MS&M to sell airtime in travel slot

Radio traffic and travel service provider Metro Networks is launching a national advertising package to be sold by Capital Radio-owned radio sales house Media Sales & Marketing.

Metro Networks launched earlier this year out of the ashes of Metro Traffic Control, a US-supported operation which collapsed last October.

The new company, set up by chairman Tim Vestey, has already signed up GWR and East Anglia Radio and claims to be close to completing a deal with EMAP Radio. It is employing 23 staff, many of whom worked at the former company.

Metro offers free “on-the-spot” travel and traffic reports in exchange for ten-second ad breaks within the report. MS&M then packages and sells these slots to national advertisers.

“Formerly, we tried to sell the spots ourselves and it was a mistake,” says business development director Christopher Codrington.