Gill Hudson - interview

It's no coincidence that when discussing her six and a half years at the helm of Britain's largest entertainment weekly, Radio Times' Gill Hudson talks of Dad's Army and Heinz baked beans. For she is as much a brand director as she is editor of this publishing institution, and finding new ways to reinforce the magazine's usefulness and relevance is a major focus for the year ahead.

Speaking on a leaden afternoon in early January from the editorial offices in the BBC's White City Media Centre, Hudson is still flush with the success of a bumper, recession-defying Christmas issue which generated £2m in ad revenue. Slim, dynamic and elegantly-dressed in black, she is a passionate advocate for her brand. Yet the PPA's 2006 Editor of the Year makes no bones about her initial reluctance to take the Radio Times editor's chair.

"I didn't want the job at all," she readily admits. "I'd been brought in to launch Eve then became head of development and new projects, so I suppose I was a bit of a known quantity when the job came up, but when they asked I thought they must be joking."

Although a former editor of Company and New Woman, she'd "only done a small weekly", Hudson says, and never an entertainment title. "I'd not read Radio Times in years - I thought it a little dull, and didn't watch much TV," she adds. "So I said no, twice. Then when, some months later, they asked again and I eventually said yes, I panicked. When I sat down with a blank sheet and tried to bond with it, nothing happened ... until my third attempt, and then I realised: it wasn't me. There were problems. Only then did I get excited: I'd found my mission."

Deregulation of TV listings

Launched in 1923, Radio Times was Britain's biggest-selling weekly magazine between 1934 and 1993 and now still sells just over 1m copies an issue. Deregulation of the TV listings market in 1991, however, opened the flood gates to new competition. Today, Radio Times competes for readers against numerous paid-for and giveaway rivals: an estimated 40m listings magazines and supplements are now distributed each week.

Radio Times had responded well to competition, doggedly keeping its sights fixed on serving the viewing interests of an upmarket, fortysomething-plus readership with a passion for quality TV. However, when Hudson joined in June 2002 - replacing Nigel Horne who quit less than a year after taking over from Sue Robinson - she immediately spotted weaknesses. The magazine's organisation was unfocused; it lacked a clear voice - and sense of humour; it was dull to look at - although its covers were strong. "In short, nothing about it said: 'Come and read me'," Hudson adds with a wry smile: "It was too polite."

Generating PR

An immediate priority was to get Radio Times talked about.

"Because it's been around so long, it's a magazine that could quite easily be perceived as out of date, but if you're making the news, no one can accuse you of not being relevant," she explains. Celebrity revelations, exclusive research, and even campaigning on industry issues quickly got Radio Times making headlines of its own. And in the years since her appointment, Hudson says, just three issues have failed to attract national newspaper coverage.

"An emphasis was placed on generating genuine exclusives - the word is so overused now, but I mean exclusive in its purest sense," she continues. "This and the need to protect the element of trust that is intrinsic to the Radio Times brand is why we won't tolerate PRs sitting in on any Radio Times interview, and celebrities accept that because they know we treat them fairly."

Restructuring the magazine

The magazine was restructured, too, to better showcase weekly highlights. Clearer signposting made it easier to navigate. A more conceptual approach was taken to page content and layout. Radio coverage was expanded, and puzzles and letters pages were extended.

The editorial changes Hudson implemented were informed by detailed analysis of Radio Times' readers and the identification of five target groups, two of which - 'discerners' and 'jugglers' - were then prioritised. "A mass market magazine doesn't have to reach everybody," she explains. "The trick was to find things to appeal to two specific target groups without alienating the rest of the audience. Look at viewing habits amongst the 40s, 50s and 60s and they're not that dissimilar from the habits of people in their 20s and 30s."

What was lacking - and what Radio Times has now - is "constant flow". She adds: "At all times we must be a comfortable read because we are a magazine that's used regularly rather than dipped into now and then." And therein lies the challenge - and, also, the opportunity - Radio Times has as it motors steadily towards its centenary in 14 years’ time.

