News story about claims by the new owner of UK local commercial radio station 'Hertbeat FM' that its breakfast show is the most listened to in the Knebworth market, written by Grant Goddard in August 2005 for The Radio Magazine.

1. NEWS: NEW OWNER OF
KNEBWORTH LOCAL RADIO
STATION 'HERTBEAT FM'
CLAIMS BREAKFAST SHOW
RANKS #1 IN MARKET
by
GRANT GODDARD
www.grantgoddard.co.uk
August 2005

2. News: New Owner Of Knebworth Local Radio Station 'Hertbeat FM' Claims Breakfast Show Ranks #1 In Market
Page 2
©2005 Grant Goddard
The new owner of Knebworth-based local commercial radio station 'Hertbeat
FM' has promised that the station is “just going to get better” and that “people
will like it even more”. Following the station’s purchase by Shadow Radio
Holdings last month, newly appointed station managing director Brett Harley
said: "When a new company takes over, there are new ideas and new money
to extend it. So we are investing in different things – new equipment, new staff.
We are also going to be extending the news coverage even more locally.
People have a huge choice of radio stations coming out of London, but they
choose Hertbeat FM because they are proud of being residents in
Hertfordshire." Harley said the station’s coverage area would be widened by
the addition of a new transmitter serving Letchworth and Hitchin in September.
Harley said that Hertbeat’s breakfast show, hosted by Steve Folland, was the
most listened to commercial morning programme in the area, according to the
latest ratings. "It's a fantastic result for Steve and the team at breakfast,” he
said. “It just goes to show that the people of Hertfordshire aren't being swayed
by the likes of 'Heart FM' and 'Capital FM' with their million pound advertising
campaigns and celebrity presenters!" Folland added: "More people are
listening to Hertbeat FM than any other commercial radio station. That's more
than Capital and Heart, which is ridiculous!" Asked the secret of his success,
Folland explained: "I was having a facial live on-air this morning, so it could be
my youthful good looks and radiant glow! It's also the good music we play. We
don't talk too much but, when we do, we have a good laugh. It's slightly
surreal, quite intelligent and not too laddish." The station told the local press
that the breakfast show attracts 34,000 listeners a week.
However, Hertbeat’s latest (and first) RAJAR data show that the whole station
has a weekly reach of 30,000 adults and a 4.9% share of listening. The peak
audience of the weekday breakfast show is between 0730 and 0800 when
4,100 adults listen, or 2% of the available population. Hertbeat ranks seventh
overall in the market, behind four BBC network stations, 'Magic FM' and 'Heart
FM'. 'BBC Radio Two' is the market leader with a 19.5% share of listening.
[First published in 'The Radio Magazine' as 'Hertbeat "Going To Get Better"', #697, 17 August 2005]
Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of
experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy
roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at
http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk