UK

Radio News Hub is to broadcast a live eight-hour show on election night from College Green in London with presenter Jonathan Charles.

The former BBC TV and radio anchor, and long serving foreign correspondent, will be joined by politicians, expert commentators, and a host of other guests.
There will be live declarations from key counts, and reporters on the ground. The show aims to sound different to traditional election night programmes and is planning to be entertaining as well as informative.
Clients of Radio News Hub can air the show for free from 10pm on July 4th, till 6am.
It will also be broadcast on the rolling news channel News Radio UK.
Radio News Hub co-founders Stephanie Otty and Jamie Fletcher said: “The energy and excitement of Election night in Westminster is electrifying, and with our live coverage, you can experience every moment as it unfolds. As we pull out all the stops for our listeners, we are delighted to have a broadcaster of Jonathan’s experience and skill as our host, to lead us through what is sure to be a momentous evening.
Jonathan Charles stepped back from news presenting in 2011 to take on a new career in international development but is now heading out of his ‘news retirement’ to anchor the programme. He says: “This will be one of the most important elections of my lifetime, taking me back to some of the big ones that I covered in 1983,1987, 1992, 1997 and 2010, so when Radio News Hub asked me, I jumped at the chance.
“It will be an exciting night and a significant one for Britain. Politics is one of my passions and I will be bringing all that enthusiasm onto the show on the night. Alongside the main news, we’ll be having fun in between the serious moments. I admire Radio News Hub’s operation and ambition….there are few bigger nights in news.”
Jonathan currently presents two music shows, The Vinyl Countdown and the Best Disco In Town, syndicated across more than 40 radio stations.
For further details head to radionewshub.com. […]

Two new local stations are to launch in Yorkshire as Rombalds Radio rebrands to match its parent company.

Rombalds Radio, which launched in August 2020, will rebrand as Your Skipton from 1st July, while an additional service – Your Ilkley – will begin broadcasts the following week.
The station was founded by radio professionals Stuart Clarkson and Nick Babb during the pandemic covering Rombalds Moor, on the border between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. It was acquired last year by neighbouring station Your Harrogate.
After four years of building up a following online, Your Skipton and Your Ilkley plan to broadcast on the new small-scale DAB multiplex covering South Craven, Wharfedale and the Worth Valley which was recently advertised by Ofcom in round six of its licensing process.
Creative Director Nick Hancock told RadioToday: “While other radio stations are going less local, we’ve identified a local niche here to create dedicated services for individual towns, showcasing and celebrating all they have to offer and providing fantastic marketing opportunities for local businesses.
“We’re so excited to be expanding our successful ‘Your’ brand from Harrogate to Skipton and Ilkley by creating an additional radio station to make two brilliant hyperlocal services. Community is more important than ever and Your Skipton and Your Ilkley will bring local communities round here the very best of life in their town.”
The two stations are working with local events over the summer as part of the launch plans – including Skipton’s “Sheep Day” and the Ilkley Half Marathon in the coming weeks.
Nick added: “We are so excited to be launching not one but two new radio stations next month. All the team here can’t wait to get started!” […]

Edge 1 will celebrate Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour coming to Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium with a special broadcast.

On Friday 7th June there will be an all-day Taylor Swift takeover on the station, playing her hits from 6am until 6pm, as well as some exclusive content, interviews, and fan interactions ahead of her first night at Murrayfield.

Brad Yule, Group Head of Content at Edge Media Group said: “We’re excited to bring this unique listening experience to our listeners, we’re dropping our usual playlist from 6am until 6pm for nothing but Taylor’ Swift tracks.
“Taylor Swift’s music has resonated with fans across the globe, and we wanted to create something memorable for her Edinburgh concert. It’s going to be a fantastic lead-up to her show at Murrayfield.” […]

Capital weekend presenter Kemi Rodgers is to cover Sian Welby on Capital Breakfast with Jordan North and Chris Stark over the Summer.
Kemi currently presents on Capital every Saturday and Sunday mid-mornings, 9am – 12 noon.
“I am absolutely buzzing to cover for Sian over the summer on Capital Breakfast,” Kemi said.
“We are all so excited for her and her new bundle of joy! The Capital Breakfast Show is such a laugh and I know I’m going to have the best time with Jordan and Chris.”
Sian Welby said, “Kemi’s been absolutely brilliant stepping in as ‘junket queen’ for the past couple of weeks and I know she’ll be keeping the boys in check whilst I’m off on leave for the Summer!” […]

New research published today shows how commercial radio news provides listeners with highly trusted updates and has a unique ability to cut through with audiences, especially around elections.

Breaking News: How commercial radio cuts through with listeners in a general election explores the news consumption habits of commercial radio listeners, with a specific focus on updates during elections. With nearly two thirds of listeners (63%) concerned around the amount of false or misleading information resented as news, the new study highlights how radio remains the most trusted source of news (for 7 out of 10 listeners) across all media, as well as looking at how audience attitudes have changed over time. 
Key takeaways from the research: 

Radio continues to be the most trusted medium for news and is considered to be the most impartial and accurate news source during an election. Trust in radio news is also over double the level for social media. In the run up to an election, commercial radio is seen as the best form of audio for a quick summary of key events. 
Commercial radio news cuts through to listeners during an election – encouraging discussion and debate, while acting as a catalyst for further discovery. Young people are most likely to discuss what they’ve heard on commercial radio with family and friends. 
Commercial radio news has a unique ability to reach an important group of potential swing voters. Outsiders (over a third of commercial radio listeners who are least engaged with news) are more likely to say they don’t know who they will vote for in the upcoming election. This group is most likely group to turn to commercial radio as their primary news source, and their reliance on commercial radio news has grown since 2020.

Download Breaking News: How commercial radio cuts through with listeners in a general election here.
Radiocentre CEO Matt Payton said: “With a general election just around the corner, accurate news updates are more important than ever and it’s clear that listeners continue to value the trusted news bulletins on commercial radio. The significant investment from radio broadcasters in their news teams all around the country is especially important, as audiences rely on the regular updates that they hear throughout the day.
Radio remains the most trusted of all media for news updates and commercial radio news bulletins continue to cut through, particularly with younger audiences. This is vital given the level of misinformation that can exist on social media. Commercial radio also has a unique connection to millions of listeners who are still undecided on how they will vote in the election and less likely to seek out news elsewhere.” […]

Richard Woods with Mark Peters

Former MD of Pirate FM, Mark Peters has been appointed as AI Integration Specialist at Rewind Radio.

In his new role, Mark will implement an AI strategy designed to drive efficiency and maximise ROI for the station’s local clients.
He has 25 years’ experience in radio presentation, management and client campaign delivery.
Mark says: “I am incredibly happy to be back in Cornwall after a decade at the helm of Pirate FM. The opportunity to re-engage with the Cornish business community and demonstrate the transformative advantages of AI technology to enhance their productivity and profitability in partnership with Cornwall’s Rewind Radio is hugely exciting.”
Richard Woods, Managing Director of Rewind Radio added: “Partnering with Mark once again is a fantastic opportunity. His extensive experience and innovative approach to Radio and AI will undoubtedly boost local Cornish businesses and elevate our training and knowledge programmes across all sectors of business.
“At present there is a serious lack of knowledge in the business marketplace of how to install AI beyond basic PR content, Together, we aim to deliver substantial results, demonstrating how to deploy AI within Cornish businesses alongside the power of radio to enhance results.” […]