Category : Radio
Newcastle
Date : 26.03.2004
Printable version
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio
Newcastle is unveiling a new weekend schedule based on research into
what fresh programming audiences want from their Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ radio station in
the North East.
From Easter, weekend programmes will begin half an hour earlier on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
Radio Newcastle, at 6.00am, with a line up of some new shows alongside
established favourites which move to new times.
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle's Managing Editor Sarah Drummond said she was delighted
that the schedules were being refreshed, based on audience feedback
and research.
"Our bottom line is to give people what they want, and to make
programmes that new listeners won't be able to resist Β– something
that is both local and live," she said.
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"A lot of our weekend programmes
have been broadcast for a decade or more and we have strong indications
that audiences have moved on and we have not.
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"I want to make sure that we appeal to as many
people as possible in the North East.
"Our programmes on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle during the week are fresh,
bright, vibrant and energetic.
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"Research tells us that people who have not heard
us before are pleasantly surprised when they tune in to listen in the
week.
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"Hopefully these changes will reflect the success
of our weekday programmes in the weekend schedules."
In the new Saturday schedule, Howes Fishing starts at 6.00am
and is followed by a new Saturday Breakfast Show at 6.30am which
will begin with a series of guest presenters to groom new broadcasting
talent at the station.
Marian Foster will no longer present the breakfast show and her
gardening phone-in, Garden Mania, moves to Sunday at midday.
Popular presenter Sue Sweeney brings her quick wit and comic
humour to a new show on Saturdays starting at
9.00am following the success of her Tuesday evening programme.
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This replaces Paul Wappat's Saturday morning
programme to accommodate Paul's new Soul Show, which starts on
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle on Friday 9 April, 7.00 to 10.00pm.
Sarah Drummond says: "Sue's show will have fresh content, lots
of humour and good music."
The changes are based on audience research into what radio listeners
want for the future, and because of a drop in audiences on Saturday
and Sunday mornings in the last 12 months.
Audiences have fallen away in some of the long-standing shows or features,
including a Saturday morning country and western music strand.
The Saturday evening Country and Western music show at 9.00pm
will remain.
Football is one area where weekend audiences have increased at
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle in the last year.
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Match build-up to the afternoon's big games starts at
noon with Sound Check, followed by the highly successful Football
Heaven show between 2.00 and 6.00pm.
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Audiences for Football Heaven have grown in the last
12 to 18 months, particularly with the commentary teams of Nick Barnes
and Gary Bennet for SAFC; and award-winning Mick Lowes
and John Anderson for NUFC.
"We have strong evidence that audiences have followed Mick Lowes
to Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle's Football Heaven show," said Sarah Drummond.
The Saturday evening schedule remains unchanged, with three hours of
rock music followed by three hours of country and western music.
Sunday's schedule will begin earlier, at 6.00am, with Frank Wappat's
Gospel Show and will be followed at 7.30am with a new, live religious
music and information show presented by Jon Harle.
Sunday Mid-Morning, a new magazine-style programme of news, current
affairs, sport and music, begins at 9.00am and will be presented by
guest broadcasters.
The afternoon starts with the popular Garden Mania phone-in programme
with Marian Foster and her resident experts Stan and Eddie.
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Paddy MacDee's Solid Gold Sunday moves from 9.00am
to the new time of 1.00pm and Kathy Secker's Dedications moves
from noon to 2.00pm for two hours.
The Sunday evening schedules remain unchanged except for a new two-hour
show from Frank Wappat, at 7.00pm, playing songs from the shows,
stage, musicals and popular film.
Extensive research has been conducted into audience tastes, audience
figures, station performance, and where Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle has yet
to reach new listeners.
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Listeners' and potential listeners' own feedback has
been central to the research.
The new weekend schedules also build on the popularity of sport with
programming on a Sunday including new sports bulletins at 7.40,
8.40 and 9.40am, and coverage throughout the day of results and sports
news.
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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle
Β– Weekend Schedules - from 10 and 11 April 2004
Saturday
6.00am: Howes Fishing
6.30am: Saturday Breakfast
9.00am: Sue Sweeney
Noon: Sound Check
2.00pm: Football Heaven
6.00pm: John Caine's Rock Show
9.00pm-midnight: Braithwaite's Country
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Sunday
6.00am: Frank Wappat's Gospel Show
7.30am: Jon Harle's Sunday Breakfast
9.00am: Sunday mid-Morning
Noon: Marian Foster's Garden Mania
1.00pm: Paddy MacDee's Solid Gold
2.00pm: Kathy Secker's Dedications
4.00pm: Baz Khinda's Next Generasian
5.00pm: Awaaz with Pindi Naru
6.00pm: Chinese Connections
7.00pm: Frank Wappat's Show Songs
9.00pm: Alistair Anderson's Northern Folk
10.00pm-midnight: David Nove Music
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Notes to Editors
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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle has an average weekly audience of
233,000 people (source RAJAR December 2003)
Each listener tunes in for an average 11.3 hours a week to Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio
Newcastle.
The weekday Mike Parr Breakfast Show has become the number-one speech
breakfast show in Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle's transmission area since the
relaunch in October 2002.
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle's transmission area serves Tyneside, Wearside, Northumberland
and the north of County Durham.
Frequencies
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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle's main FM frequency is 95.4FM, but
there are other frequencies specially for different areas of the north
east.
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96FM is specially suited for listeners in North Northumberland.
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103.7FM is specially suited for listeners in the Tyne
Valley.
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104.4FM is specially suited to listeners in Gateshead.
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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Newcastle also has a MW frequency - 1458
kHz.
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Listeners can also tune in to Radio Newcastle with a
DAB digital radio.
