Search results matching tag 'global radio'

Good luck Absolute, but that's enough rebranding of radio stations

1704826 — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:41:00 GMT

The Beatles' A Day in the Life finally heralded the death of Virgin Radio and the phoenix-like emergence of Absolute Radio this morning.

After a slightly pompous mission statement about what the company thought ‘real music' is, which included the suggestions ‘gigs not photo shoots' and ‘built to last not flavour of the month', breakfast DJ Christian O'Connell declared that today was ‘The first day in your life of Absolute Radio'.

It's difficult not to wish them well, given the state of the radio industry, although I still find the Absolute name a bit underwhelming.

Rather more fleet of foot and less self-reverential, over at O'Connell's former station, Xfm, his replacement Alex Zane, lampooned the relaunch by temporarily re-naming his own charge as ‘Tremendous Radio' at exactly the same time that Absolute emerged from a rather lengthy and largely Beatles-inspired music mash-up.

With Capital 95.8 being rebranded, Xfm being disbanded from some cities and other stations being subsumed into the Jazz FM network there has been too much change in radio.

Radio owners would do well to remember that while it might just be possible to whip media buyers and branding experts into some sort of excitement about these changes, listeners probably don't care that much.

A Galaxy far, far away...

2182355 — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:23:00 GMT

In the dimly-lit bedrooms of sandy-haired indie kids all over Scotland, you can just about hear tearful snuffles above the mournful wail of Joy Division's Isolation.

And why shouldn't they weep? Indie station Xfm is to be no more, rebranded instead as part of the mainstream dance Galaxy network.

Whichever stations' playlist you prefer, and in truth there's good and God-awful on both, Xfm as a brand stood for far more than the blandness of Galaxy ever could.

It's true to say that Xfm has become far more commercial than it was in its ramshackle pirate beginnings, but when the music scenes it represents have been wholly co-opted by Bigco looking for a bit of scruffy hair cool, in comparison it held up well.

And what now for the London and Manchester stations? Are they, as Global currently suggests, big enough music cities to make safe an even slightly edgy station such as Xfm?

It would be a great shame for the decade-plus, dedicated work of certain Xfm staff to establish the station amongst the bland radio output of the UK, for it to be dumped in favour of a network sell more in tune with advertisers' requirements.

But we'll see. I suggest you listen while you can, because for all its flaws, Xfm would be greatly missed if it became no more.

Sucks to be a daytime jock (and a local sales team?)

1841938 — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:42:29 GMT

News today that Global Radio have decided to jump into Ofcom's new deregulated content rules by networking parts of its Heart and Galaxy network

Heart in London, East Mids and West Mids will share everything except Breakfast, Mid Morning, Drive and one four hour show on Saturday and Sunday. And over at Galaxy Yorks, North East, Birmingham and Manchester everything except Breakfast and Drive (and that one evening show on Saturday and Sunday) will be networked between them.

Now, what i'm not going to do is mourn the loss of localism in a woe is me, weren't the 80s better way. Times change. Also Heart and Galaxy are built around a specific music proposition and whilst there are local elements that isn't the focus. Indeed, Heart East Mids bestriding Leicester and Nottingham does not at the moment bring together two groups of people who care deeply about each other.

For national advertisers it makes things much simpler. I'm sure there are a few sales execs when they book S&P across a load of radio stations dread the random selection of ROTs that return. One jock saying one agreed thing across everywhere is much easier.

However, local radio, even on these regional stations rely to a certain degree on local revenue. Especially when those poor local fellows are often charged at least three times as much as their national brethren!

Whilst clever technology will switch the right mix of spots for the right FM transmitter, commercial radio has seen and S&P and on-air plugs for web microsites become a key sales proposition. Removing more local programmes will mean its harder to 'get away' these local promos and will no doubt result in a more cluttered breakfast and drive. Something that could be bad news for local advertisers and the local sales team who've got to deliver it.

Bauer Buys EMAP Radio (and some magazines too)

1841938 — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 10:50:34 GMT

No, not Jack Bauer, he couldn't buy anything as he's in jail. H Bauer, the German media bods have bought Emap's radio and magazine arm as well as their shareholding in the Emap-C4 joint-venture Box TV (that runs all the music TV channels). The radio side was valued at £422m.

The deal's bad news for lots of people who hoped they'd be the winner. As well as a load of VC money with various people like Tim Schoonmaker and Phil Riley fronting it, Global Radio (the operators of Heart, Galaxy and LBC) are going to be a bit miffed about their loss. Global was created as an organisation that would drive consolidation and extract value from new scale. Instead they're now at risk of being sidelined and they're going to have to do a deal or they'll probably be flogged off to someone like GMG. New pants time at Bramley Road.

We're also going to have to find out what H Bauer's view is on things - from digital radio to localness, their involvement is a wild card for the radio industry. Or have they just acquired these assets to sell them on to someone else. We'll have to wait and see.

Emap Disposals

1841938 — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:06:47 GMT

There's been a great deal of discussion recently about EMAP demerging its business or selling off chunks to anyone with a large enough cheque.

The nature of EMAP's business is going to make that difficult for whoever's going to cast an eye over the main consumer brands.

EMAP has led the way in producing cross-platform entities, all of which reinforce each other. Would Smash Hits Radio do (apparently) so well, if there wasn't a TV station that supported it? What happens to the support Heat magazine is giving the relaunched Heat Radio if they go their separate ways?

In an ideal world the buyer would scoop up all the branded bits together, for Kerrang this would include the magazine, website, events, TV and radio - but are the potential buyers - GCap, GMG and Global have all been mooted - really geared up to run all of those different businesses? And if they stretch their core competencies will the brands they've paid handsomely for start to lose their value.

There is also a fly in the ointment with regards the TV channels. EMAP has of course just flogged off half of the TV operation (The Hits, Smash Hits, Kerrang, The Box, Kiss, Magic, Q) to Channel 4. EMAP's had enough trouble keeping each of the platforms 'on brand' and that's when they own them all, it's going to be hugely difficult when these are all owned by separate companies.