Nationalist Party Rebrands Its Radio Station In Move To Attract Middle-Aged Listeners
Media.Link chief Pierre Portelli (right) is spearheading the rebranding
Radio 101 is no more. That’s right, the Nationalist Party has rebranded its radio station into NET FM in a move intended to boost its popularity amongst middle aged people.
“We studied the data to find out why Radio 101 lost such a large chunk of its audience between 2003 and 2018,” said Pierre Portelli – head of the PN’s media arm Media.Link. “This isn’t just a rebranding exercise to give a new look to our product, but also a re-positioning exercise to ensure NET FM is also popular amongst people between 35 and 50 years old.”
“Radio 101 has gradually lost this sector of listeners and we are determined to bring them back.”
NET FM will officially launch tomorrow complete with a new schedule and a line of presenters including Ronald Briffa, Janet Barthet, Dylon Brignano, Mark Azzopardi, Roderick Vella, Stephanie Chircop, Martin Sapiano and Jerome Caruana Cilia.
Strada Stretta actress Dulcima Aquilina will present a talk show on social problems, while Noel Bartolo will present an early-morning faith show.
The latest Broadcasting Authority survey shows that Radio 101 had attracted 17,000 listeners in 2017, making it the fifth most popular radio staton on the island – behind Bay Radio (57,000 listeners), ONE Radio (34,000), Vibe FM (26,000) and Radju Malta (25,000). However, the PN’s radio station attracted a negligible number of youth listeners, with the vast majority of its listeners over 51 years old.
