Riding the waves

In a bid to stay competitive in Poland's congested radio market, media giant Agora has launched a new radio network that will replace its Kraków-based chain of Radio Blue stations as well as its Rock Radio Wielkopolska station in Poznań. The new entity, which Agora is calling Roxy FM, is aimed at a young, affluent audience and plays rock but is not a 'rock station'.

"The main field of interest will be culture in its broadest sense. The broadcaster intends to take part in and intensively support the most important and interesting cultural events," director of the Agora Radio Group, Bartosz Hojka, said in a statement.

The radio market is becoming increasingly profitable, as a saturated TV ad market is pushing more advertisers to radio. Spending in the sector is up around 13 percent on last year. However, the market is extremely tight, with the two most popular stations, RMF FM and Radio Zet, combining for nearly 60 percent of the market. The owners of both of those stations have made major investments in stations in Ukraine.

Agora, which owns several local radio broadcasters, boasts 11 percent of the radio market, mostly on the back of its popular national news station, TOK FM.