A Bauer Media brand with national coverage of the United Kingdom has unveiled the name — and, as such, the winner — of an all-digital radio station named after one of its listeners.
It concludes a unique promotion that began one month ago at Absolute Radio.
The Rock radio brand, heard at 1215 kHz on the Medium Wave (AM) band and sporting increasing popular decade-focused DAB+ offerings including Absolute 80s, on January 4 launched a contest that will see one lucky listener have a radio station launched in their name.
The online competition opened at 8am BST on January 4 and concluded at 5pm BST on January 21. The questions asked are as follows:
- Why do you deserve your very own radio station?
- What would be your first five songs on your radio station?
- If you could interview one living person, who would it be and why?
As reported by British radio trade publication RadioToday, the station will be called Absolute Radio Natalie.
That’s because the winner is a Briton named Natalie. The station is where “sing-alongs matter,” and debuted at 3am Eastern Friday (2/4) during The Dave Berry Breakfast Show.
Natalie’s idea for a “sing-along station” came while working in her home office. She realized that while Absolute Radio’s music mix gave her songs to sing-along to, there were a few more she wanted to add to the mix: including Disney classics, show tunes, boy band ballads and more Kylie Minogue tracks.
Natalie pitched her programming ideas to Berry live on the air. She won over the Absolute Radio team. On Tuesday, she ventured to the Absolute Radio studios, met the team and subsequently recorded all of the liners and on-air promotional announcements for what would become “her” station. And, while at Absolute Radio, Natalie snagged a chat and all-important selfie with Liam Gallagher, of famed act Oasis.
#AbsoluteRadioNatalie is launching this coming FRIDAY MORNING and it’s going to be pretty special. A station where #RealSingAlongsMatter 💜
P.s… we wouldn’t be Absolute Radio if we didn’t get a Gallagher involved would we?! 😉 pic.twitter.com/p8b8xqNn4g
— Absolute Radio (@absoluteradio) February 2, 2022
The life of the radio station was originally to be short-lived. According to Bauer Media, “Absolute Radio Natalie” was to exist only on Friday, February 4. However, it remains available via streaming audio, with a pre-recorded loop of Friday’s broadcast in place.
This likely makes listener Natalie Cole an even happier woman, while presenting the global radio broadcasting industry with another novel way to engage listeners in a digital, on-demand audio universe.
To listen to Absolute Radio Natalie, with use of a UK postal code needed for access, please click here.
