Astral Media and Virgin launch North America's first Virgin radio station in Toronto

Astral Media and Virgin launch North America's first Virgin radio station in Toronto

Astral Media's Mix 99.9 becomes Virgin Radio 999 as of 4:00 p.m. today

TORONTO, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Astral Media (ACM.A/ACM.B) today announced the launch of the first North American commercial FM radio station under license with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Radio International. The powerhouse partnership was unveiled at a press conference as full details of Toronto's newest and hottest station, Virgin Radio 999 FM, were released.

Virgin Radio will begin broadcasting at 4:00 p.m. EDT today on Astral Media's 99.9 FM Toronto frequency and will replace Mix FM. Energetic, innovative and irreverent will be the trademark of Virgin Radio, as it focuses on delivering a very 'Virgin' kind of listening experience.

Virgin Radio will focus on the hit adult contemporary format and is promising to shake up the industry by bringing a new sound that's more than just music to your ears. Two new shows start today and are just the beginning of a host of exciting new programming developments. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, Chris Biggs and Taylor Kaye will help you get home by putting a smile on your dial with their new afternoon drive show "The Rush". Then from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Friday, Ryan Seacrest will bring you all the latest from Hollywood with a three-hour program, rich with entertainment news, celebrity gossip, hit music and light-hearted commentary.

"Astral Media's continuous commitment to offering quality and innovative radio to listeners and advertisers alike is once again exemplified with today's announcement," said Jacques Parisien, Group President, Astral Media Radio and Astral Media Outdoor. "With Virgin Radio we hope to create a totally fresh sound with a brand that appeals strongly to our current audience and helps us reach out to new listeners. Partnering with Virgin Radio International brings us many opportunities to leverage the global and local power of the Virgin brand and gives us a clear mandate to build the best radio Toronto has ever heard."

"I am thrilled to be partnering with Astral Media and launching Virgin Radio 999 FM, so we can serve up a fantastic new format to Torontonians that's bound to be the bright spot of your morning, noon and night," said Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group. "Virgin Radio International is experiencing phenomenal growth around the world and recently we have expanded to Italy, France, Dubai and India. We are thrilled to add Canada to the list."

Musically speaking, as you would expect from Virgin, Virgin Radio 999 FM will be the number one destination for the chart toppers both locally and internationally. Toronto audience favorites like Mad Dog and Billie will continue as part of the programming line-up to make sure listeners can start the day in just the right way.

Virgin Radio 999 FM will launch a Toronto advertising blitz to help get the message out. The station's tagline 'It's On' sums up exactly the kind of attitude you can expect from Virgin Radio 999 FM. Major consumer promotions will also be rolling out in the coming weeks to bring some new flavour to an often dull space.

"This is an exciting day for the people of Toronto and for the entire Virgin Group," said Ian Grace, President of Virgin Radio International. "With Astral Media's strength and expertise, and Virgin's international and customer focused experience, we believe we have built a station that listeners have been waiting for. Virgin Radio 999 FM is where it's on and so we invite everyone in Toronto to join us and switch their dial to 999 FM now to make sure they aren't missing out."

For more details on Virgin Radio 999 FM, visit www.virginradio999.com.

About Astral Media

Astral Media is a leading Canadian media company, active in specialty and pay television, radio, outdoor advertising and iMedia. Astral Media's solid and dynamic presence in the country's major markets rests on its commitment to offer a unique combination of high-quality, targeted media for all its audiences. www.astralmedia.com

About Virgin Radio International

From Bangkok to Bangalore, Delhi to Dubai, Milan to Mumbai and now Toronto to Toulouse, Virgin Radio International is one of the most exciting and fastest growing companies in Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group. Virgin launched its first radio station in the UK in 1993. More recently it established Virgin Radio International to develop opportunities outside of the UK. This has lead to stations being launched in Thailand, India, Italy, France, Dubai and now Canada. Other opportunities are being considered in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, North and South America. For more information on Virgin Radio International please visit www.virginradio.com

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca/.
Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
website at http://photos.newswire.ca/. Images are free to accredited
members of the media/

Source: ASTRAL MEDIA INC.

CONTACT: For more information, images or video footage please contact:
Jen Koster, Hill & Knowlton Canada, (416) 413-4615/(416) 721-6991,
jen.koster@hillandknowlton.ca; Erica Faltous, Hill & Knowlton Canada, (416)
413-4695/(416) 400-0171, erica.faltous@hillandknowlton.ca

-------
Profile: intent