Bauer Media aquire iRadio

flazio

Means they now control 3 of the 4 youth regions. Wonder how long before all the stations become just Spin Radio.

https://www.newstalk.com/news/iradio-acquired-by-bauer-media-audio-1497299

doc22

Is the radio market that lucrative ?

its_steve116

A fully-national SPIN sounds intriguing. The iRadio brand would be a bit of a loss if it went but times change and things change with them...

flazio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985302#Comment_120985302

We'll just have to see how long Beat hold out.

Of course this is subject to regulation approval which isn't guaranteed. They may well say to Bauer they can only take either the North West or North East. North East would make more sense as you could just extend Spin 102's reach into the commuter belt.

tinytobe

Is there a reason, why iRadio doesn't cover the South of the Republic of Ireland? Other ILRs objected?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985438#Comment_120985438

Because they didn't win those franchises - the country (bar Wicklow, oddly) was split in to four regions.

They didn't exist when Beat was issued, can't remember if they even applied for Spin SWs.

Declan A Walsh

I remember when Communicorp (the previous owners of most of the existing Bauer Media-owned stations) were not allowed to buy FM104 and Q102 because of competition/monopoly issues. Bauer Media successfully added Red FM to its roster of stations and is now about to take iRadio subject to regulatory authority. Will the same criteria apply this time as regards competition/monopoly?

flazio

Is Red FM a similar demographic to Spin and iRadio, because I can well see them relaunching Spin 103.8, Spin South West, Red FM and iRadio into one "Spin Radio". Maybe launching a new logo that turns the (i) in Spin into the i of iRadio.

Probably means the closure of the Monksland studios outside Athlone.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985729#Comment_120985729

It was just fm104. They had to sell it to UTV who already owned Q102

The concern there was the Dublin market. Bauer have no local stations in the i franchise area so it is unlikely to matter.

chilloutrelax

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985249#Comment_120985249

More people to put money into the cash machine 😜

radiotrickster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120986127#Comment_120986127

I heard Suzanne Kane on 98fm say they’ve given away over 3 million with it (I think she said that was this year alone but I could be mistaken) which would make you believe they must have taken in a minimum of 6 mil but likely above 10 mil so far.

channelsurfer2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985729#Comment_120985729

One would think that this proposed buyout would not go ahead if the CCPC gets involved but Bauer will promise lots of stuff then as soon as they get the goahead will shutter a lot of the Athlone base and centralise it.

marno21

Bauer don’t own any local stations in iRadio’s coverage area. There is no geographical competition issue there. It’s the same in the UK, Global can’t buy up every station in one area but they can buy up as many stations as they want in areas they don’t serve yet.

This purchase has been on the cards since they bought RedFM. Some serious networking/rebranding on the way surely

flazio

So, shouldn't be a problem with the competition authority but what about the BAI? iRadio are still technically 2 separate stations as the advertising is targeted to either the North West or North East depending on which frequency you are tuned into and also your cars auto tune won't automatically switch from a former i102-104 frequency to an i105-107 frequency if you so happen to be traveling from Galway to Dundalk for example. Would separate station identifiers, separate advertising and the 5 or so radio licences be enough to allow Bauer run the youth stations as one Almost Nationwide (Shaws FM 😁) youth station or will they need a new license altogether.?

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120988056#Comment_120988056

I think the CnaM (the new BAI), will allow it to go ahead.

I am surprised that Bauer haven't the same restrictions put on them as Communicorp had.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120988056#Comment_120988056

"and also your cars auto tune won't automatically switch from a former i102-104 frequency to an i105-107 frequency if you so happen to be traveling from Galway to Dundalk for example."

Noticed this as well travelling from Mayo to Dundalk. Why isn't IRadio a single entity for AF/RDS purposes? It's something they should fix IMO.

flazio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120988390#Comment_120988390

Because, as far as I'm aware, different sets of ads play depending on North West or North East. Advertisers would be upset if people's cars cut off their ads mid way for someone else's ads. There's probably technical permissions that need to sought from the regulators as well. Easiest thing they should have done is leave something in the RDS display that distinguishes the two. "iRadio NW" and iRadio NE" for instance.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120988390#Comment_120988390

Legally it is still two entirely seperate stations; albeit with identical renewal dates - NWs first licence was extended to meet NEs expiry.

That they now network 24/7 bar ads is a different thing to the licence; the licence determines frequencies and PI codes.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120988490#Comment_120988490

Yes, that would make sense re the ads. On my car radio IRadio NW has the IRadio logo displayed when tuned in. IRadio NE doesn't have the logo, just plain 'IRadio' in text only.

KildareP

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120987982#Comment_120987982

I would have thought so a few weeks ago, but the UK has taken somewhat of a turn in recent times.

Global - who were well ahead of Bauer on the buy/fire/network expansion plan - appear to have had a rethink in the last few weeks.

After being able to relax their various local licenses to minimise the local content required, and networking almost entirely from London, Capital's full midweek 6am-7pm schedule is now local from Scotland along with weekend breakfast, with Heart's schedule reported to be following suit shortly.

In a further turn of events in the last week or so, the Galaxy brand has quietly appeared in the Global player. Galaxy was massive in its franchise area in the North East before Capital's expansion wiped it out but little known throughout the rest of the UK.

Whether Bauer continues as they have, or follows Global in having a rethink, will be interesting to watch!

Losty Dublin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120988092#Comment_120988092

They have given it permission in principle, so my sources in Warrington Place tell me. There were some details to be ironed out, the arrangement of which was slowed down as the Quango was reforming. However the essence of the deal is sorted out now and rubber stamping is imminent.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120993406#Comment_120993406

Can nothing be done in tandem in this country. I was talking to someone the other day that said there funding had been postponed on several occasion for an event they were holding because of the debacle at RTÉ and because of the BAI becoming the CnaM. Did the staff just stop working on everything else.

flazio

Looks like it went through all right. The Cash Machine has arrived to iRadio.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0mYwX7NhnV/?igshid=N2ViNmM2MDRjNw==

JDxtra

Cringe video with a crude clip of Barry cut in. Awful.

They are wasting no time squeezing cash machine money out of their listeners.

RoTelly

https://bauermedia.ie/2023/12/bauer-media-audio-completes-acquisition-of-iradio/

Press release

Lewis_Benson

It's a shyte station, and has been since about 2010.

It was good when 102-104 had a variety of music on weeknights with different shows etc.

Now it just plays the same muck every hour, with presenters who sound like they just came out of the womb.

You'd hope something like this might improve it, but I can't see it sadly.

turbocab

Buying stations aimed at an audience that has long gone from fm radio listening.Not a good business model gone to the smartphone.Not a good business to be going into these days,Even Denis O brien bailed out years ago.He knew the writing was on the wall for youth based stations.

L1011

O'Brien needed money, that's why he bailed. He would never have sold his baby (98) otherwise

ryangontv

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120988520#Comment_120988520

iRadio has different PI codes on FM for NE and NW, 23E2 in Northwest and 23E3 in the Northeast, which differentiates the two stations for an FM set - which could play a part in this.

ryangontv

Also just noticed iRadio is on GoLoud now... was in 64kbps MP3 for the longest time, now 96kbps, still at a sample rate of 22050 Hz (crikey).

I think they have an AAC stream too at the same bitrate, however at 44100 Hz.

Tonywhest

Do we thing that i will get rebranded Spin ? Or maybe both spin and i will be rebranded a more youthful name like Kiss? They want to buy Beat too but Des Whelan refuses to sell .

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121528256#Comment_121528256

hard to say either way.

a case of time will tell ultimately i think.