Radio Lion - news archive

This is an archive of news about Radio Lion. Some links may no longer work, due to the transient nature of the internet.

French pro-am news website Rue89 gets million euro investment
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 3 2008, 11.00pm
£871,200 investment to further evolve the online-only news site (more)

Nigeria: Independent radio/TV station for Efon-Alaaye soon
From Media Network Weblog. Posted July 3 2008, 5.45pm
An independent radio and television station is to be established at Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State. A former board chairman of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Chief Biola Olasope, said in Lagos that the project had so far gulped N150 million. He told NAN that the project was being sponsored by an indigenous firm, “Ekiti-Sope Radio [...] (more)

Major deal for Rush Limbaugh
From Radio Today. Posted July 2 2008, 11.57pm
Rush Limbaugh, one of America's biggest names in talk radio has apparently signed a 200 million pounds - eight year deal - with Premiere Radio Networks. (more)

Online listening on the up
From Radio Today. Posted July 2 2008, 11.59am
Listening to radio via the internet is on the increase, with an extra two and half million people thought to have tuned in during the last six months. Podcasts are also more popular with six million of us downloading almost two a week. (more)

Podcasts help boost live radio audiences, Rajar-commissioned report reveals
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.56am
Online radio listening is growing in the UK, with more than 14 million people listening on the web every week - and podcasts helping to boost live radio audiences. By Ben Dowell (more)

TV ratings - June 30: 10 million watch Murray power to thrilling victory
From Media Guardian. Posted July 1 2008, 10.14am
Andy Murray's epic four-hour, five-set battle to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals provided the BBC with a ratings bonanza, with viewing peaking at more than 10 million viewers. By Caitlin Fitzsimmons (more)

Regional newspaper's web hits top four million
From Hold the Front Page. Posted June 30 2008, 6.10am
expressandstar.com sees rise of more than 60pc in traffic (more)

SFN: Norway’s online newspaper revenues reach 290 million euro - up 61 per cent in two years
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted June 27 2008, 12.34pm
Online newspapers in Norway generated nearly â (more)

Nigeria gets further Japanese aid to improve mediumwave broadcasting
From Media Network Weblog. Posted June 27 2008, 11.29am
The Federal Government of Nigeria has secured more financial aid to the tune of N554 million (526 Japanese Yen) for the improvement of the mediumwave radio broadcasting network in the country. This amount will enable the government to expand the Enugu phase two of the network through the provision of a 100 kW transmitter to support [...] (more)

TV Ratings - June 26: Spain's Euro 2008 victory over Russia watched by 7million
From Media Guardian. Posted June 27 2008, 11.04am
Live coverage of Spain's demolition of Russia in the remaining Euro 2008 semi-final last night attracted just over 7 million viewers to ITV1. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

Radio stations fined £1.1m over competitions
From The Independent. Posted June 26 2008, 2.49pm
Media watchdog Ofcom has fined 30 local radio stations a total £1.11 million over unfair conduct in a listener competition. (more)

Uk regulator fines radio broadcasters over £1 million over conduct in listener competition
From Media Network Weblog. Posted June 26 2008, 2.11pm
UK communications regulator Ofcom has today fined 30 local radio stations, which form part of GCap Media’s One Network, a total of £1,110,000 for the unfair conduct in a listener competition; Secret Sound. Taken together, the fines amount to the highest total financial penalty to be imposed for the broadcast of radio content which has [...] (more)

GCap fine record £1.1m by Ofcom for phone-in scam
From The Times. Posted June 26 2008, 11.57am
GCap, the commercial radio group behind Capital 95.8 and Classic FM, has been fined a record £1.1 million by Ofcom, the media regulator, for manipulating phone-in quizes to stop prizes from being won too quickly. (more)

Ofcom fine GCap over £1million
From Radio Today. Posted June 26 2008, 11.10am
Ofcom has fined 30 local radio stations within GCap Media's One Network, a total of £1,110,000 for unfair conduct in their Secret Sound competition. Ofcom's investigation found that on a number of occasions programme makers deliberately put to air text entrants with incorrect answers in order to prevent the prize from being won too soon. (more)

