Wakeman To Join Planet Rock

Keyboard player of world famous rock group “Yes”, Rick Wakeman is joining Planet Rock, presenting a live show exclusively on the national DAB digital radio.

The three hour show, starting this month, will feature tales of Wakeman’s exploits on the road and in the studio, with listeners able to question him on anything they like. A guest will join him each week, playing the very best rock music and broadcasting every Saturday from 10am to 1pm from the 17 September.

Commenting on the show, Trevor White, Planet Rock executive producer said: “We’re delighted that Rick has joined the Planet Rock team and can’t wait for the show to start. He is a one-off and brings a lifetime of experiences from rocks top table to share with Planet Rock listeners.”

In the latest RAJAR figures for Q2 2005, Planet Rock expanded its weekly reach by 3.74% respectively to command a total of 361,000 (see RAJAR Results Q2 2005:Digital Leads The Way In National Radio).

Digital radio stations were shown to enjoy a strong performance in the second quarter of 2005, continuing to top the charts with the BBC and commercial broadcasters benefiting from the increase in sales of DAB radios.

According to the Digital Radio Development Bureau latest five year forecast for digital radio penetration, the technology will continue to see dramatic rises in adoption as more consumers discover its increased station choice, digital quality sound, and interference free listening (see DRDB Predicts Massive Growth In Digital Radio).

The DRDB predicts that, by the end of 2009, there will be around 20 million digital radios in UK homes, up from 1.2 million at the end of 2004. Representing a huge fifteen-fold increase, this is sure to please digital broadcasters, with an expected household penetration of 40% by the end of 2009.

Planet Rock: www.planetrock.com