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Bauer to buy RedFM

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Comments

  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 14,996 Mod ✭✭✭✭whiterebel


    More cash machine crap then.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 69,462 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Returning Red to meet its original target of being a youth station would be interesting, but it was never successful as such.



  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,450 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    I had commented as such on the Bauer threads here, this is what Bauer do in the UK so it makes sense for them to do as much here. There are 6 youth stations in Ireland, Bauer own 2 of them with networked programming so the other 4 are ripe for their purchase. There's no competition concerns as the markets have no overlap.

    It'll be fascinating to see what they do with their first acquisition. Spin Cork is probably their dream but it wouldn't be a like for like replacement, Neil Prendeville and the sports shows wouldn't really fit in.



  • Registered Users Posts: 413 ✭✭EnzoScifo


    Neil will be on the phone to 96 already I'd say



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 69,462 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    I would take it that they are not getting Beat; as buying Red would have involved talking to the same people. Not a 100% matching shareholding, but the Irish Times would be calling the shots regardless.

    I would not be surprised if they buy i.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,624 ✭✭✭its_steve116


    I think it would be a great idea to have regionally-produced shows on Today FM from the Red fm studios in Cork.



  • Site Banned Posts: 12,341 ✭✭✭✭Faugheen


    Cork is a big radio market in that it's so competitive.

    Just looking at the JNLR's released today. Red has a market share of 21%. In contrast, Newstalk and TodayFM's share in the Cork market is 10.6%

    Having nearly double of the market share of two national stations means they would also be getting a lot of advertising revenue that Bauer probably has no access to as it stands but they would now that they are buying it out.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,508 ✭✭✭KildareP


    I'd say, if anything, it's more likely that Red FM will become a satellite station, most likely of 98FM.

    Local breakfast and drive, networked at all other times.

    This is what happened with SPIN1038 and Spin South West, although that was easy as they were already aligned in terms of brand.

    However Bauer operate the Hits Radio Network over in the UK, which consists of both directly branded "Hits Radio" stations alongside standalone, decades old local brands, so we could see the 98FM and Red FM brands retained, but the majority of the programming outside breakfast and drive networked across both stations.



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,624 ✭✭✭its_steve116


    When was the last time Today FM had regionally-produced programming though? 2FM has shows come from Limerick and even Cahir.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 664 ✭✭✭TheBMG


    Red are a far more successful station than 98FM so if anything it should be 98 that takes programming from Cork; not the other way around!



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  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,450 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    The issue here though is how far they will be allowed to stretch what RedFM is meant to be as a station. It's meant to be a 15-34 year old station (Spin equivalent), 96FM is meant to be the 98/104 equivalent and C103 is meant to be the Q102 equivalent with added focus on local speech & sports.

    Cork has no youth station at present (along with Wicklow but Wicklow has significant overspill from Beat on 102.0, iRadio on 104.7 and Spin on 103.8). Will Bauer try to make Red into a Spin type or a 98FM type?

    Today FM will remain completely independent of RedFM, of course Today FM is also receivable in Cork.



  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,450 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    Red's programming is very Cork oriented though, it wouldn't network well with 98FM at all.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 664 ✭✭✭TheBMG


    The opposite is also true though. It’s the Peoples Republic of Cork y’know!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,165 ✭✭✭Declan A Walsh




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,133 ✭✭✭✭end of the road



    it is supposed to be, but has ultimately abandoned that audience.

    likely to late now for them to go back to trying to target the youth audience, they have moved on to other means of receiving content.

    ticking a box on a form does not make you of a religion.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 885 ✭✭✭radiotrickster


    How were they allowed to abandon the audience they’re targeting? Are they not obligated by the BAI to provide a specific content output for 15-34s and do the BAI not hold them to that?

    When the BAI have to sign off on the sale, perhaps they’ll say they need RedFM to return to being an actual youth station and not whatever it is now.



  • Registered Users Posts: 123 ✭✭Lord Nelson


    How were Dublins Country allowed to morph into Sunshine playing insipid elevator music? Lite FM became Q102, 4FM became Classic Hits. Basically, the BAI will cave to whatever the commercials want to avoid a failure which they appear to think will reflect on them for granting the licence in the first place. Stations know this and take full advantage of the BAI’s weakness, hence we have a plethora of homogenised stations playing the same crap.



