Today sees the deadline for applications for the new Manchester licence, the 2nd one in as many years, as Emap reveals details of their bid – Piccadilly Talk 106.1 FM.
Emap is just one of many who will submit their bid by 3pm today – and with an application fee of £25,000 bidders must be confident they will be chosen for the last Manchester FM licence.
Piccadilly Talk will be a Mancunian all-speech radio station for all Mancunian people – representing their interests, values and lives. With news, information and entertainment, Piccadilly Talk will be an opinionated platform for a culturally rich city.
The application says Piccadilly Talk will feature sensible and intelligent conversation, skilfully laced with news, sport, current affairs and Mancunian issues. It will have the flexibility to allow editors and presenters to take on a particular topic either as a brief news item or a full programme — delivered with a light, sparky, all-inclusive touch.
Whatever the topic, the approach in all areas will be factual, honest, detailed and different.
Studio discussions will not rely solely on the news of the day and local stories, but will also regularly tackle serious, emotional and human interest subjects. These will be complemented by unique and controversial documentaries.
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Emap Radio’s Terry Smith, who is leading the bid, said: “Piccadilly Talk is the all-speech station that Manchester has been waiting for. The key to good radio is making people believe that they have joined a club and the whole concept of Piccadilly Talk is to create an environment for social networking which welcomes listeners to interact with like-minded people.
“Piccadilly Talk will be innovative in a rapidly changing world. This will be reflected in its speech content; its technological advances and its corporate and social responsibility. It will provide an original new service with a number of clever ideas and unique programmes to create a welcomed and valued addition to radio listening.”
Innovations will include a fully-interactive website and the transmission of its news bulletins into all of Cabitvate’s taxis serving Manchester Airport and Manchester’s expanding tram system.
Piccadilly Talk’s programmes would be produced and presented by a dediacted team of experts based at the Key 103/Magic 1152 building at Castle Quay in Manchester.
Top quality news reports from the heart of the action will be a mainstay of the schedule. These will be supported by flagship programming covering all aspects of listeners’ lives from relationships to business matters, sports to shopping — anything that will get the city talking.
This is the second speech format from Emap Radio which is currently under consideration by Ofcom. Emap Radio submitted an all-new speech format called City Talk in its bid for a new FM commercial radio licence in Liverpool, which the winner will be announced on November 9th 2006.