GMG Radio signs new sales deal with GCap Media

GMG Radio today announces that GCap Media plc (GCap) has won the national airtime sales contract for its Real, smooth and Rock Radio brands.

GCap already manages the national revenue for GMG Radio’s two Century FM stations in the Northwest and Northeast of England and will take on the contract for the additional nine stations from January 1st 2008.

This deal will enable GCap to offer national clients a combined total of nearly 200 million hours of listening each week* - 40 per cent of the total weekly hours listened to commercial radio in the UK.

GMG Radio Chief Executive John Myers said: "We would like to thank Global Radio and their team for their hard work over the past seven years. As our own group grows we have reviewed our options and we feel our new association with GCap will give us greater presence in the market place. They have performed brilliantly over the past year for us with the two Century stations and we are looking forward to a bigger relationship in the future."

GMG Radio Group Commercial Director Stuart Taylor said: "This greatly simplifies our sales arrangements, both nationally and regionally. Our new partnership with GCap Media will provide an extremely powerful sales offering to clients and media agencies. “We are building strong national networks under the Real/ Century and smooth brands, and this move will help those brands reach their full potential."

GCap’s London MD, Fru Hazlitt commented: "We are delighted to have secured this important contract with GMG. By adding these stations to our own family of well known radio brands including Classic FM, Capital 95.8 and Xfm, we will be able to offer our clients an unrivalled radio opportunity across the UK."

In addition, the new contract will also lead to the restructure of several other sales services which will streamline the number of contact points for agencies.

National Sponsorship and Promotions activity for all GMG Radio brands, which has been managed by Global and GCap, will also move in-house within GMG Radio from January 1st 2008. Full details of this will be announced in due course.

The contract for local sales at London’s smooth radio will also move in-house. Regional Sales for the Century brand will move in-house to the award winning GMG Regional Radio Sales team.

The team of three smooth radio brand specialists headed by Rupert Garrett currently employed by Global will move to GCap Media as part of the new contract.

* Source: RAJAR/Ipsos MORI three months ended September 2007 within the Total GMG Radio TSA and Total GCap Media TSA

Published on 29/10/2007

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