SuperYacht Radio Station Reaches 30,000 Listeners!

SuperYacht Radio, the only global digital radio station for the yachting community, has announced it attracted over 30,000 listeners in its first month of broadcasting out of Palma de Mallorca. 
 
“This went way beyond our most optimistic expectations, we had hoped to have between two and three thousand listeners at best in our first few weeks. To engage with over 30,000 listeners is absolutely brilliant!” said Dave Dempsey, co-founder of the station.
 
When asked what he attributed the initial success of the station to, Dave said, “I think many things have come into play. Firstly, it’s the unique nature of the station: the only superyacht community-focused radio station in the world. Secondly, we play awesome music that is up-to-date and relevant to yacht crew.”
 
“We realised that there was a unique market for a yacht-specific station for this tight-knit, transient community spread across the globe,” commented founders, Maeve and Dave Dempsey. And although transistor radios are long since a thing of the past, Maeve nevertheless extolled the relevance and intimacy of the form, “Radio is a unique medium that’s immediate and personal, and internet radio in particular is a hugely fast-growing market.”

Pirate radio this ain't: Superyacht paradise Palma de Mallorca was an obvious choice for Superyacht Radio's base (Photo courtesy of Club de Mar, Palma de Mallorca) 

Their dream was a long time in the making, it took almost a year to find the right location, in Palma de Mallorca, source the equipment, build the studio and find the presenters. “It has been a roller-coaster ride all the way, but we have met some great people and our early success has been boosted because of our association with the popular YACHTNEEDS Superyacht App.”

“We have worked with YACHTNEEDS, embedding the station in their App to reach the 18,000+ yachties that use the multipurpose app. In addition, Sarrah Macey from the Global Superyacht Marketing group has helped ensure our name was out there and that we were being talked about.”
 
The station mostly plays chart music, with a mixture of R&B, Soul and Classic Rock, to appeal to their wide and international demographic of listeners. The focus on music is sprinkled here and there with chat, industry news, job ads and interviews – all content is tailored to the superyacht industry and crew.

Andy Crane (left) and Graham Torrington are two of Superyacht Radio's presenters.

“We looked at the big radio stations in the UK: Heart, Absolute, Kiss FM and asked them who they use for their branding. That is why we chose Blue Revolution to advise on our format and sound quality. The difference they have made is astounding. Plus, we were lucky enough to attract top presenters like Graham Torrington, Chris Marsden and Andy Crane, who are household names in the UK and Europe.”

The future looks bright for the station as it fills the airwaves with great music and the latest yachting news whilst also striving to be a force for good in the industry. The station is being proactive about making a positive social impact, which so far has involved getting the message out about the post-disaster recovery and aid efforts in the Caribbean and raising awareness of environmental issues. A sense of social and corporate responsibility underpins the enterprise, and in the future this will likely be expressed by participating in charity events and by forging stronger links with ocean conservation projects.

“We were fortunate to meet with US legend Guy Harvey [marine artist and conservationist] when attending FLIBS and we look forward to working closely with him on many of his conservation projects, as well as others, raising awareness and, where possible, funds,” concluded Maeve.

To listen, go to their website at www.superyachtradio.com or download their App in either Android Play Store or Apple App Store. You can also listen to them via the YACHTNEEDS App, iTunes, Tune In, Apple TV and many other leading streaming services.