Wave, there'll be a sign off, and then the FM service will begin promoting GHR, before it launches on FM the next morning. Meanwhile on DAB, the output will have split off to countdown to the launch of the new Hits Radio Cornwall with the local breakfast show. It's not ideal, I know, but the way they are doing this right now, is the right call, as much as I might personally think replacing Pirate FM is a big mistake.
RE: Hits Radio Rebrand Rollout - Steve in Pudsey - 01-04-2024
I think that's his point. They are putting out promos for Hits Radio that imply Pirate's FM frequencies will become Hits when in fact the content they are plugging will only be on DAB.
RE: Hits Radio Rebrand Rollout - Stooky Bill - 01-04-2024
(01-04-2024, 08:01 AM)Steve in Pudsey Wrote: I think that's his point. They are putting out promos for Hits Radio that imply Pirate's FM frequencies will become Hits when in fact the content they are plugging will only be on DAB.Yes, GHR and DAB aren't even getting a mention in the pre publicity for the changes. It's very different to what happened with Wave, as its one station moving platforms and changing name and a totally different one replacing it. It's the same as happened with Lincs FM, except all in the same day rather than over a year.
The messaging is awful, just being honest with the audience will save a lot of goodwill from them. By not promoting GHR on FM they're almost seeming like they're doing it in secret.
I'd disagree that FM is a legacy platform, there's still a lot of people listening to it especially in vehicles. If there weren't then why is Bauer spending so much money buying up and converting so many FM licenses to their national networks? If they wanted Hits and GHR to be national DAB networks then that's a lot easier and cheaper.
It's a shame to see Pirate go, it's a sad end for what was a huge station down there. Whenever I was on holiday down there it used to be on everywhere, it's logo was everywhere. Had quire a mixed playlist and really useful to have on on holiday too for the local information too. Now all the local content is reduced down to 3 hours a weekday off peak.
Im not sure the term 'throwback' works so well in an area with lots of fishing either :-D
RE: Hits Radio Rebrand Rollout - James2001 - 01-04-2024
Yep, plenty of people don't have DAB radios, especially in cars.
RE: Hits Radio Rebrand Rollout - what - 01-04-2024
Stations to be rebranded showing up under "All Stations" on the Hits Radio section of Planet Radio - although the player tab lists Hits Radio South Wales as Hits Radio Cardiff. Can't imagine the people of Swansea being best pleased about that, especially given The Wave were and still are based there!
RE: Hits Radio Rebrand Rollout - Dadeki - 01-04-2024
(28-03-2024, 11:13 PM)lookoutwales Wrote: Wish I had put a fiver on that now!
Very dignified and deserved farewell.
Bit surprised they haven’t flipped straight over to Crane / GHR etc.
For those interested, Shane Thornton has kindly uploaded the final 15 minutes of Wave 105 to YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/2nx2iDy_pDs
RE: Hits Radio Rebrand Rollout - cityprod - 02-04-2024
(01-04-2024, 12:19 PM)Stooky Bill Wrote: Yes, GHR and DAB aren't even getting a mention in the pre publicity for the changes. It's very different to what happened with Wave, as its one station moving platforms and changing name and a totally different one replacing it. It's the same as happened with Lincs FM, except all in the same day rather than over a year.
The messaging is awful, just being honest with the audience will save a lot of goodwill from them. By not promoting GHR on FM they're almost seeming like they're doing it in secret.
I'd disagree that FM is a legacy platform, there's still a lot of people listening to it especially in vehicles. If there weren't then why is Bauer spending so much money buying up and converting so many FM licenses to their national networks? If they wanted Hits and GHR to be national DAB networks then that's a lot easier and cheaper.
It's a shame to see Pirate go, it's a sad end for what was a huge station down there. Whenever I was on holiday down there it used to be on everywhere, it's logo was everywhere. Had quire a mixed playlist and really useful to have on on holiday too for the local information too. Now all the local content is reduced down to 3 hours a weekday off peak.
Im not sure the term 'throwback' works so well in an area with lots of fishing either :-D
For commerical radio, FM is definitely a legacy platform. Only around 21% of listening is done on FM, down from 29% a year ago, with 46% on DAB, up from 38% a year ago. Online listening in that same time has gone from 28% to 29%.
BBC Radio listening on FM is not dropping so much with just around 1-2% changes on any platform in the past year. 37% to 36% on FM, 39% on DAB, stable over the past year, 19% to 21% online. I estimate that within a year, over half of all commercial radio listening will be on DAB, and we'll see FM listening drop below 20% sooner than that. I don't think it will be too long before they start considering closing down FM transmitters, as much as I don't want that to happen yet. We're talking about 5-10 years in the future here. BBC and Community Radio stations will probably still be on FM for a while after, but the clock is pretty much already ticking on commerical radio's future on FM.
RE: Hits Radio Rebrand Rollout - James2001 - 02-04-2024
21% is still a lot. Especially as I imagine much of that, as I said, is in cars where people don't have DAB and online streaming isn't feasible (and people listening in cars at breakfast and drivetime are often the most profitable time for commercial stations).
As has been said, the likes of GHR wouldn't be expanding on FM to the extent they have been if they didn't think there was money to be made and it will all be closed down in a few years.
RE: Hits Radio Rebrand Rollout - cityprod - 02-04-2024
(02-04-2024, 01:32 PM)James2001 Wrote: 21% is still a lot. Especially as I imagine much of that, as I said, is in cars where people don't have DAB and online streaming isn't feasible (and people listening in cars at breakfast and drivetime are often the most profitable time for commercial stations).
As has been said, the likes of GHR wouldn't be expanding on FM to the extent they have been if they didn't think there was money to be made and it will all be closed down in a few years.
Except it really isn't a lot in this circumstance, and it's dropping at quite a rate. 29% to 21% in a year is quite an alarming rate of decline. The fact that they are even maintaining any form of local programming, by transferring it to Hits Radio & GHR, is more a testament to Cornwall's unique heritage and culture than anything else. I think you overestimate just how much GHR and Bauer will be making from this. They have to provide something on FM otherwise they will lose that licence. Better at the moment to have GHR simulcasting on FM, than just to close down Pirate and lose that licence at this point. 5-10 years from now, who knows, but at this point, it makes more sense.