FM104, Q102 sold today!

RadioAnalyst

The new owner of the Wireless Group (Talksport UK, FM104, Q102, LMFM, Live 95, Cork 96 etc) is....Rupert Murdoch. Bought the lot this morning for £220m stg. A premium of 70% on the share price of Wireless yesterday. Much shock and surprise here in London.

http://www.ft.com/fastft/2016/06/30/news-corp-buys-talksport-owner-wireless-group/

RadioAnalyst

Elmo

Big companies across the broadcasting sector

RTE
Communicorp
ITV
Virgin Media
and now News Corp

What are the remaining independent radio stations?

Trick of the Tail

Wow. That's big news!

L1011

Elmo wrote: »

What are the remaining independent radio stations?

The Landmark and Bay groups, iRadio, the micro groups (Kerry/Shannonside; Tipp/Clare) and a few remaining total independents like Galway Bay and Highland

JDxtra

This must have been lined up already, and they were waiting for the TV business to be carved out to ITV.

Elmo

JDxtra wrote: »

This must have been lined up already, and they were waiting for the TV business to be carved out to ITV.

That's what it seemed to me when the sold to ITV, though I think that would be insider trading. ???

snubbleste

Rupert Murdoch's Newsgroup has bought the Wireless Group (formerly UTV).
http://www.independent.ie/business/rupert-murdochs-news-corp-agrees-to-buy-wireless-group-formerly-utv-34846265.html
Includes
Dublin's Q102, FM104
Cork's 96FM, C103
Galway Bay FM
Limerick's Live 95FM
LMFM
U105
WLR FM

L1011

Indo (edit: actually you!) have taken the list of stations that TWG sell ads for not the list they own

They don't own WLR or Galway Bay and hence neither does Rupes now.

Trick of the Tail

...and anyway there's already a thread about it:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057616181

snubbleste

I got that list from wikipedia!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Group
and now it's been edited This page was last modified on 30 June 2016, at 15:19.

Euphoria Intensifies

Thought Communicorp owned Highland?

Edit: turns out I'm almost a decade behind the times!

IRE60

Rebekah Brooks told Campaighlive.co.uk that there was no immediate plan to merge the two sales teams, yet. I suggest that they will at some point and cross sell Print, Radio and more importantly digital – that where News Corp are focusing.
The Wireless deal would have been very complicated (if not dead in the water ) if the television arm was still attached. Competitions authority et al would have been all over it.
The media weight of News Corp can only benefit the stations. They’ll have access to a slew of content. talkSport also brings an interesting dynamic to the new Irish media group.
Interestingly campaign note that “some News UK journalists will become involved in broadcasting”. Given that Paul Williams and Sarah McInerney are slated to do Newstalk from September – they are ahead of the bunch! (It also means that, as of today, McInerney is now going to be broadcasting on the oppositions station!)

L1011

IRE60 wrote: »

talkSport also brings an interesting dynamic to the new Irish media group.

Despite them making no use of it for the years (Decade?) of shared ownership before now?

IRE60

L1011 wrote: »

Despite them making no use of it for the years (Decade?) of shared ownership before now?

True! In the sale document released yesterday the go out of the way to highlight how close the audiences of talkSport and The Sun are - will they be able to do anything there?

L1011

IRE60 wrote: »

True! In the sale document released yesterday the go out of the way to highlight how close the audiences of talkSport and The Sun are - will they be able to do anything there?

The first obvious thing is rebranding Sport (Talksports freesheet) to Sun Sport anyway. Not sure if radio can get too much out of it but it could provide phoneshow fodder easily.

Bosley

It's a little concerning that the main news outlets in Ireland now are controlled by Dennis OBrien and Rupert Murdoch. Is this a good thhing for Ireland? I doubt it.

blue4ever

Don't forget the state! Big player in media

Mr Snow

will they improve the coverage of fm104. will be available outside Dublin??

Faugheen

Mr Snow wrote: »

will they improve the coverage of fm104. will be available outside Dublin??

That will come down to licence. If FM104 can find a legitimate gap in the National market then they'd have to convince the BAI before that can happen.

end of the road

Mr Snow wrote: »

will they improve the coverage of fm104. will be available outside Dublin??

no

Elmo

TBH If News Corp are only interested in Talk Sport, it will probably sell the local stations.

blue4ever

Elmo wrote: »

TBH If News Corp are only interested in Talk Sport, it will probably sell the local stations.

Wireless group is profitable here so no rush to sell. The cross sell/promotion could be quiet good for all parties, selling airtime, print and digital.

I wonder if we, as a nation, have enough traction for an Irish Talksport?! I'd suggest not, but its an interesting concept. The access to content between there radio and papers in the sports front is huge

marno21

It would have been great to launch it on AM here around 15 years ago, so that now it would have a foothold in the market. Sadly that won't be an option these days.

As long as Talksport doesn't become "Sun Radio" or whatever.

Elmo

There was talk years ago that Eamon Dunphy was going to have a syndicated drive time show on local radio after he left today FM, would they be aloud provide a syndicated sports show?

blue4ever

I think we are interested in sports - all types.
Is there the content capacity and importantly an audience for a sport station - I couldn't tell. I think a well packaged syndicated hour an evening, done professionally, covering a heap of stuff would work - not all 'sport sport' but the background - business of sport, the personalities etc. Hosted by adults, not 'children'.

Got the info below (yesterday - how timely!) from the Reuters Institute of Journalism:



Scale of 1-5 our interest in sports news.

We're well up there with the top tier.