Rede Band FM

Band FM is a nationwide radio network with five self-owned stations (São Paulo, Campinas, Ribeirão Preto, São José dos Campos and Vitória da Conquista) and 42 affiliates in 12 Brazilian states. As with other FM radio stations, their programming is predominantly musical. Also similarly to other broadcasters of the kind, they don’t have an online portal but interact with their listeners through social media (the address www.bandfm.com.br redirects the user to the radio’s Facebook page), SMS and telephone. They also promote advertisement actions and are present on various events.

Grupo Bandeirantes acquired their first FM radio concession, 96.1, in São Paulo in 1975. In the beginning, with the name Bandeirantes FM, they would retransmit Bandeirantes AM programming, but in the following year they introduced their own programming, focused on musical styles like rock, soul and jazz. In the 1980s there was a first turn in the programming, which started focusing on black music and genres like soul, funk and pop, following the success of 'bailes black' (black parties) that proliferated in São Paulo in the previous decade (Leal, 2007). In the 1990s, once again following phonograpical industriy’s trends, they changed their name to Band FM and began playing pop, axé, pagode and sertanejo.

In the 2000s, the station lost part of their audience to rivals like Transamérica Hits and Mix FM, focused on the younger audience. It was around this time (2004) that Grupo Bandeirantes closed a deal with Grupo Camargo de Comunicação for the control of Nativa FM, regional scale network specialized in sertanejo. Band FM remained behind in audience for a few years, until they found their consumer market in national popular music, mixing funk, pagode, sertanejo, pop music and a programming aimed at a predominantly middle class audience, between 25 and 45, with a 60% female audience according to information given by the station. They began to compete with a station owned by the same group, Nativa FM, which focuses more on sertanejo music. Other competitors are Transcontinental, which emphasizes on samba, and Gazeta FM. In 2014 the radio went back to the first place in audience in the city of São Paulo (Kantar Ibope).

Part of their programming is transmitted to all affiliates. The main nationally broadcasted shows are: Band Coruja, Band Bom Dia, the humour show A Hora do Ronco (an audience interaction program, on air for three decades), Manhã Show and Tarde na Band (music, prizes, information, entertainment with audience participation), Quem Ama Não Esquece (the broadcasters tell a story sent by a listener in a radio soap opera format, with audience participation in the end), Super 6 and Toca Todas (music and prize distribution), Band Brasil, Consultório Sentimental and Band Love.

The affiliates also produce local content and emphasize on some segments of popular music according to the audience’s preference. As Murilo Huada, artistic director for the station, says in an interview with the online portal Sucesso: “Some of the ideas implemented at the affiliates are used here in São Paulo. We are always tuned in each region’s musical tendencies. Many songs are tested in the affiliates of Band FM”. In other occasions, the affiliates also retransmit programs with journalistic content from partner stations like Band News and Bandeirantes AM, such as Band News and Jornal da Band, which are part of the programming of Band FM Sorocaba and Band FM Dracena.

Key facts

Audience Share

3.7% (PBM)

Ownership Type

private

Geographic Coverage

National media

Content Type

free content

Data Publicly Available

ownership data is easily available from other sources, e. g. public registries etc.

2 ♥

Media Companies / Groups

Grupo Bandeirantes

Ownership

Ownership Structure

Rede Band FM belongs to Grupo Bandeirantes. The group is controlled by the Saad family.

Group / Individual Owner

Grupo Bandeirantes

100%

Media Companies / Groups

Grupo Bandeirantes

Facts

General Information

Founding Year

1976

Founder

João Jorge Saad - son of Lebanese immigrants. His father-in-law was the former governor of SP Ademar de Barros, from whom he received the control of Radio Bandeirantes.