Local Radio Company rejigs its radio station websites

LONDON - The Local Radio Company (TLRC) is set to relaunch its 28 radio station websites to include national and international news and weather, traffic and travel updates and services such as dating, recruitment, classifieds and property pages.

The sites, the first of which, Wessex FM (www.wessexfm.com), went live last week, will act as a local web portal for each radio station, featuring content derived from the station's programming department.
Live streaming will allow users to listen to the station, and information will be automatically updated from its providers 24 hours a day.
TLRC hopes its six-figure investment will provide a "major new income stream" thanks to web advertising opportunities for local businesses.
The sites' features will all be available to sponsor and advertising can be sold in conjunction with on-air content or advertorial podcasts.
The sites will be sold nationally by FRSD, the new digital arm of First Radio Sales, which is 50% owned by TLRC and already sells spots for the group's stations, and locally by TLRC's existing local sales teams.
The project is being overseen by Tim Nice, TLRC's head of business development, who is in the process of hiring web designers.
Links to advertisers' micro-sites will also be included, offering features such as downloadable vouchers for local services, location maps and directions as well as competitions, games and quizzes.
TLRC has partnered with media production company Somethin' Else for the project and will be rolling the new sites out in two phases across the summer. The first phase will see the sites go live and the second will introduce a host of Web 2.0 user-generated and participation features.
These will include blogging and the option for users to upload photos, local event information and up-to-date news of traffic problems.
The national and international news, together with sports and showbiz reports and video bulletins, will be provided by IRN/ITN, while the daily, weekly and holiday hotspot weather will come from the Met Office. Traffic and travel updates will come from the AA and the local dating service is to be provided by Telecom Express - the company behind the Guardian's Soulmate dating service.

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