AUDIO: Launch of NME Radio
From Radio Today. Posted June 25 2008, 8.21am
Online and digital station NME Radio has launched on Sky Digital channel 0184 and Virgin Media channel 975. First song played? Muse - Knights of Cydonia, as voted for by three and a half million readers of NME.The station promises the best in new and alternative music, the latest music news, up-to-the-minute gig-guides and exclusive live sessions. (more)

UK radio to go completely digital by 2020
From Biz Asia. Posted June 24 2008, 3.18pm
UK radio services should be migrated on to digital audio broadcasting (DAB) by 2020, according to the Digital Radio Working Group's (DRWG) interim report. The government-backed industry panel recommended the establishment of a timetable for the migration of all UK radio from analogue to digital and said that this should be completed between 2015 and 2020. However, in the medium term, the group recommends migrating all national, regional and large local stations to Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), with FM continuing to be used by small local and community radio stations. The DRWG does not recommend setting a date for the switchover to digital radio now. Instead, it recommends a timetable for migration is set out, which is dependent on progress against the agreed criteria. The group's initial assessment is that migration could be completed by 2020. Chairman of the DRWG Barry Cox said: "At the end of May this year, sales of DAB sets exceeded seven million. We believe radio must have a digital future and that this will benefit both listeners and industry. Audiences will be able to enjoy increased functionality and more choice of channels, while the industry will no longer have to sustain the increased transmission costs of broadcasting on multiple platforms. "If these benefits are to be achieved, then action must be taken to address the significant challenges which threaten the future growth of the market. There is a great deal to be done to address these issues, and I hope that this interim report will stimulate debate on how to achieve a digital future." The group, set up in November 2007, has been looking at the barriers to the growth of digital radio and the conditions needed to allow digital platforms to become the main means of delivering radio. As part of its work, four sub-groups were set up to consider issues such as the mechanisms for growth, technology, coverage and European harmonisation. Related links: RAJAR: Digital radio listening continues to grow Asian radio industry gives DAB backing EXCLUSIVE: ZEE Radio launch details emerge Asian FX confirmed for West Midlands DAB launch Two new radio stations launch on Midlands DAB Club Asia to offer podcasts via 4 Digital Group Sunrise Radio to go national after new licence win BBC Asian Network to launch two free podcasts (more)

Smooth Radio: camera turned on album sleeves in ad campaign
From Media Guardian. Posted June 24 2008, 12.38pm
GMG Radio is launching a multimillion-pound TV ad campaign for Smooth Radio in which listeners take shots of album sleeves covering parts of their body. By Mark Sweney (more)

Video: Watch the Smooth Radio TV ad
From Media Guardian. Posted June 24 2008, 12.29pm
102.2 Smooth Radio in London is launching a multimillion-pound marketing featuring well-known album covers being used to mask parts of people’s bodies (more)

SMG Shareholders Approve Sale of Virgin Radio
From allmediascotland - Spike. Posted June 23 2008, 7.19am
As reported widely over the weekend, shareholders in stv owners, SMG, have voted in favour of selling the company’s radio division, Virgin Radio: for £53.2 million, to a consortium headed by the owners of the Times of India newspaper. It follows an announcement at the start... (more)

More concerts for Classic FM
From Radio Today. Posted June 18 2008, 8.21am
GCap Media's Classic FM has signed a deal worth over a million pounds with AEG, the owners of the London music venues indigO2 and the O2 arena.The agreement will see the national station as both sponsor and media partner for new classical concerts from October 2008 till February 2009. (more)

Kiss shouts about breakfast
From Radio Today. Posted June 17 2008, 8.08am
Kiss 100 is celebrating its position as London’s third biggest commercial radio station by launching a major marketing campaign to support the Rickie and Melvin breakfast show.The campaign is part of a £1.5 million investment in Kiss by Bauer Radio over the summer months and includes 48 sheets, 6 sheets, bus sides and digital media on the London Underground. (more)

F.C.C. Chairman Gives Satellite Radio Merger Thumbs Up
From radio.about.com. Posted June 16 2008, 4.04am
In an AP story published at Foxnews.com Kevin Martin, Chairman of the F.C.C., "...is recommending approval of the $5 billion merger between the nation's two satellite radio broadcasters in exchange... (more)

