DC Thomson to launch new Pure radio station for Scotland

Robin Galloway, right, will be joined in the Pure Radio line-up by Paul Harper and Lynne Hogan

DC Thomson, the Dundee-based media company, is investing further in rivals to established commercial radio stations in Scotland.

Pure Radio is being launched on DAB and online later this year.

DJ Robin Galloway, who has worked at several commercial stations, is their big-name signing.

As well as being Pure's head of presentation, he will broadcast the breakfast show from a studio in DC Thomson's new base in Glasgow.

Joining Galloway in the new Pure Radio line-up will be Lynne Hoggan, who will present the mid-morning show, and Paul Harper who will host the afternoon show.

The station's launch adds to the portfolio of radio stations being built up by the publisher of The Courier, The Press and Journal and The Sunday Post.

Local content

Earlier this year, it bought Kingdom FM, broadcasting from Fife with reach into the Lothians, and Original 106. It bought Wave FM in 2017.

The move is intended to target music-based stations which have strong listening figures in Scotland, with their playlists centrally controlled, and brief opt-outs for more local content.

Clyde, Forth and Tay radio stations belong to Bauer Media.

Mike Watson, chief executive of DC Thomson Media, said: "At a time when other stations are scaling back on Scottish content we're doing the opposite. There's a clear appetite for Scottish radio to be made and broadcast in Scotland, and we're committed to doing it right."

The publisher of the Scottish Sun and the Times, News Scotland, has also been investing in online radio stations, offering niche music from different decades; Scottish Sun Hits, with current chart tracks, Scottish Sun 80s, and Scottish Sun Greatest Hits, from the 1970s onwards.

The most recent industry audience figures point to a reach for the Scottish Sun stations on DAB and online stations of 44,000 listeners.