"One of the big issues for a magazine like Radio Times is that, unlike Top Gear or Real Food whose readers like cars or cooking, Radio Times' readers like quality TV that could cover any subject so you have to work hard to draw people in," Hudson believes. "The Radio Times' solution is a definitive mix of listings, TV, radio and film coverage. We are intelligent, informed and authoritative but ultimately we are a service. With 300-plus TV channels now, our role is to make navigating this landscape easier."

Online development

The focus on being useful has driven a number of key developments in recent years, including the evolution of Radio Times' website, development of its own electronic programme guide and an online film database, and the ability to download content onto other devices - such as PDA or mobile phone. It's also shaped new additions to editorial content, such as information about podcasts, downloads, iPlayer and other catch-up TV and radio services.

"Radio Times' online presence is important because you can do things on the web the magazine just can't - like cover every programme," Hudson explains. "It's more comprehensive than the magazine could ever be, given the timetable we work to (broadcasters don't publish their schedules until two weeks before transmission and even then, programmes move with little notice - one reason why Radio Times' print and online teams are not fully integrated). Pictures unused in the magazine go online, too. It's a wonderfully complementary service, and also works effectively to bring younger people to the brand."

TV viewing figures

This is one reason why Hudson is resolutely optimistic about Radio Times' prospects over the difficult years that lie ahead as the media industry battles recession. For there is plenty of evidence suggesting that staying in has become the new going out, she says.

Just last month, TV marketing association Thinkbox published figures confirming 2008 had been a record year for TV viewing. Meanwhile BSkyB announced that having acquired 171,000 new customers over Christmas it now plans to recruit 1,000 additional engineers and call centre staff to deal with subscription growth and demand for high definition TV. As the number of TV channels and ways of viewing TV content continues to rise, the need for Radio Times can only increase, Hudson believes: "People want life made easier for them, it's as simple as that."

The competition

Whether Radio Times can actually grow sales in the face of stiff competition in the TV listings marketplace, however, remains to be seen and on this point Hudson is understandably cautious. Radio Times, now the third best-selling listings title after market leader TVChoice (ABC Jan-Jly 08 weekly sales: 1.4m) and What's on TV (1.3m), saw its sales dip 3.6% year on year over the first half of 2008. This fall was below the 5.3% slip experienced by What's on TV, yet over the same period TVChoice enjoyed a marginal year on year uplift.

"TVChoice has seen growth, so it is possible in such a saturated market. And I have seen many times publishing assumptions that have then been proven wrong. Prima, for example, was criticised at launch as outdated but is still here," she says.

"But the fact remains that in a recession people will cut back. I firmly believe, however, that we will be one of the last titles people cut back on. With channel choice and TV consumption rising, it will be lifestyle titles people ditch ahead of TV listings because of the usefulness of our product. And when times get tough, people stick with tried and tested brands.

"It's like Heinz's position in the supermarket aisle. Constant adaptation is key but while you don't want to move too fast you can't afford to move too slow. It's a question of 'Don't panic, Captain Mainwaring'. As a brand, you've got to be resilient to remain strong."

Subs strategy

An additional source of strength for Radio Times in coming months will be its growing subscriber base - another Hudson achievement. When she joined the magazine, subscriptions had plateau-ed around 10,000. "There was a belief people would just buy it," she says. "Which explains why little effort was being made to make it easy to take out a subscription."

After subsequent research showed many people were buying the title only every few weeks, however, Hudson introduced clearer subscription information within the magazine. Today, subscriptions have topped 165,000 and Radio Times is closing in on the UK's biggest subscription title: The Week.

Constant innovation is another weapon in Radio Times' armoury. Further editorial changes are planned for later this year, and broadening Radio Times' content offering on other platforms is another priority. The BBC is only now coming to terms with its programming back catalogue and how better it could use it online, Hudson says, adding that online archiving - building on Radio Times' comprehensive film database, for example - is an area with "huge" potential.

"In five years’ time, I hope we will still be absolutely set on maintaining what we are doing now as the premier listings magazine," she adds. "The main thing is to keep the brand identity strong. We are still the yardstick, the TV magazine people want to be in - it's the hallmark of a quality product. The danger would be in diluting this by panicking in the face of recession and spreading ourselves too thin."