FRS wins sales contract for Jazz FM

First Radio Sales has won the national airtime contract for the relaunched Jazz FM. The station will be available on DAB, Sky and Freesat and the internet later this year.

The sales house will be charged with attracting advertisers back to the relaunched station. It is hoped it will deliver an “aspirational ABC1 audience”.

Tony Mellor, managing director at FRS, says: “Jazz FM is an iconic radio brand in the UK, and around the world, and has great heritage amongst consumers and the media industry alike.”

The Jazz FM brand disappeared three years ago after owners Guardian Media Group Radio rebranded its two analogue stations, in London and the North West, as Smooth. It is being resurrected by its former management team, who are now at the Local Radio Company.

FRS, which is a joint venture between TalkSport-owned UTV Radio and LRC, currently handles the sales for 135 radio stations in the UK. The stations have a collective audience of 4.8 million listeners.