Capital gives DJs control of output: station to dramatically cut number of commercials and playlists as part of rescue package.(Radio)

Capital FM is to significantly increase its music output and give DJs free play choices in a dramatic relaunch plan, designed to turn around the declining fortunes of the London station.

The flagship GCap station will cut by half the number of commercials aired per hour during daytime to allow time for more music, while it has vowed to defy commercial radio convention of rigid playlists by giving presenters and producers the power to select some of their own music.

The moves are part of a far-reaching rescue plan for the station which, after three decades established as London's biggest commercial radio station, slipped to a new low of third place in the most recent Rajar figures, behind Chrysalis Radio's Heart and Emap's Magic. With Capital's listening hours now only half of those it achieved five years ago, reach has also declined to little more than half it was in 2000. And GCap's new management is counting on a relaunch under its former name of Capital Radio on January 3 to revive the station's fortunes.

GCap managing director of national sales Duncan George says, "We felt that decline was so marked we had to consider every aspect of the radio station. Bearing in mind that over that period no new analogue station came on the air, we felt there must be something wrong with the radio station."

The Capital relaunch, which was announced last week, comes amid a series of restructuring measures across the GCap group, which last Thursday unveiled what chief executive Ralph Bernard acknowledged was an "extremely disappointing" set of financial results for the six months to September 30 (see above).

Its relaunch of Capital will include a comprehensive re-examination of its music output, with GCap's operations director Steve Orchard revealing that the group is undertaking the biggest music positioning study yet undertaken by GCap or its predecessors Capital and GWR. Several hundred listeners are being questioned to determine the music mix in a qualitative study, while the station emailed a 100,000-name database and also used advertising in Metro and the ...