The Stage

HIT and GWR launch digital kids’ radio station

Published Tuesday 15 February 2005 at 11:10 by Liz Thomas

Radio group GWR, independent producer HIT Entertainment and former TV presenter Susan Stranks are launching a new digital radio station for children.

Children’s Radio UK is HIT Entertainment’s first move into radio and targets the under-tens market with well known characters from its television ventures including Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine and Barney likely to feature in programming.

It aims to cater for parents with young children through music, reading and entertainment. The music playlist will include songs from films and musicals as well as nursery rhymes, soft contemporary and classical music. There will also be shows and information for parents and carers.

GWR Group executive chairman Ralph Bernard said: “We are confident that CRUK will provide a widening of choice for this age group, which is currently under-served in the UK radio market.”

The alliance will expand GWR Group’s portfolio following its agreed £711 million merger with Capital radio, which will come into effect on May 9. The introduction of the Communications Act last year removed limits on the number of radio licenses any single company can hold and the company’s 47.5% stake in CRUK - HIT also owns 47.5% and Stranks has a 4% share - gives it access to the growing children’s radio market.

Currently BBC7 and UBC Media’s OneWord are the only national digital radio stations broadcasting children’s programming, while local services include abracaDABra! and Capital Disney, a joint venture between Capital Radio and the Walt Disney group. Just under 90% of children aged between four and 14 in the UK - around 7.2 million - listen to radio an average of 12 hours a week. No analogue licences have been awarded to a children’s service over the past 15 years, leaving digital radio as the only outlet.

The new station will air from April in London, Essex, Birmingham, Wiltshire, Avon and Dorset and an application has been submitted to Ofcom for licence to broadcast in Manchester.

Stranks, who made her name as a presenter on television show Magpie and founded London children’s radio station abracDABra!, said it was important to move the genre forward and provide a dedicated service for families across the country.