PLANS for Manchester's first 24-hour news and sport talk radio station were unveiled today by the Guardian Media Group - publisher of the Manchester Evening News.
The station will be called Channel M Radio and start broadcasting next year if GMG's bid for an FM licence serving the city proves successful next month.
Already renowned for its award-winning news teams, GMG will appoint a team of more than 20 journalists and presenters and use the extensive resources of the Manchester Evening News and Channel M Television in the city.
Variety
The licence will allow broadcasts to more than 2.3million adults.
John Myers, chief executive of GMG Radio, said: "Our research shows that there is a huge variety of music led stations in Manchester but not one single commercial speech station is on the dial in the region."
The Guardian Media Group is at the heart of news gathering in Manchester and its long heritage puts it in an extremely strong position to produce a quality talk station dedicated to the news, sport, views and opinions and lifestyles of people in Manchester.
Mr Myers launched the successful Century and Real Radio brands.
GMG Radio currently owns five regional stations across the UK, including 100.4 Smooth FM.
Comments
Login or Register to comment
Make sure you employ James Stannage from Key103 if you want this to be a success. He's the best in the business. What you don't need are presenters like GMR's Allan Beswick & his ilk who swan in from their leafy Cheshire havens telling real Mancunians how to think and conduct their lives. If they can't pronounce Blackley or Alkrington correctly show them the door. Stannage may not have been born in Manchester but he has lived and worked in the inner city for most of his career.
James H Reeve would be good signing!
yes get the station going you have got to be better than GMR and get James H sighned up
Chris from Middleton: Allan Beswick doesn't live in leafy Cheshire. He lives in Leigh.
John Astley, Boothstown. Were talking about a Manchester radio station here not Wigan radio so what's it got to do with you ? Having been born Ardwick, Manchester within a mile of Piccadilly Gardens & lived there for 20 years before they knocked it down I know who is entitled to call themselves Mancunians and its not pie eaters. By the way Beswick was born in Warrington. Heather Stott, Macclesfield. Mark Edwardson, Haydock & not a one them lives in Manchester. You and this lot can save "I come from Manchester" for the Spanish when trying to tell them where you come from.
Chris. You are as bad as the scousers on Radio Merseyside who want Liverpool to have its own TV station because they resent the likes of Boris Johnson and other comedians treating their city with less than the utmost reverence. I admit though that the first thing I thought when I heard of this venture was; lets get James H back on the airwaves. Stannage wears a bit thin after an hour or two, he can stay with 103. Lets hope the signal for the station is strong enough to reach me.