Bauer Media purchases Communicorp

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

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?

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

TheBMG wrote: »

Was only thinking about this earlier.

With the imminent departure of Denis does this mean the only two independent stations who still retain the same ownership from day one are South East Radio and Mid West Radio?

(I’m talking about the first tranche of stations licensed by the then IRTC back in 1989)

You'd be broadly right on those two though off of my head I think Radio Kerry are still broadly owned by the same shareholders as well. Of the three of them South East don't seem to have ever grown or expanded as a broadcaster.

Guess they are all doing something right if they can hold firm in today's climate.

Jonathan1990 wrote: »

Today FM = Capital (although other people are saying Heart)
Spin1038 = Kiss

From a content perspective, I’d say Today is closer to Absolute. Spin is the equivalent of Capital.

mollser wrote: »

I hope they bring Kerrang Radio to Ireland, proper modern rock station!

just listen to it on line instead if they don't !!

Tork wrote: »

My understanding is that there isn't any more room on the FM band for new stations. DAB is a dead duck too. I don't think any new stations will have any options but to be online only.

There is room on the FM band but there is no willingness to issue new licences, retain the status quo is the only game in town , hence no interest in having any competition from DAB.

The notion of eg putting the Kerrang format on to an Irish station is simply not possible under the current licence requirements.

marno21 wrote: »

I can see this new venture leading to significant requests for deregulation in the name of "viability" or something like that.

Bauer recently in the the UK have bought up swathes of ILRs around the UK in order to launch their Greatest Hits Radio network. I wonder will they take a similar approach in Ireland. Them having two networked youth stations means they could look at acquiring iRadio or RedFM/Beat (same owner) and network those going forward.

Today FM will likely see some restructuring. I can see The Last Word being the first item into the bin, it makes no sense for them to have two national drivetime current affairs shows competing with one another and no nationwide music drivetime show. Today FM will likely turn into a Heart/Hits Radio type national music outlet. There is a massive gap in the market for a service like this which is very, very popular in the UK.

Is there not a competition issue then? I seem to remember that Communicorp were not allowed buy a stake in any more stations because of competition concerns. Isn't that how Wireless ended up with FM104 and Q102?

marno21 wrote: »

I meant geographic spread for Bauer. They already have 2 of the 6 15-34 licences. There’s no overlap between these licence areas so no competition concerns. Bauer own no local licences in the areas of the other 4 services.

Would the total number of licenses nationwide not be taken into account as well?