Good honest work at UKRD

UKRD owned Star Radio in Cambridge and Ely is celebrating a 29 per cent increase in reach and puts its success down to keeping everything as local as possible.

"Under the leadership of programme controller Mark Peters, the team in Cambridge work tirelessly without resorting to networking or rip off competitions", said UKRD's group programme director, Phil Angell. "Theirs is good, honest, local radio in its finest tradition. There is now the beginnings of a sea change in this marketplace and as commercial radio continues to undergo the structural changes it is presently grappling with, there will be opportunities for local competitors to eventually topple heritage ILR's whose output is dictated from elsewhere. This may take time but we will start to see it happen in some markets."
Elsewhere at UKRD, Eagle Radio, which broadcasts to Surrey and Hampshire, recorded an increased Reach of 27 per cent and for the first time in its history beat Radio 4 in its marketplace.
Star Radio in North Somerset increased its Reach by 27 per cent following the appointment of former GCap Media employee, Darren Daley.
"Darren is the first person UKRD has been able to employ following changes the big groups are making and I hope there is further talent out there willing to consider UKRD," said Angell. "I think he feinted when we handed over the keys and said to him, 'the station's all yours buddy' but that approach is clearly a refreshing one for those ground down after years working in the sysiphean environment of a large radio group. And it clearly works!"