Independent Radio Sales, the radio sales house, is launching a London
only sales operation from next February, creating a package that
represents a combined 27 million listening hours.
IRS will sell its four London stations - Heart, Kiss FM, Sunrise and
London News Radio - as one package from early 1996. Optimedia, the
media specialist, has already bought the package for an unnamed national
client.
The decision to launch a dedicated London sell was taken earlier this
year but was given added impetus by the launch of a comprehensive IRS
booklet, A Planner’s Guide to Commercial Radio in London, a month ago,
which was well received by the industry. IRS will continue to sell its
London stations separately where required.
Julia Calo, sales director at IRS, said: ‘We’d got to the stage where
there were so many stations in the London market that there was an
opportunity to make life much easier for agencies and advertisers if we
offered them the option of a single sell.’
Calo accepted that the four London stations had very distinct target
audiences but said: ‘There will be cases where it is appropriate to sell
the stations together.’ IRS has presented the concept to several
stations and says the response has been good. ‘We knew there was only so
much we could do before Heart went on air and had an official Rajar. But
we consulted agencies and they thought it was a good idea,’ Calo said.
Clive Howse, associate director at the Media Business Group, said: ‘I
think the IRS London sell has a role. It’s the right idea but in terms
of sales strategy it’s possibly an over-simplification.’
