Bauer Media have announced details of special live music programming across six of their national radio stations this upcoming Easter Bank holiday.
Absolute Radio, Jazz FM, KISS, Kerrang! Radio, Scala Radio and Planet Rock will all broadcast content supported by the Audio Content Fund, which made grants available to help support audiences during Coronavirus restrictions.
The stations are set to broadcast 52 hours of live music over the weekend, in a series of ‘virtual festivals’ designed to fill the gap left by the cancellation of gigs and festivals around the country. Teaming up with four production companies – TBI Media, Somethin’ Else, Listen, and We Are Grape Bauer will bring listeners a series of special performances from artists and DJs, all recorded in their own homes.
The KISS Network – comprised of KISS, KISSTORY, and KISS Fresh – will broadcast continuous DJ mixes for 33 hours, starting at 3pm on Good Friday, with big name DJs on KISS, nostalgic names on KISSTORY, and up-and-coming talent on KISS Fresh including an opportunity for listeners to send in their own bedroom mixes. The five other stations will play curated three-hour selections of live music from 7pm on Easter Saturday or Easter Monday.
Steve Parkinson, Group Managing Director of National Radio at Bauer Media said: “While venues and clubs are closed, we saw a fantastic opportunity to bring the live music experience right into our listeners homes. Thanks to the incredible support of the Audio Content Fund, our music-loving audiences will be able to enjoy a Bank Holiday weekend full of live performances and DJ sets, and we’re really proud to work with our production partners TBI Media, Somethin’ Else, Listen, and We Are Grape to deliver this.”
Sam Bailey, Managing Director of the Audio Content Fund, said: “The purpose of this round was to ask suppliers and stations to think about the gaps these restrictions had left in their audience’s lives – filling the airwaves with comedy and live music is the perfect response to this. This urgent funding round continues to prove very popular, and I can’t wait to announce further projects in the coming weeks.”
The Audio Content Fund is financed by the UK Government and this special round of grants was launched following discussions with Radiocentre, AudioUK, and DCMS. The funding round remains open, operating on a rolling basis until the Audio Content Fund determine it is no longer necessary.