Sky News Radio has won contracts to provide radio news bulletins
for local and regional UK radio stations owned by Chrysalis Radio and
The Wireless Group.
Sky has also renewed its deal with talkSPORT, to provide bespoke news
bulletins for another two years.
Chrysalis stations such as Heart and Galaxy FM will receive the service
for the first time, according to Sky News radio editor Andy Ivy. 'It is
very much a radio operation - this is not TV's Sky News on the radio,'
he said.
Sky is the second biggest supplier of national and international news to
UK commercial radio stations behind IRN. But Ivy insisted there is room
for both networks in an expanding market.
'It is not necessarily a question of taking market share from IRN. There
are digital stations coming on stream all the time,' he said.
Sky's news service for talkSPORT is branded with the sports station's
name while network bulletins are branded as Sky News bulletins.
'Part of the attraction is that it is "from Sky News Centre". It is a
brand that people associate with,' Ivy said.
He has 14 journalists and a freelance roster. 'They are experienced
radio people rather than staff seconded from TV,' Ivy said. Deputy
editor is James Sillais and Weekend editor is Gareth Thomas.
While Sky's entrance to the commercial radio market mirrors its
emergence a decade ago into commercial TV news, IRN is still the clear
market leader, and reaches around 200 stations.
Sky reaches 30, about 20 of which subscribe to a networked bulletin that
is available 24-hours-a-day.
Sky News Radio also has a deal with Digital News Network, which delivers
24-hour rolling news in the north-west, north-east, Severn Estuary and
West Midlands.