New owners of Virgin Radio back digital radio
From Biz Asia. Posted June 13 2008, 11.14pm
The Times of India group (TIML Golden Square, a wholly owned subsidiary of Times group), the new owners of Virgin Radio, says it is "more committed to DAB than anyone else", according to Broadcast Now. Chief executive Clive Dickens says that both the City and the industry at large was responsible for the platform’s negative press. "The industry has been bad at marketing DAB because the City decided it was an expensive long-term operation," says Dickens. "This, in turn, meant senior people at plcs had to publicly denounce it." The Times Of India Group acquired the Virgin Radio Holdings Ltd and its subsidiaries in the UK, earlier this month, for a phenomenal £53.2 million from SMG Plc. Related links: Times of India group acquires Virgin Radio Asian radio industry gives DAB backing (more)

ANTENNE BAYERN goes on air with help from phion
From Press Release, via webitpr. Posted June 12 2008, 10.53am
Leading radio station relies on high-availability netfence gateways phion AG, one of the leading business communication protection solution mouse providers in Europe, ensures the smooth operation of ANTENNE BAYERN?s security infrastructure with its netfence product range. Germany?s most successful private radio station was particularly impressed by phion?s integrated high availability functions and the unique management concept. ANTENNE BAYERN has an audience of over three million every day and this committed band of listeners not only... (more)

ProSieben mulling non-core unit sales in Scandinavia and the Netherlands
From Media Network Weblog. Posted June 10 2008, 3.56pm
German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 is looking at a sale of non-core activities in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, the company said today. Revenue from the sale would be used to help reduce its 3.4 billion euros ($5.4 billion) of debt, which soared when it bought European rival SBS Broadcasting last year, outgoing Chief Financial Officer Lothar [...] (more)

BBC uncovers lost Iraq billions
From BBC News. Posted June 10 2008, 3.06pm
A BBC investigation estimates that about $23bn may have been lost, stolen or not properly accounted for in Iraq. (more)

BBC Global News maintains record 233m audience
From Media Network Weblog. Posted June 10 2008, 12.30pm
For the second year in succession, the BBC’s combined international news services attracted a global weekly audience of over 233 million during 2007/8, according to independent surveys. The global audience figure for the combined services of BBC World Service radio, BBC World News television and the BBC’s international online news service bbcnews.com is up 23 million [...] (more)

TV channels available free via cell phones in Morocco
From Media Network Weblog. Posted June 10 2008, 12.11pm
Personal mobile television (TMP), a service that enables users of cell phone to receive free of charge television programmes, has been officially launched in Morocco, the National Radio and Television Broadcasting Corporation (SNRT) said yesterday. In Morocco, a country whose population is estimated at 30 million inhabitants, more than 20 million people have subscribed to [...] (more)

United Business Media and Informa hold talks on £3 billion merger
From The Times. Posted June 8 2008, 12.00am
TOP executives at two of Britain’s largest publishing companies have held talks about a merger that would create a £3 billion FTSE 100 media group. (more)

Next few weeks critical for WorldSpace as directors quit
From Media Network Weblog. Posted June 7 2008, 11.52am
WorldSpace, the international satellite radio operator, is facing several critical weeks. This week, it was announced that the company had been given an extra month to find $17.7 million to repay its creditors, and now has until 30 June to come up with the money. Noah Samara, Worldspace’s founder, Chairman and CEO, described the financial situation [...] (more)

UTV to reduce borrowings bill with £50m issue
From The Times. Posted June 5 2008, 12.00am
UTV, the owner of TalkSPORT and Ulster Television, has announced a surprise £50 million rights issue to avoid paying interest rates of more than 7 per cent on the debts it racked up buying a string of radio stations. (more)

Planet Rock: GCap Media station sold to entrepreneur Malcolm Bluemel
From Media Guardian. Posted June 4 2008, 3.55pm
Digital radio station Planet Rock has been sold to the millionaire boss of a visa and passport applications business. By John Plunkett (more)

