Radio stations plot Scottish ‘RAB’
A group of Scottish radio stations are in talks to form their own version of the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) in an effort to increase radio ad spend north of the border.
The initiative is being driven by Real Radio Scotland managing director Billy Anderson. It is understood that the idea has been welcomed by a number of stations, including Scottish Radio Holdings-owned Radio Forth, Capital Radio Group’s Beat 106 and Saga, although it is still in the early stages.
Anderson says that a RAB-style organisation is needed to stop stations in Scotland challenging each other on price, and to get them working together in order to increase radio’s share of advertising.
He says: “Radio is a traded medium so we need to show advertisers what we can do rather than just sell airtime.”
Anderson believes there are several regional “hot spots” for radio advertising, which the RAB is unable to deal with because it is London-based. The RAB says that it cannot open a Scottish office as it would stretch the group’s resources too far.
The proposed group, which has yet to be named, is being developed with the support of the RAB but would not be part of it. There is no timetable for when the organisation will launch.
