Bauer Media purchases Communicorp

JDxtra

https://www.communicorpmedia.com/bauer-media-audio-agrees-to-acquire-communicorp-group/

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/denis-o-brien-s-communicorp-agrees-sale-to-bauer-media-audio-1.4494816

MacronvFrugals

I wonder will the Fine Gael FM aspect of Newstalk change or stay the same

SATNAV

One wonders if Irish radio will end up like the UK and everything coming from one location / in the UK they have reduced all their local input and centralised everything.
Also will the BAI look to split them out and require a split sale ?

Loafing Oaf

MacronvFrugals wrote: »

I wonder will the Fine Gael FM aspect of Newstalk change or stay the same

Or will Newstalk even continue to exist? Can't imagine it's a hot commercial property? Can the BAI insist the buyer keeps Newstalk alive before allowing such a deal to go ahead?

Harry Palmr

Is bauer media a grower or a consolidator? Will they invest to challenge RTE more fully or just squeeze what they will have?

Infoanon

SATNAV wrote: »

One wonders if Irish radio will end up like the UK and everything coming from one location / in the UK they have reduced all their local input and centralised everything.
Also with the BAI look to split them out

And so it begins... it's been inevitable for some time that a major shake up in the Irish radio market was on the cards.
It was strongly rumoured that communicorp was going to be offloaded and a Bauer or a Global would purchase.

The medium to long term outlook for FM radio is poor , more acquisitions and consolidations are going to happen.

The BAI will be faced with stations closing or allowing the inevitable to happen and ultimately Irish radio will be very similar to the current UK model within the next decade imho

EmmetSpiceland

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Is bauer media a grower or a consolidator? Will they invest to challenge RTE more fully or just squeeze what they will have?

They’re, probably, looking to a little further down the line when the RTÉ listenership starts to die off and the radios that were left on all day, with the dial never moving, will be turned off.

Losty Dublin

SATNAV wrote: »

One wonders if Irish radio will end up like the UK and everything coming from one location / in the UK they have reduced all their local input and centralised everything.
Also with the BAI look to split them out

A very good question.

Something the BAI have been insistent on has been keeping up significant levels of unique local and live input on Irish stations. Centralisation has not been an issue or a thing, bar for the sharing of studio locations within a few groups; ironically Communicorp themselves have been the largest beneficiary from it here. While a certain amount of pre recorded programming goes out as well, it hasn't gotten close to the levels of the UK.

The main precedent of BAI standing up here this would be the blurred lines that was Mid West and North West, it's struggles with the IRTC and the eventual tendering of the licence which went to Ocean FM. However this was two and three decades ago, and arguably it came to be when MWR helped to fill a franchise gap at short notice; as such the case then was very different and very much of it's day. And all this happened while the UK allowed and encouraged plurality and networks and cross ownerships and skeleton staff broadcasters.

Since then broadcasting has moved on. Cross and multi ownership is a thing; shared station studio facilities is a thing; shared staff is a thing; shared sales is a thing and crucially, shared management is a thing. Staff are working from their kitchens and bedrooms, with music and production and news being played and written and created on cloud systems when once we used Cart's and 1/4".

The case for doing it local is weakening in many respects; however is it not more important to keep it sounding and being more local? This is what the BAI needs to ask and this is what Bauer need to decide if they want to keep it or to try and worm their way out of it.

jmcc

First IN&M shares being sold for about 43.5 million after Dinny spent 500 million acquiring them and now this exit? Will the proceeds of this sale go into Digicel? Media diversity in Ireland always was a joke after FF/FG/Labour destroyed the pirate radio stations for their cronies.

Regards...jmcc

Macy0161

3 "drivetime" talk output (4 if you include game on), it could do with a bit of a shake up/ easing of requirements to some degree.

Murt10

Really glad that's happened.

For years Irish politicians were terrified of saying anything about O'Brien, and calling him out, in case some of the media he controlled took exception and decided they were fair game.

Murdock and Maxwell were the same.

None of these multi media barons needed to directly say anything about a particular politician. The editors of the media network they controlled, knew which side their bread was buttered on, and attacked anyone, especially politicians, who spoke out against anyone or anything that wasn't in the best interest of the owner.

