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Radioplayer, the online console for UK radio, was today unveiled at the Radio Festival and launch plans announced by the founding partners, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, Global Radio, GMG Radio, RadioCentre and Absolute Radio.Ìý

Speaking at the annual Radio Festival in Salford, Andrew Harrison, Chairman of Radioplayer and Chief Executive of RadioCentre, alongside Tim Davie, Director of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Audio and Music, and Ashley Tabor, Founder and Global Group CEO, announced that a phased roll out of Radioplayer will commence in December 2010, culminating in a full consumer launch in February 2011.

Radioplayer will feature at least 50 stations for its first phase in December, and at least 200 stations, including all major radio groups, all ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ stations, and Ofcom-regulated stations of all types and sizes, by February.

An extensive online marketing campaign will support the consumer launch, and with 4.7m individuals already listening to radio via the internet every month, it is anticipated that Radioplayer will be a multi-million user product from the moment it launches to consumers.

The fully functional Radioplayer with a test set of stations was later demonstrated to delegates by Michael Hill, Radioplayer Managing Director.

Radioplayer's pop-up console and groundbreaking new search engine will make listening to radio online intuitive and easy. Listeners can find their favourite stations, discover new stations, search by programme and genres, and store favourites as pre-sets. Member stations will be instantly discoverable in Radioplayer Search and feature Radioplayer's common user controls, with an annual licensing fee set relative to station size.

Michael Hill, Managing Director, UK Radioplayer Ltd, said: "We are delighted to be able to unveil Radioplayer to our radio industry colleagues today, and show them just how simple and intuitive listening online is with Radioplayer. This is a defining moment for UK radio and we hope all broadcast stations, of all sizes and types, will participate."

Tim Davie, Director of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Audio and Music, said: "Radioplayer will deliver a simple, quality experience for users and provide a coherent online presence for UK radio stations. It is a result of genuine collaboration across the industry and is the sort of innovation we need to make digital radio a reality."

Andrew Harrison, Chairman of Radioplayer and Chief Executive, RadioCentre, added: "Radioplayer will create significant opportunities for the commercial radio sector, expanding the scope and availability of services and providing an excellent simple online platform, alongside DAB, for audiences and advertisers to discover more digital radio."

More information can be found at the , including details of how stations can pre-register ahead of launch, and the latest on Radioplayer developments.

Notes to Editors

4.7m individuals listen to the radio via the internet each month, representing 8 per cent of the total monthly radio audience. Currently standing at 2.9 per cent of all radio listening, the aim of Radioplayer is to boost the number of hours consumed each month to contribute to the growth of all digital listening (4+ RAJAR Q2 2010).

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