Saga radio station set to make waves for grey generation; The

Sunday Herald, The, May 23, 2004 by Arthur McMillan

WHAT do Pierce Brosnan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mick Jagger have in common? Well, apart from being famous and loaded, they are all over 50. The fact is not lost on Norman Quirk, who, as managing director of Saga 105.2 FM, is gearing up to win the ears of Glasgow's over-50s, and counter a few myths about the grey generation.

Quirk, 56, is beginning to put in place the Saga team, which by the station's autumn launch will total 41 people. Last week he appointed Gerry Burke, who has worked with Scottish Television, Northsound in Aberdeen, Scot FM and Radio Clyde, as Saga's programme director. Pamela Richardson, who was at Central FM, Scot FM and SMG Television, before working with Absolute Radio, will be in charge of advertising sales.

Although he doesn't admit it, Quirk will be hoping that Burke, who boosted Northsound's audience reach to 60%, can come up with a similar formula for Saga in Glasgow. The group already operates two regional FM stations in England and is part of the Saga Group, which provides insurance, financial services and holidays for the over- 50s. It also publishes Saga Magazine, which has a circulation of 1.2 million.

But there was surprise from many Scottish media observers when the company beat 12 competitors, including Virgin Radio, to the Glasgow FM licence in November last year. Quirk, who took up his current post on April 12 and was a member of Saga's bid team, says the station won the licence because, with only 42% of Britain's over-50s currently listening to commercial radio, it was the only bid prepared to offer something different.

"We're going to have country, jazz and classical music and a broad variety of programmes," he says. "We will set our own agenda and see life through the eyes of people in Glasgow, and by doing that we'll get more people listening to radio."

Quirk advertised for a news editor last week - and had 50 applications within 24 hours. "We have also got names in the frame for who will present for us but we are not yet ready to put them into jobs yet," he says.

Saga 105.2 FM is aiming for 180,000 listeners by the end of year one, with Quirk claiming that Saga can become the only station for his target audience. "Some of the people who will come to us already listen to Radio Scotland, Radio 2, Real Radio and Clyde 2, but the rest will be those who have given up on radio altogether because they feel there is nothing there for them," he says. "We will give them everything they want from one frequency."

It is a confident boast for a radio station not yet on the airwaves. But Quirk should know what he's talking about. Before spending the last six years as executive director of Scottish Ballet, he was financial controller of Radio Clyde for 10 years from 1974, and the managing director of Scot FM.

"I've got advertisers on the phone who cannot wait for Saga, because at the moment companies are paying to reach the 90% of the population they don't want to get the 10% audience that they do want."

Quirk, an accountant by training, knows that it pays to focus on finance. With the over-50s responsible for 40% of all consumer spending, he points out that 80% of British savings sit in the bank accounts of his target audience.

"In Glasgow, the over-50s spend 15% more on leisure activities than the UK average, so we'll cater for that," he adds. "There is a great myth that when you are over 50 you're never going to change your buying habits. But our spending power is enormous and advertisers know that."

Saga's strategy in Scotland will take another step forward this week with the appointment of the Guy Robertson Partnership as its advertising agency.

"I want everyone to know that Saga is coming to Glasgow, and it will be the Guy Robertson Partnership's job to do this right up until we launch," he says. "It will then be up to us to keep them as listeners once they tune into the station."

Television and outdoor advertising will be used in the coming months to get the message across to the west of Scotland public that Saga is on its way. Quirk concedes that he will be in the same audience target area as Radio Clyde but he does not see it as a fight for listeners.

"Scottish radio is competitive but there are thousands of people out there who aren't even listening to the radio," he says, "I don't want to take a slice of the existing cake - I want to grow it."

Quirk says he "bit Saga's hand off" when he was offered the chance to lead the company in Glasgow, but it was the only job he would have given up his role with the Scottish ballet for.

"For the last six years I've put up with jokes about tights and tiaras, but I loved it" he says. "But it's not often that you get the chance to launch your own radio station and work with a company with Saga's track record. If I have my way, there won't be one person over the age of 15 who doesn't know we're coming."