Politicians come up for reelection every 4-5 years. This puts them in a very weak position if they want to criticise anything these media barons do or say.

I believe that the only reason these types own the media is not for the ownership itself, but for the power it gives them over politicians who are afraid to say anything about their other dodgy deals.

Must admit to being particularly delighted when O'Briens attempt to offload his huge Caribbean Digicell company on Wall St and failed. Did he really think that serious investors were going to be conned into buying that overpriced, loss making, debt ridden, pig in a poke off him?

Loafing Oaf

Catherine Martin said:
“Any media companies involved in mergers have to seek clearance from the minister on the grounds for assessment that it won’t damage media diversity."

So maybe when you get down to brass tacks the answer to this is yes...

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Can the BAI insist the buyer keeps Newstalk alive before allowing such a deal to go ahead?

jmcc

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Catherine Martin said:
“Any media companies involved in mergers have to seek clearance from the minister on the grounds for assessment that it won’t damage media diversity."

So maybe when you get down to brass tacks the answer to this is yes...

Media diversity? Is this something that has only recently been discovered in the bowels of Dail Eireann?

Regards...jmcc

Imhof Tank

SATNAV wrote: »

One wonders if Irish radio will end up like the UK and everything coming from one location / in the UK they have reduced all their local input and centralised everything.
Also will the BAI look to split them out and require a split sale ?

Have heard that alright, but when last over there was surprised when driving around East Midlands area hitting scan on the car radio and it comes up with BBC Derby, BBC Nottingham, BBC Leicester, BBC Cambridge, BBC Northampton, BBC Lincoln, BBC Rutland - they seemed to all do their own local news, sports etc.

Hurrache

Yeah, in terms of Irish radio there's very little diversity. Budget aside, take the BBC range and ignore all other UK stations, there' a massive range of stations catering for everyone. Irish radio is generally the same no matter what station. The ones that are a bit unique, such as 8Radio and 2XM, aren't even on FM.

Tork

That ban on Irish Times journalists should never have been allowed to stand. You can say what you want about the publication but it is one of the biggest selling papers we have. They shouldn't have been censored like this.

I'm happy that he has destroyed hundreds of millions of his own personal wealth on playing at being a Media Mogul.

Banana Republic 1

Wonder will Bauer shank some of the newstalk shows in the back with an axe, I’m thinking of the breakfast show.

Hurrache

They're going to be pretty restricted by licencing though. That in itself needs a huge overhaul. News and speech on music stations is ridiculous, with internet radio it just drives people to internet and international stations.

Tork

Hurrache wrote: »

They're going to be pretty restricted by licencing though. That in itself needs a huge overhaul. News and speech on music stations is ridiculous, with internet radio it just drives people to internet and international stations.

I agree. You'd wonder would 4FM be more successful if it was allowed to broadcast nationwide and just become the Irish version of BBC Radio 2. Lose Niall Boylan etc. For anybody outside of Dublin who's over 30, there's very little choice. When I'm in the car these days, I just use Spotify if I want to listen to music. There's more than enough talk on the radio as it is, between Radio 1, Newstalk and the local stations. All that's left for me is 2FM and Today FM and they're aimed at a young audience.

jmcc

Tork wrote: »

I agree. You'd wonder would 4FM be more successful if it was allowed to broadcast nationwide and just become the Irish version of BBC Radio 2. Lose Niall Boylan etc. For anybody outside of Dublin who's over 30, there's very little choice. When I'm in the car these days, I just use Spotify if I want to listen to music. There's more than enough talk on the radio as it is, between Radio 1, Newstalk and the local stations. All that's left for me is 2FM and Today FM and they're aimed at a young audience.

Not so sure about that. The way that people listen to music and radio stations seems to have changed. Covid has also massively altered listenership figures because fewer people are stuck in traffic jams and on buses.

Regards...jmcc

More Music

Murt10 wrote: »

Really glad that's happened.

For years Irish politicians were terrified of saying anything about O'Brien, and calling him out, in case some of the media he controlled took exception and decided they were fair game.

Murdock and Maxwell were the same........

?

Why do you think Yvonne Bauer of Bauer Media is any different?

tv3tg4

The licences will protect some shows.
More sports perhaps?