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,624 ✭✭✭its_steve116




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 664 ✭✭✭TheBMG


    Surely this reflects more on the listening taste of the Irish public?

    Worth noting that the ‘insipid elevator music’ of Sunshine has made 106.8 the most listened to music station in Dublin.

    Also when you complain about homogenised stations playing the same crap .. are you suggesting that Sunshine and Spin sound the same? Or for that matter 98FM and Radio Nova?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,165 ✭✭✭Declan A Walsh


    I don't think there was a radical departure in the kind of music it played after the name change. It was still alternative rock oriented.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 878 ✭✭✭thejuggler


    Very true and whenever Neil retires they will very quickly find themselves in the doldrums again. Probably the right time to sell up for the current owners.



  • Registered Users Posts: 58 ✭✭Howard100



    I feel this is really bad news for the staff.

    You can expect Spin Cork to be part of their rebrand in 6 to 12 months.

    Red's current morning show is poor, can't see that staying.

    Prendeville will not fit the Spin remit so that show wont be in the plans.

    The CEO, Finance, News and Sport and ad traffic will also be ran out of Dublin.

    As I said, bad news for Red as it stands.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,534 ✭✭✭tinytobe


    I've never liked the Cork radio market. Maybe it's competitive, but on a local level. To me there just isn't much choice there at least not like Dublin would offer.

    And then there is also a certain element of local feeling of pride and that Cork is the best city in the whole of Ireland.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 664 ✭✭✭TheBMG


    I’m the opposite, I really enjoy it. It’s a good old fashioned radio battle that’s been going on for years. The Cork attitude only helps it IMHO (and I’m a proud Dub)!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,227 ✭✭✭RoTelly


    Sorry haven't read through all the posts but this seems kind of crazy considering that Communicorp had to sell FM104 over to UTV media.

    If Spin was to share RED FM Bauer would have a semi-national service across Spin and Red.

    At the very lease I'd imagine that RED would rebrand as Spin 104 to 106

    Spin South West

    Spin 103

    Spin 104 to 106


    ______

    Just one more thing .... when did they return that car

    Yesterday



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,534 ✭✭✭tinytobe


    I miss a couple of stations in Cork, something like Radio Nova, or Q102.

    Also, 96 and 103 are simply not the same choice as 98 and 104 in Dublin.

    Cork would need something like Zenith Classic Rock to make the airwaves exciting.



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,624 ✭✭✭its_steve116


    I don't think a station like Zenith would be financially viable, unless they water it down like Radio Nova here.



  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,450 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    That was in a very different era though. Radio is a lot more challenging commercially these days with all sorts of competition.

    Also, 98 & 104 were direct competitors. This is not the case with RedFM and any other station in Bauer’s portfolio, it would be like Bauer trying to acquire 96FM now after taking over RedFM.

    RedFM, Spin SW and Spin1038 are also all serving different markets, so there’s no competition concerns in that regard. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bauer take a clean sweep of the 6 (or at least 5) of the youth stations in the coming years and network them all. Look at the UK and NI for precedent on this.

    It’s if they ever start going after the ILRs here I feel they will hit speed bumps. They still have massive local draw, something less seen in the regional youth stations.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,534 ✭✭✭tinytobe


    That's the problem with mostly all rock stations, is getting watered down in hopes they attract a larger audience. Whether that's the right approach, I don't know.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,227 ✭✭✭RoTelly


    Poor radio and all that competition. Lets merge everything together!

    104 and q102 could now be considered competitors much like 98 and Spin, all of which are in competition with ... TODAY FM

    RedFM has competition from TODAY FM

    There aren't until you consider that the could all merge and then be bigger competition to 2FM and Today FM.

    So we end up with one super Yuff service that has ownership of their national competitor in Today FM.

    Yes this seems like a great way to kill of regional yuff radio.


    ______

    Just one more thing .... when did they return that car

    Yesterday



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