Second-wave markets after the current first-build shortlist.

Research basis

ONS mid-2024 population estimates for England and Wales

Population growth and local-authority population basis for England and Wales markets.

Research basis

National Records of Scotland mid-2024 population estimates

Population basis for Scottish city and council-area markets.

Research basis

NOMIS local authority population estimates

Lookup route for local-authority population detail before a repo scaffold.

Research basis

Centre for Cities City Monitor 2026

City wage, labour market and economic context for spending-power checks.

Radar rank 1 - 33/35

Good Morning Edinburgh

Coverage: Edinburgh, Leith, Portobello, Corstorphine, Morningside, Southside and commuter context from Lothian where useful

High spending power, heavy visitor economy, universities, dense events calendar, strong neighbourhood identity and excellent official-source depth.

Language risk: Low: English-first operation, with Scots/Gaelic naming sensitivity only.

Source spine: City of Edinburgh Council news, planning and committee papers; Transport for Edinburgh and Lothian Buses updates; Police Scotland Edinburgh news; Met Office Edinburgh forecast; Forever Edinburgh and official festival/event listings; University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Napier news

Sponsor angles: festival and culture venues; restaurants, hotels and visitor attractions; property, relocation and professional services; universities, skills and student services

Next step: Source registry and first-build pack now exist in data-sources/edinburgh-first-build-source-registry.json and docs/edinburgh-first-build-pack-2026-06-15.md; next step is a three-day source-volume proof before scaffold work.

Radar rank 2 - 32/35

Good Morning Glasgow

Coverage: Glasgow city centre, West End, Southside, East End, Merchant City and commuter rail context

Large audience base, strong culture and sport identity, high advertiser density and deep council, transport, university and event sources.

Language risk: Low: English-first operation, with Scots/Gaelic naming sensitivity only.

Source spine: Glasgow City Council news, planning and meetings; SPT and ScotRail disruption updates; Police Scotland Greater Glasgow news; Met Office Glasgow forecast; Glasgow Life events; University of Glasgow and Strathclyde news

Sponsor angles: music, venues and nightlife; food, drink and retail; student services and graduate hiring; commuter, transport and rainy-day leisure

Next step: Source registry and first-build pack now exist in data-sources/glasgow-first-build-source-registry.json and docs/glasgow-first-build-pack-2026-06-15.md; next step is a three-day source-volume proof focused on transport, council, events and sponsor density.

Radar rank 3 - 31/35

Good Morning Liverpool

Coverage: Liverpool city centre, waterfront, Baltic Triangle, Georgian Quarter, Toxteth, Anfield/Everton and Wirral commuter context

Huge civic identity, strong waterfront and culture economy, live BID proof, universities, sport and recurring visitor/event sponsor demand.

Language risk: Low: English-first operation.

Source spine: Liverpool City Council news, planning and weekly planning lists; Liverpool BID Company data and business updates; Merseytravel service updates; Merseyside Police news; Met Office Liverpool forecast; VisitLiverpool events; University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores news

Sponsor angles: waterfront hotels and visitor economy; restaurants, bars and theatres; student services; property, relocation and professional services

Next step: Source registry and first-build pack now exist in data-sources/liverpool-first-build-source-registry.json and docs/liverpool-first-build-pack-2026-06-15.md; next step is a three-day source-volume proof focused on council/planning, BID footfall, Merseytravel, events, universities and sponsor density.

Radar rank 4 - 30/35

Good Morning Newcastle

Coverage: Newcastle, Gateshead, Jesmond, Gosforth, Ouseburn, Quayside and Metro commuter context

Strong regional identity, universities, hospitals, culture venues, sport and commuter utility, with good public-source availability.

Language risk: Low: English-first operation.

Source spine: Newcastle City Council news, planning and meetings; Gateshead Council context for Quayside coverage; Nexus Metro service updates; Northumbria Police news; Met Office Newcastle forecast; NewcastleGateshead events; Newcastle University and Northumbria University news

Sponsor angles: city-centre hospitality; student and graduate services; health, clinics and family services; events, venues and weekend attractions

Next step: Source registry and first-build pack now exist in data-sources/newcastle-first-build-source-registry.json and docs/newcastle-first-build-pack-2026-06-15.md; next step is a three-morning source-volume proof before any repo scaffold.

Radar rank 5 - 29/35

Good Morning Manchester South

Coverage: Didsbury, Chorlton, Withington, Sale, Altrincham and south Manchester commuter corridors

High advertiser quality and household spending power, but operational fit is better as a sub-regional local product than a generic Manchester daily.

Language risk: Low: English-first operation.

