TFM: who could be next?

The East Anglian Tindle stations were sold to Anglian Radio, made up of a Tindle management buy-out, Tindle only own the Channel Islands licences.

You’re absolutely right. I’ll make an edit above.

Thanks James.

Back on topic, there might be issues with the Lincs stations. Compass’s current format is older than Lincs which overlaps with Lincs FM’s TSA and KCFM. However, the latter two could rebrand under a generic brand or sold on to Global to launch Heart Lincolnshire and Hull. It may be possible to also sell Compass where a group could simulcast an AM Gold/Classic Hits format, with 7 hours of local programming from Grimsby (or Lincs FM’s studio’s in Lincoln).

Indeed. Lots of things are possible once you look at potential mergers and acquisitions. Similarly, a pairing between Lincs and UTV’s Pulse could give you Heart West Yorks, South Yorks and East Yorks/Lincs. (And, as Heart Watford shows, they needn’t actually be owned by Global Radio).

But this is leading into the pointless speculation that isn’t too helpful to many people right now, so I’ll decline from doing it further.

Unhelpful as it may be, these conversations are happening within all radio stations as employees wonder who will be next. There is no doubt about if it will happen again but when and if stations choose to take these paths they need to realise these are employees lives they are playing with and people should be given some respect and be given the transparency and warning they deserve.
Although all these are the examples where Ofcom approval does not need to be acquired it is also important to remember ofcoms decisions typically side with the station owners meaning these groups can effectively do what they want.

I wouldn’t rule out Heart Hull & Lincolnshire at some point down the line, if Global offer the right price.

Lincs have already flirted with mergers of course – the two Trax FM licenses were combined. Likewise, Fosseway Radio and Oak 107 merged to form Oak FM. More recently they went through a brief period of smart networking the breakfast show on Dearne and Rother.

Quidem meanwhile have operated Touch Stratford and Touch Warwick together for a while now, and of course they’ve continued to run the two Oaks as one entity since acquiring them from Lincs last year. They could, leigimately however, bring 8 stations down to two: Hinckley/Tamworth/Loughborough and Coventry/Rugby/Stratford/Warwick/Banbury. Again, fair play since they haven’t done that, even though they could if they wanted to.

The radio that we know and love is as good as dead. Anyone in commercial radio who doesn’t have an exit strategy is a fool.

Once Internet radio takes hold then there will be thousands of stations run for fun by people who are passionate about their particular niche. If you want soul music you will be able to find dozens of great soul music enthusiasts providing amazing free content.

The greed of today’s radio groups will be their undoing. The total focus on making money comes across in every decision being made these days whilst ilr churns out the same generic magnolia dross packaged with a very transparent faux passion by terrified jocks ordered to enthuse about the variety of Rihanna on offer.

If we don’t start doing radio because we love what comes out of the speakers and not for what it does to the share price its as good as over.

Sadly the suits are so blinded by pound signs they won’t realise this until it’s too late.

Tfm is the beginning of a very sad period. I am personally gutted about what has happened to the industry I love.

My immediate thought, when I heard about the relocation of the TFM studios to Newcastle, was is this the logical step if your company is planning to buy some Smooth Radio FM stations and re-brand them Magic. If that is the case you could close down the AM transmitters in the North East and have just Magic FM North East. You could then do the same in the North West of England closing the existing 999, 1152 & 1548 transmitters and replacing them with 100.4 FM.

That would leave the Yorkshire Magic stations on AM unless you could buy the FM licences of KCFM, Dearne, Ridings, Rother and Trax from the Lincs Group plus there should not be a problem with the Competition Commission as Capital Yorkshire already covers that same area of Yorkshire.

In that way Bauer could have all of their existing north of England Magic network on FM. If they also bought the Smooth East and West Midland licences they could extend their Magic FM coverage plus allow Clyde 2 to become an FM station in central Scotland.

This is all very clinical. Is nobody else (aside from Craig) really, really sad, and ever so slightly cross, that a brand as long-serving, fiercely local and established as TFM has been dissolved without so much as a by your leave?

Popular music radio, whatever style of music it plays, has to make a profit.

Too many commercial radio licences were issued back in the late 90s and 00s with TOO LITTLE power. We are therefore in a period where station operators are having to make decisions that will enable them to make their operations profitable. If they win or, at least, hold listeners then they have made a good commercial decision and if they loose a lot of listeners then they haven’t. That’s life!!

Some companies keep their local branding and some don’t. Again its a matter of commercial judgement.

When popular music radio started broadcasting the stations covered wide areas and were profitable. Listeners didn’t complain that their station was in a town or city over 25 miles away, or if you are old enough sitting on a boat out at sea, they just enjoyed listening to the music.

Today we have a wider variety of national stations, such a Classic FM, Jazz FM, Absolute 80s, Premier Christian Radio and BBC 6 Music. Local commercial stations have to find their niche and make it pay.

If you don’t like what is happening to local commercial radio then have a go at forming a not-for-profit group/organisation and apply for a community radio licence or set-up an Internet station and hope that people will listen.