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Business News Media
Hertfordshire Jack FM rebrands as Bob
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 11 March 2014
One of the UK radio stations operating under the Jack FM name has rebranded as, well, Bob FM, after a dispute with the company that owns the Jack brand.
As previously reported, the Jack FM brand is owned by Canadian company SparkNet, which licences the name and the programming format associated with it to other radio firms in North America, the UK and Russia. The sixth Jack FM branded station recently went on air in the UK, Jack FM Berkshire, replacing what had been Reading 107.
But Shadow Radio Holdings, which operated a Jack FM station in Hertfordshire, has fallen out with SparkNet, because the Canadian firm wouldn’t give the company exclusive use of the Jack brand on the DAB network in the region.
All of which necessitated a rebrand. Prior to becoming a Jack FM outpost, Shadow Radio operated its Hertfordshire FM service under the name Hertbeat. But rather than reverting to that, the station surveyed listeners on possible new names, ultimately opting for Bob FM.
Ironically, another Canadian company licences stations in North America to operate as Bob FM, though the Shadow Radio service is not affiliated with that brand, and the company has trademarked the name itself for use in the UK.
