JACK RADIO GROUP LAUNCHES TWO NEW NATIONAL RADIO STATIONS

Union JACK Dance and Union JACK Rock to play exclusively British music and comedy

9 December 2020, Oxford: The JACK Radio Group, one of the UK’s only independently-owned National and Regional radio groups, can today announce the launch of TWO new national digital radio stations, each of which will build on the unique charm, wit and personality of the Group’s successful national digital radio station, Union JACK.

Union JACK Rock and Union JACK Dance will share the same DNA as Union JACK Radio, intrinsically linked through their celebration of exclusively British music and comedy. The two new stations launch on national DAB Broadcast Radio at 0900hrs this Friday 11 December, and will also be available online at unionjack.co.uk, or via their own App.

Each of the new services will offer the brilliant British comedy that Union JACK radio has become famous for however; while Union JACK radio plays a mix of British music genres from across the 60s, 70s and 80s, Union JACK Rock will feature British-only rock music, while Union JACK Dance will celebrate British-only dance music. This allows listeners nationwide to enjoy their preferred choice of British music, alongside a more substantial and considered British comedy offering than can be found on any other radio station.

These new launches result in the tenacious JACK Radio Group now owning and operating a portfolio comprising three national and three regional radio stations, bucking the trend and continuing to invest in a unique style of commercial radio that inspires and excites its audiences. This comes as the media landscape has seen huge increases in engagement with radio throughout the global pandemic; where the JACK Group has seen a 53% increase in its cumulative audience and a 62% increase in total listening hours when comparing October 2020 to that of the previous year; plus a 46% increase in total listening hours from July – October 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.

The Group’s three national radio services will continue to build on the comedy strategy that has proved such a hit with listeners of original national station, Union JACK radio. All three British music stations will deliver clever collaborations with some of the country’s greatest comedians, whilst also supporting some of the nation’s most exciting new talent. In recent months, Union JACK radio has partnered with names including Brian Blessed, who launched his very first podcast with the station; the nation’s best quizzer, Mark “The Beast” Labbett, who hosts an interactive, audience-participation quiz show; and Josh Berry, the satirical impressionist who performs the award-nominated Josh Berry’s Fake News.

JACK CEO Ian Walker said: “We are focusing our energies and vision in our growing National business on the Union JACK radio brand, which clearly resonates with our listeners and continues to demonstrate huge opportunity for further growth. Our two new national services, Union JACK Rock and Union JACK Dance, will provide an ambitious comedy offering, with some content shared across our national network and some which will be bespoke to the station, while each offers its own specific genre of exclusively British music.”

Clive Dickens, Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director of the JACK Radio Group, added: “The launch of Union JACK Rock and Union JACK Dance allows us to strengthen the offering for our national audience, who can now enjoy the brilliant comedy that is at the heart of our Union JACK brand with a wider choice of British music genres. The exponential growth in commercial radio’s audience, engagement and revenue demonstrates huge scope for the sector, whilst we continue to demonstrate a big gap in the market for British-only music across digital radio – an opportunity which is to be met by the launch of these new services.”

These new radio launches continue to boost the opportunity for advertisers to reach a more mature, national audience who are primarily aged 35+, with the JACK portfolio now incorporating three national and three regional Oxfordshire radio stations, including JACKfm, the most awarded local radio station in UK commercial radio history. All of the brands in the portfolio have unveiled a new look, with logos and branding having been updated to reveal a more consistent and contemporary identity throughout the Group.

Across the local business, the JACK Radio Group continues to broadcast regional radio that is regionally hosted, and to build on its local network, establishing and growing partnerships and collaboration opportunities within the Oxfordshire region, including with the Oxford City Light Festival and the Westgate Shopping Centre. During the pandemic, the JACK Group offered an £150k advertising fund to support local businesses and organisations who had made a positive impact in the region, or to support charities who had been adversely affected, with 29 local organisations benefitting from this support.