EXCLUSIVE A free satellite radio service which aims to increase sales will be offered to 22,000 c-stores and CTNs over the next 18 months. Newsagents Radio has been set up by Storm Digital Broadcasting, headed by former Radio 1 and TV presenter Bruno Brookes. The company has already lined up 2,500 stores which will receive free installation of a satellite dish, receiver and store speaker system in the next few weeks, and plans to have 22,000 installed by the end of 2002. The service will provide a live broadcast from early in the morning to late at night and will include adverts from a number of "blue chip partners" according to Brookes. He said: "This will be the only tailored radio for newsagents. There are no other major broadcast mediums that can deliver a promotional or brand led message directly into the target audience while they are standing in front of the till with their money in their hands. "It is designed to increase sales. The key is the value it will deliver to retailers." Brookes said suppliers were keen to back the new venture because they saw it as a way to reach stores and persuade retailers to stock their products. He added that it was intended that broadcasting would begin "around September or October", although a specific launch date had not been set. Marketing director James Macdonald emphasised that the company provided the service to retailers free of charge. However the company will only be providing the service to stores which match a number of criteria. He said: "We are not looking for kiosks and we are not looking for supermarkets. The ideal store would be about 500-1,500 sq ft and would need to meet certain turnover, footfall and range requirements." {{NEWS }}