Pepsi Chart

From Media UK's The Knowledge. Last update: 12:32, 13 Apr 2007 by Richard Spencer. Based on work by Vincent Lo and James Cridland.

The Pepsi Chart was a networked Sunday afternoon Top 40 countdown that started life in July '93 with Neil 'Doctor' Fox hosting the show live from the Capital Radio studios in London. The Pepsi Chart was a brash departure from the previous Network Chart Show: the presenter was live and exciting, with big-prize competitions and an official sales-based top ten that was shared by the BBC and commercial radio. Bundled with hot production and jingles from Who Did That Music?, the Pepsi Chart became the most listened-to chart show in the UK, enjoying audiences of almost a million more than Radio 1's Top 40 at its peak. Doctor Fox instantly became a household name with his helium-filled voice and cheesy references to the cranking and yanking of knobs.

The Pepsi Chart was produced for CRCA by Unique Productions, and was broadcast on between 80 and 110 local commercial radio stations across the UK via SMS satellite. Locums for the 'Doctor' included Capital's own Steve Penk and Key 103 Manchester's Darren Proctor. Occasional guest presenters filled in, such as Richard Blackwood of MTV fame.

Different compilation methods of the chart show were employed in its time. Initially, the sales:airplay ratio for its 40-11 positions were 30:70, but later became 50:50. Sales data was provided by Chart Information Network (CIN) and airplay data from Music Control. Top Top 10 always remained based on 100% sales.

Requirements for a radio station taking the show were that the station's coverage area was mostly in a "white-space", i.e. broadcasting to an audience not already covered by a rival participant. There were the odd exceptions to the rule, most notably when existing stations agree for the new station to carry the show. Other requirements were that the station was a current CRCA member, and the ability to fulfill the obligation of playing a pre-determined number of show promos over the week during primetime to a specific number of the target 15-24 audience. As well as taking the Sunday afternoon show, stations were requested to air the 4-minute chart checkups as part of their usual programming on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Non-live audio clips were delivered via IMD, and so stations were expected to have the facility and equipment already in place.

Audience figures initially for the show had to compete with a strong Radio 1 but in just over a year The Pepsi Chart had overtaken Radio 1's show and maintained this position for the next 10 years. At it's peak in early 2002, the show had 3.6 million listeners, nearly a million more than Radio 1's chart show.

Following the success of the radio show, the Pepsi Chart Show was brought to TV screens on Channel 5 as a rival to the BBC's Top of the Pops. Sadly, it never made much of an impact, with a likely blame being pointed to the failure in attracting appearances from the bigger-name acts. There were notably more live performances from the more 'alternative' acts, and as a result, the TV show scarcely reflected the music in the actual radio-airplay-biased chart.

However, the Pepsi Chart brand had remained strong, helped along by its continued use in exclusive promotional CDs and autoscan radios that were offered to consumers of Pepsi and 7-Up soft drinks. Commercial compilation albums featuring artists from the chart were also produced for the mainstream music market, and frequently boasted chart-topping positions in the compilations category. Other than music CDs, annuals, board games and music quiz DVDs also found their way into high street stores. The brand had also managed to spread to other parts of the world, including countries such as Russia, Australia, Germany, The Netherlands and Thailand.

In mid 2002, Pepsi announced the termination of its sponsorship of the show. In January 2003, the show became Hit40UK, and coincided with the launch of a rival chart show on commercial radio: the Smash Hits! Chart.