MacronvFrugals

MacronvFrugals wrote: »

I wonder will the Fine Gael FM aspect of Newstalk change or stay the same

I assume you never listened to Ivan yeats in the all years he was presenting?

Such a silly lazy comment

Declan A Walsh

MacronvFrugals wrote: »

I wonder will the Fine Gael FM aspect of Newstalk change or stay the same

Mayo_fan wrote: »

I assume you never listened to Ivan yeats in the all years he was presenting?

Such a silly lazy comment

Mayo_fan: I presume the previous poster is suggesting that there is at least somewhat of a Fine Gael orientation in Newstalk. That would obviously include one Ivan Yates, ex Fine-Gael TD. So you seem to be saying the same thing as the poster! Or are you suggesting the opposite applied to Ivan Yates?

Declan A Walsh

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Mayo_fan: I presume the previous poster is suggesting that there is at least somewhat of a Fine Gael orientation in Newstalk. That would obviously include one Ivan Yates, ex Fine-Gael TD. So you seem to be saying the same thing as the poster! Or are you suggesting the opposite applied to Ivan Yates?

The original poster I quoted alluded to this company being a pro fg company.

Ivan Yates while a fg minister at one stage is no longer a friend of fg and didn’t hold back when he had did show. If anything he was harsher to fg to prove a point

marno21

I'd imagine that between Bauer and Wireless there'll be a massive push for deregulation now. Especially when it comes to networking, music requirements & speech/talk quotas.

If Bauer are serious about the Irish market and if there's further deregulation I can see them start to buy up and consolidate the regional/local stations with networked programming. Spin North West/Spin North East for example.

If this is the road we are going down, Global would be a company that would be nice to see over here. Whatever about the lack of local content/lack of presenters etc, their UK stations are really doing what the audience want them to do and they sound top notch. Radio listenership, especially amongst younger listeners, is lower in Ireland than the UK and Irish radio needs to evolve to what the listener wants rather than the longing for local radio etc, sad as it is from the industry point of view.

rogue-entity

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

...won’t damage media diversity...

They could start by repealing the Broadcasting Act of 2009, allow interested parties to apply for licenses, and not allow one company or individual to own multiple stations across the country.

Hurrache wrote: »

The ones that are a bit unique, such as 8Radio and 2XM, aren't even on FM.

Indeed, I do wonder why

Tork wrote: »

For anybody outside of Dublin who's over 30, there's very little choice.

Try living in the South East

Insidethetent

Here's where the BAI has to grow a backbone or simply admit craven defeat in the face of an organisation with significant regulatory engagement experience (with Ofcom UK).

The BAI is notoriously beholden to the incumbent broadcaster and has historically shown regulatory capture (NOVA - country mix/sunshine - lite fm/classic hits format changes, DAB stillborn, phantom fm/txfm licence giveaway, spirit nationwide 'fill in' FM transmitters to name just a few instances).


The BAI compares unfavourably against other statutory regulators such as comreg with minimal regulatory consultation, no published regulatory impact assessment analyses, minimal public engagement. A quick scan of their respective websites clearly shows the BAI regulatory shortcomings. This pales into insignificance against Ofcom's workflow and engagement.


Bauer will have analysed the cross-market opportunity in the Irish market based on their ability to quickly impose their model of consolidation and cost containment on a captured regulator who has consistently demonstrated their inherent weakness. Maintaining business as usual will certainly not have passed any due diligance pre-bid board approval.

How long before we see Bauer Ireland consolidated into their UK-based programming/sales/regulatory processes?
Or maybe they'll take a wider view and consolidate their UK/Irish operations into Europe by establishing an office here?


Let's see what happens.....

Chopper Dave

I know that recent years have focussed on DOB as owner and it's probably the same now for many media companies, but it is sad to see an Irish grown company disappear into a pan European giant. During the 1990s, Communicorp/98FM assembled a great team of people who expanded all over Eastern Europe as well as in Ireland. What they did, they did very well.

Loafing Oaf

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Or will Newstalk even continue to exist? Can't imagine it's a hot commercial property?

Or maybe Bauer will go down this road...
https://twitter.com/azamc25/status/1364894653443620867