Source spine: Manchester City Council and Trafford Council news/planning; TfGM disruption and Bee Network updates; Greater Manchester Police local news; Met Office Manchester forecast; local BID, village and events listings where stable; University and hospital corridor updates when locally relevant

Sponsor angles: estate agents and relocation; independent restaurants and cafes; schools, tutoring and family services; gyms, clinics and home services

Next step: First-build pack and source registry now exist in data-sources/manchester-south-first-build-source-registry.json and docs/manchester-south-first-build-pack-2026-06-16.md; next step is a three-morning source-volume proof across Manchester, Trafford, Bee Network, events, universities and sponsor discovery before any scaffold.

Radar rank 6 - 28/35

Good Morning Exeter

Coverage: Exeter, Topsham, St Thomas, Heavitree, Sowton, Cranbrook and commuter context from East Devon

Compact daily-utility market with university, hospital, council, planning, rail, airport and affluent Devon services sponsor lanes.

Language risk: Low: English-first operation.

Source spine: Exeter City Council news and planning; Devon County Council travel and service updates; Great Western Railway and National Rail disruption; Devon and Cornwall Police news; Met Office Exeter forecast; University of Exeter news; Visit Exeter events

Sponsor angles: property and relocation; university and graduate services; independent food, drink and retail; family, health and home services

Next step: Source registry and first-build pack now exist in data-sources/exeter-first-build-source-registry.json and docs/exeter-first-build-pack-2026-06-16.md; next step is a three-morning source-volume proof across council, planning, roads, rail, buses, police, weather, university, NHS, airport and events before any scaffold.

Radar rank 7 - 27/35

Good Morning Swansea Bay

Coverage: Swansea, Mumbles, Gower, Neath/Port Talbot context and coastal visitor corridors

Strong local identity, university and coastal visitor economy, but language handling and coverage boundaries need more care than English-only markets.

Language risk: Medium: English can lead, but Welsh language expectations require careful source naming, place names and possible bilingual QA for public-facing copy.

Source spine: Swansea Council news, planning and meetings; Welsh Government transport/service updates where relevant; Transport for Wales rail disruption; South Wales Police news; Met Office Swansea forecast; Swansea University news; Visit Swansea Bay events

Sponsor angles: coastal hospitality and visitor attractions; university and student services; property, family and home services; outdoor, sport and weekend leisure

Next step: Only scaffold after Welsh-language handling rules and place-name style are written down.

Radar rank 8 - 26/35

Good Morning Dundee

Coverage: Dundee city, Broughty Ferry, West End, waterfront, universities and Angus commuter context

Smaller than the top Scottish cities but has strong identity, universities, waterfront regeneration, culture/games industry hooks and manageable source coverage.

Language risk: Low: English-first operation, with Scots/Gaelic naming sensitivity only.

Source spine: Dundee City Council news, planning and committees; Xplore Dundee and ScotRail updates; Police Scotland Tayside news; Met Office Dundee forecast; Visit Dundee events; University of Dundee and Abertay University news

Sponsor angles: waterfront and visitor economy; student services and skills; local food, drink and venues; property, clinics and family services

Next step: Source registry and first-build pack now exist in data-sources/dundee-first-build-source-registry.json and docs/dundee-first-build-pack-2026-06-17.md; next step is a three-morning source-volume proof across council, planning, committees, buses, rail, police, weather, universities, NHS and events before any scaffold.

Radar rank 9 - 26/35

Good Morning Cheltenham

Coverage: Cheltenham, Prestbury, Charlton Kings, Leckhampton, Montpellier, The Suffolks, Tivoli, Hatherley and Cotswolds/Gloucester commuter context where useful

Affluent, identity-rich festival town with a strong BID, visitor economy, independent retail, schools, racecourse and Cotswolds-adjacent sponsor lanes. Smaller than Dundee, but commercially sharp and operationally tidy.

Language risk: Low: English-first operation. Main QA risk is avoiding overclaiming Cotswolds-wide coverage and handling race-week/event copy carefully.

Source spine: Cheltenham Borough Council news, planning and PublicAccess; Gloucestershire County Council highways, transport and county service updates; Stagecoach West Cheltenham service updates; National Rail Cheltenham Spa station live status; Gloucestershire Constabulary news; Met Office Cheltenham forecast; Visit Cheltenham what's on and Cheltenham Town Hall events; Cheltenham BID and Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce business/event material

Sponsor angles: festival, race-week, culture and visitor economy; independent restaurants, retail, hotels and pubs; schools, tutoring, family services and clubs; property, relocation, interiors, gardens and premium home services; clinics, wellbeing, spas, gyms and private healthcare

Next step: Run a three-morning source-volume proof across council, planning, buses, rail, police, weather, BID, official events and school/family routes before any repo scaffold.