Classic and Capital Gold merger `heralds new heritage music era'.

GCap Media is predicting a new era for radio's heritage music market with plans to merge 18 Classic Gold stations with its Capital Gold network.

GCap last week paid UBC #3.95m for the 18 stations and will now create a new national heritage music service, which group operations director Steve Orchard hopes will bring in younger listeners and also accelerate audience migration for gold from AM to digital.

"In programming terms, it doesn't make sense to have two classic hits stations side by side offering a duplicated service. We will bring them together and create a stronger format than the two could achieve separately," he says.

The idea to merge the two Gold brands was also one shared by UBC chief executive Simon Cole, whose group had wanted to buy Capital Gold, but he says GCap would not sell. "Everyone knows Classic needs to be consolidated with Capital Gold and we got a very good offer. The business probably sits better with CGap," he says.

Orchard does not expect the new network to compete directly with Radio Two, with its broad range of programmes. But he believes the BBC station's breadth may actually give the new classic network a chance to pick off different sections.

For example, he believes younger listeners are now interested in tracing the history of contemporary music and discovering what influence Led Zeppelin have on The White Stripes and may tune into the new station to find out. "What we can see is high degrees of passion for ...