WINNIPEG – CanWest Global Communications has been awarded its second radio licence in the U.K., to operate an FM in Bristol, west of London.
Original 106fm will play an adult alternative format targeted at (oddly) a 40 to 59-year-old demo, spinning “an eclectic mix of music from a wide range of artists” and also having 24-hour local news coverage. The company has not announced a launch date.
Bristol is the eighth-largest city in the U.K. and will give the new station a potential audience of about 500,000, the broadcaster said.
“CanWest is extremely pleased to be awarded a second radio licence in the UK,” said Tom Strike, President of CanWest MediaWorks International. “Original 106fm will extend CanWest’s radio presence in the UK, which began with another Original 106 in Southampton, which will go on air on Oct. 1.”
CanWest’s radio presence internationally includes national networks in New Zealand, where it airs a variety of formats under six radio brands, and four stations in Turkey.
And it’s not done across the pond, either. "We will be applying for additional radio licences in the U.K., which will hopefully further expand our presence in that market," said CanWest President and CEO Leonard Asper.
