Fresh from their win in Liverpool with an all-talk format, Emap has launched a bid to extend Kerrang! Radio to South Wales.
The closing date for applications to Ofcom is December 12th, with the new licence covering Cardiff, Swansea and parts of Newport.
Adrian Serle, MD of Kerrang! Radio, said: “Wales has an awesome history of rock music that Kerrang! has always supported.”
“We successfully launched Kerrang! on FM in the West Midlands, have built an audience of just under 400,000 in two years, and become commercial market leader for 15-24 year-olds in our first 18 months!
“Now we want to take Kerrang! Radio to South Wales. You only have to look at the region’s hotbed of talent from Manic Street Preachers to Feeder, Bullet For My Valentine to Lost Prophets and Stereophonics to Funeral For A Friend to see that Kerrang! has a natural home here, serving a buzzing scene with the genuine article.”
Swansea native, Stuart Williams, Publishing Director of Kerrang! Magazine, said: “Rock music fans in South Wales are twice as likely to buy Kerrang! Magazine than anywhere else in the UK – that’s testament to the region’s long-standing and ever-evolving rock heritage.
“Welsh bands dominated this year’s Kerrang! Awards and the whole Kerrang! family continues to support existing and emerging Welsh talent.”
Kerrang! Radio is currently celebrating record listening figures and, in the two years since launching, has won 22 awards including the Sony Gold Award for Station of the Year and the Music Week Station of the Year.
The station boasts more than 40 hours a week of tailored specialist shows dedicated to genres such as: Punk, Hardcore, Thrash, Goth, Emo, Indie and Metal. There's also the infamous Unsigned show which offers bands a platform to get exposure they deserve, whilst helping the best of the crop get signed in the process.
Live @ Kerrang! Sessions, Raw gigs, and sound checks mean Kerrang! Radio gives its listeners the chance to witness the best live music up close and for free, with global artists like Franz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol and Lost Prophets all performing in front of audiences of less than 50 people. This is something that would form part of the new South Wales service if given the go-ahead.
On 15 November, Kerrang! Radio will be giving Wales a taste of what’s to come with their own free gig at The Point in Cardiff. Fightstar, Skindred, and hot Welsh band The Blackout top the bill of the exclusive event for 500 competition winners.
In the coming weeks Kerrang! will be broadcasting live from the sold-out Bullet For My Valentine gig at Cardiff University as well as hosting a number of unsigned band events.
Kerrang! Radio currently broadcasts across the West Midlands on 105.2 FM and is available across the country on DAB digital radio, online, satellite and cable and via Freeview. More people than ever before are listening to and enjoying Kerrang! Radio. Across the UK a total of 1.35 million guitar music fans tune in every week (Rajar Q3 2006 age 15+)
The team will submit their application to Ofcom by December 12th and a decision on who gets to broadcast a new radio station to South Wales will be decided in early 2007.
Kerrang! Radio is also the home of Wales' own favourite drummer Stuart Cable who not only presents his own show but hosts Legends, the extremely popular classic rock show.