Gary Stein, Bauer Media Audio UK’s director of audio, has spoken to Music Week about his mission to encourage the music industry to maximise the resources that his stations can offer.
The brands and sub-brands he oversees take in a wide range of genres and audiences, including Absolute, Hits Radio, Jazz FM, Kiss, Magic, Kerrang!, Planet Rock and multiple brand extensions, including Absolute 70s, Magic At The Musicals to Kiss Xtra.
Stein has also secured top broadcasting talent, including Greatest Hits Radio presenters Ken Bruce and new recruit Zoe Ball, who hosts the afternoon show.
Music Week’s Anna Fielding spoke to Stein for our latest edition. In an extract from the interview conducted at the radio studios, the exec discusses the Kiss revival in the RAJAR listening figures, the broadcasting talent moving to the media group and his message to the music industry…
Looking at the RAJAR results, what is the story behind the spike for Kiss?
“Kiss is the story of this quarter. For many years, it had been struggling in terms of its listenership. There was a narrative running through the whole industry that younger audiences don’t listen to radio any more. But we did a really deep insight project into young audiences using lots of different touchpoints and research, and what came out was that young audiences love audio. And obviously, they are consuming audio and content across multiple platforms.
“We also got a clear sense of who that Kiss audience was and we put the personality back into the brand. We did a complete redesign in terms of its look and feel, and from a music point of view, we gave it a slightly broader appeal, as young audiences tend to be more genre-fluid. The music team did a lot of work. We also wanted to turn it into a real 360-degree brand. So you can listen to Kiss, but you could also find, for example, 10-second clips of Chloe [Burrows] and Tyler [West] doing the Breakfast Show on TikTok. We’re experimenting with longer formats on YouTube, like The Warm Up. We’ve spent 12 months deciding on what the brand should be and how it should show up for its audience. Personality is right at the heart and that seems to be resonating.”
Personality is right at the heart of Kiss and that seems to be resonating
Gary Stein
You brought Ken Bruce over from Radio 2 to Greatest Hits in 2023. How did that big move change things up?
“We saw an opportunity. There was an audience who maybe weren’t being served by the BBC because they were moving – and quite rightly – Radio 2 into a slightly younger, more contemporary position. I think one or two of the presenters felt, ‘I’m not sure the station’s quite for me any more.’ At the same time, there was no true classic hits format in the UK, even though it’s something that does really well elsewhere in the world. We wanted to do that with Greatest Hits. But it isn’t a station that’s built on celebrity; it’s built on really great broadcasters who know and understand the music they’re playing. They have a say in what’s being played and, historically, that’s not something commercial radio has always been good at. That means each show has a unique sound and doesn’t sound homogenised. There are real surprises when you tune in, as well as hearing the biggest songs of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s.
“Also, Ken brought an immediate audience across with him. He’s the most unassuming broadcaster you could meet, but he’s exceptional at his craft. His show has a 3.3 million reach and is the UK’s most-listened-to commercial radio programme, with a 7.4% share.”
You’ve also recently announced Zoe Ball as a new presenter, which represents another coup…
“With Greatest Hits, we’re conscious that we want to keep the station relevant for the future, and Zoe brings a different energy. The ambition is to create that big afternoon-show feel. She will have guests, she will have music features, she’ll be talking between most of the songs. It’ll be really personality- driven. Ken and Zoe and Simon [Mayo, Drivetime host], that’s an amazing daytime radio line-up.”
What do you think it says about Bauer that you can attract DJs of this calibre?
“That Bauer is a really strong, credible destination for talent. That’s something I’m really passionate about, because great talent is ultimately the thing that is going to sustain this industry. That’s from young presenters, to the more grown-up presenters like Ken. You need incredible talent, unique to your brands. That’s a massive differentiator for us and we’ve tried to double down on that a little bit over the last few years. With Kiss, there’s Chloe Burrows, a great example of new fresh talent. On Hits there’s Fleur East, who didn’t start out as a radio presenter but has great musical credibility, and Gemma Atkinson, Sam Thompson… Across all the brands, we think about the right personalities for those audiences.”
Can you identify a particular personal triumph from your time in the role?
“Bringing the likes of Ken and Zoe in has been really positive in terms of making Bauer feel like a real destination for the biggest talent in the UK. I like doing that. I hope people would also say that we’re starting to think like a portfolio and not like completely separate brands and entities. That we’re getting that structure right to make Bauer an easier place to navigate.
“One of the things I’m proudest of is launching [in 2021] what was then Country Hits Radio, now Absolute Radio Country. At the time, country felt relatively underserved in the UK, but I was convinced there was a much bigger audience for contemporary country than people realised. I pitched the idea and, in some ways, it was a bit of a gamble – we were backing a genre that hadn’t yet fully broken into the mainstream here. What’s been really satisfying is seeing that instinct proven right. The station grew from strength to strength and, more broadly, country music has become a much bigger part of the UK music landscape. I remember telling Music Week back in 2020 that I thought the potential was huge, so it’s nice to be able to look back now and say we saw something coming and were prepared to back it. That’s what great radio should do: spot where audiences are heading, trust your instincts and be willing to take the risk before it feels obvious.”
I’d like to see early conversations with labels about creating an artist journey
Gary Stein
So what’s the next staging post on your mission?
“If I was only going to say one thing, it would be to record labels. I’d like to see us work together on more than just playing an artist. I’d like to see early conversations about creating an artist journey. We already have some great examples, including Myles Smith. Or look at Tom Grennan, who got early support from Bauer at the start of his career. Not just playing music, but appearing on Pete Wicks’ podcast, performing at Hits Live. That’s a really good example of us working with the record labels to make sure you’re really part of the relationship that our listeners have with the artist. I’d like to see us do more of that.
“We do like to support artists early. With Kerrang!, we have a project with Marshall Records and Download Festival for a band competition where the winner gets a record contract, and the amount of people entering each year is incredible. We can team up with the industry and do something that feels much bigger.”
Some labels have made changes in their radio and promo departments in recent times. How do you feel about that?
“You need a relationship with the labels, but it’s not just about plugging a record for airplay. Radio can offer a 360-degree approach and can tap into all of our audiences. And, let’s be honest, look at the numbers: there is still a huge amount of people out there listening to radio and discovering music.”
And what would you like to say to artists and managers?
“Speak to us early. Come in early. Understand that it’s not just about airplay for one song. I remember the day that Toby Mackenzie [group head of music & artist relations] mentioned Myles Smith, when Myles was literally a brand new artist. We were sitting in the playlist meeting, and Toby said to me, ‘This artist is going to be huge,’ and he played us the music and he was championing it from day one, just after he’d been signed. I think we were the first major radio network to playlist, not just spot play it, but actually to playlist Myles back in April 2024. Up to the point where he released Stargazing, we delivered 75% of Myles’ radio support.”
Why should an artist seek your support rather than the BBC or Global, for example?
“I don’t think it’s about coming to us and not anybody else. I think it’s all part of the mix, isn’t it? The DSPs have their part to play, too. I think the reason an artist ultimately should come to radio is the power of hearing that presenter talking about their music. And what is powerful about Bauer is our talent and their love for music. You can hear the enthusiasm and the passion for it, and ultimately, that is worth its weight in gold.”
Subscribers can read the full interview here.
PHOTOS: MARCO VITTUR
