The level of sales growth for retailers signed up to Newsagents Radio is silencing critics of c-store radio. Elaine Watson reports
If the words instore radio' conjure up distressing recollections of the Bee Gees on panpipes and Coronation Street's Reg Holdsworth working up a bit of ambience in the ambient aisles, relax. Supermarket  or more accurately, c-store radio, is moving into the 21st century.
While Radio 1 veteran Tony Blackburn has been rekindling his career on reality TV shows with Christine Hamilton and company, 1980s DJ and TV presenter Bruno Brookes has focused his energy on persuading shoppers to part with more cash in their local CTN or c-store by keeping them entertained with a slicker breed of point of purchase radio.
Done badly, instore radio can be pretty lousy, he admits. "There are loads of automated musak and messaging services out there with ads just ordering you to buy a product. The returns are minimal, and in many cases non-existent."
Done well, he argues, it is an advertiser's dream, reminding millions of potential customers of what you are selling at the point of purchase, when they have the opportunity to buy it  there and then.
After seven months on air, Brookes' brainchild Newsagents Radio claims to be the largest private satellite radio network in the northern hemisphere, plugged into 2,500 newsagents and convenience stores across the UK, reaching an estimated 4.9 million listeners a week.
However, competition is hotting up, with Nisa, Londis and Costcutter developing their own dedicated stations for members, and smaller players such as Jacksons investing in bespoke packages.
With the exception of Texaco's 330-strong company-owned estate, other groups signed up to Newsagents Radio are in the 20-120 store bracket, such as Mills Group, Star News and Spar retailers Alfred Jones and Lawrence Hunt, and Brookes accepts he will need to get the big boys such as TM Retail on board to get to critical mass  between 15,000 and 20,000 stores.
Sales uplift
However, research revealing a 6% uplift in sales across the board for retailers signed up, and double digit uplifts on products specifically advertised on the station (The Grocer, Sept 28, p21), is starting to sway the sceptics, claims Brookes.
Of course, not everything he has touched has turned to gold since his 1980s' heyday, notably the internet radio station Stormlive, which was quietly abandoned in the spring.
However, live, dedicated radio stations targeting particular sections of the retail sector are different, he insists.
Analysis of EPoS data reveals a quantifiable return on investment  a sales uplift of more than 30% in some cases, and blue chip companies including Britvic, Cadbury Trebor Bassett, Coke, 02 and The Sun's publisher News Group Newspapers are buying into it.
Moreover, the cost benefits of Newsagents Radio are pretty compelling, insists Brookes. "Research proves this drives sales. You take this incremental increase over the counter. We're also saving you money if you are subscribing to music services, which across a group can cost a hell of a lot," he says.
Work is now progressing on developing new stations dedicated to different sections of the retail market, such as Post Office Live, a live music station flagging up the vast array of services available at the post office. Details of other projects are being kept under wraps, but Brookes is aiming to reach 18 million listeners a week through his dedicated channels by the end of 2004.
One thing he has "absolutely no desire" to do, however, is get back in the studio. "I haven't done anything on air for four years," he says. "Twenty four years on air was good enough for me. I don't want to end up doing programmes in the Australian Bush carrying logs.
"As much as Tony [Blackburn] is great  and I've known him for many years," he adds with a smile, "it's just not my vision."
{{ANALYSIS }}
If the words instore radio' conjure up distressing recollections of the Bee Gees on panpipes and Coronation Street's Reg Holdsworth working up a bit of ambience in the ambient aisles, relax. Supermarket  or more accurately, c-store radio, is moving into the 21st century.
While Radio 1 veteran Tony Blackburn has been rekindling his career on reality TV shows with Christine Hamilton and company, 1980s DJ and TV presenter Bruno Brookes has focused his energy on persuading shoppers to part with more cash in their local CTN or c-store by keeping them entertained with a slicker breed of point of purchase radio.
Done badly, instore radio can be pretty lousy, he admits. "There are loads of automated musak and messaging services out there with ads just ordering you to buy a product. The returns are minimal, and in many cases non-existent."
Done well, he argues, it is an advertiser's dream, reminding millions of potential customers of what you are selling at the point of purchase, when they have the opportunity to buy it  there and then.
After seven months on air, Brookes' brainchild Newsagents Radio claims to be the largest private satellite radio network in the northern hemisphere, plugged into 2,500 newsagents and convenience stores across the UK, reaching an estimated 4.9 million listeners a week.
However, competition is hotting up, with Nisa, Londis and Costcutter developing their own dedicated stations for members, and smaller players such as Jacksons investing in bespoke packages.
With the exception of Texaco's 330-strong company-owned estate, other groups signed up to Newsagents Radio are in the 20-120 store bracket, such as Mills Group, Star News and Spar retailers Alfred Jones and Lawrence Hunt, and Brookes accepts he will need to get the big boys such as TM Retail on board to get to critical mass  between 15,000 and 20,000 stores.
Sales uplift
However, research revealing a 6% uplift in sales across the board for retailers signed up, and double digit uplifts on products specifically advertised on the station (The Grocer, Sept 28, p21), is starting to sway the sceptics, claims Brookes.
Of course, not everything he has touched has turned to gold since his 1980s' heyday, notably the internet radio station Stormlive, which was quietly abandoned in the spring.
However, live, dedicated radio stations targeting particular sections of the retail sector are different, he insists.
Analysis of EPoS data reveals a quantifiable return on investment  a sales uplift of more than 30% in some cases, and blue chip companies including Britvic, Cadbury Trebor Bassett, Coke, 02 and The Sun's publisher News Group Newspapers are buying into it.
Moreover, the cost benefits of Newsagents Radio are pretty compelling, insists Brookes. "Research proves this drives sales. You take this incremental increase over the counter. We're also saving you money if you are subscribing to music services, which across a group can cost a hell of a lot," he says.
Work is now progressing on developing new stations dedicated to different sections of the retail market, such as Post Office Live, a live music station flagging up the vast array of services available at the post office. Details of other projects are being kept under wraps, but Brookes is aiming to reach 18 million listeners a week through his dedicated channels by the end of 2004.
One thing he has "absolutely no desire" to do, however, is get back in the studio. "I haven't done anything on air for four years," he says. "Twenty four years on air was good enough for me. I don't want to end up doing programmes in the Australian Bush carrying logs.
"As much as Tony [Blackburn] is great  and I've known him for many years," he adds with a smile, "it's just not my vision."
{{ANALYSIS }}
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