Israel Broadcasting Authority to slash NIS 40m from budget
From Media Network Weblog. Posted June 4 2008, 12.40pm
The Israel Broadcasting Authority will trim its budget by some NIS 40 million (approx US$12 million) by the end of the year, it announced yesterday. The IBA’s executive board accepted management’s proposals to reduce the ever-growing deficit, which will be an estimated NIS 150 million by the end of December. Read the story in the Jerusalem Post Bookmark [...] (more)

Rights issue for UTV Media
From Radio Today. Posted June 4 2008, 8.33am
talkSPORT owner UTV Media is hoping to raise an extra 49.9 million pounds in a rights issue, as part of an overall refinancing of the company. (more)

Bashful billionaire takes a punt on regional press
From Press Gazette. Posted June 3 2008, 12.00am
One of Asia's richest businessmen has spent £80m on a stake in regional newspaper giant Johnston Press. Peter Kirwan tries to find out more about the secretive man known as 'Tak' and asks what his input means for the group and the industry (more)

Why has Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan bought a stake in Johnston Press?
From Press Gazette. Posted June 3 2008, 12.00am
One of Asia's richest businessmen has spent £80m on a stake in regional newspaper giant Johnston Press. Peter Kirwan tries to find out more about the secretive man known as 'Tak' and asks what his input means for the group and the industry (more)

SMG Agrees Price to Sell Virgin Radio
From allmediascotland - Spike. Posted June 2 2008, 6.31am
In case you missed over the weekend.....The owners of stv have agreed a sale of its radio division. SMG has agreed a price of £53.2 million for Virgin Radio with the publishers of The Times of India newspaper. While any sale will first require shareholder approval, 31.6 per cent... (more)

Virgin Radio sold for �53m
From The Scotsman. Posted June 2 2008, 12.00am
MEDIA group SMG today confirmed that Virgin Radio has been sold for �53.2 million to TIML Golden Square Ltd. (more)

Times of India publisher buys UK?s Virgin Radio
From Media Network Weblog. Posted June 1 2008, 12.04pm
The company that publishes the Times of India has confirmed reports that it has agreed to buy Virgin Radio Holdings Ltd and its subsidiaries in the UK from the Scottish Media Group (SMG Plc) for £53.2 million. Virgin Radio, which operates on FM in London and on mediumwave across the rest of the UK, will become part of TIML Golden Square [...] (more)

Times of India publisher agrees to buy UK?s Virgin Radio
From Media Network Weblog. Posted June 1 2008, 12.04pm
The company that publishes the Times of India has confirmed reports that it has agreed to buy Virgin Radio Holdings Ltd and its subsidiaries in the UK from the Scottish Media Group (SMG Plc) for £53.2 million. Virgin Radio, which operates on FM in London and on mediumwave across the rest of the UK, will become part of TIML Golden Square [...] (more)

Virgin Radio Sold - Except the Name
From radio.about.com. Posted June 1 2008, 10.57am
Virgini Radio has been sold to to the parent company of Times of India newspaper according to a report in the online version of The Washington Post. The $106 million dollar... (more)

Times of India group acquires Virgin Radio
From Biz Asia. Posted May 31 2008, 9.06pm
The Times of India group (TIML Golden Square, a wholly owned subsidiary of Times group) has made its first ever foray into the overseas media space by acquiring the Virgin Radio Holdings Ltd and its subsidiaries in the UK, for a phenomenal £53.2 million from SMG Plc. With this acquisition, TIML will obtain the lucrative AM national licence, FM London licence and DAB national licence. TIML will manage the station along with Absolute Radio, the European group that already owns the music station Jack FM in Oxford. The deal comes without the Virgin brand which will go back to Richard Branson's Virgin Group. TIML will undertake a £15 million rebranding exercise. However, RadioToday.co.uk understands TIML Golden Square Ltd have the option of continuing to use the Virgin Radio name in the UK, for a licence cost of a further £8million. TIML has 90 days from the completion of the sale to rebrand. Mr. A P Parigi, managing director & CEO of TIML says: "Now is a great period to be entering the UK market and the opportunity to acquire a valuable radio asset couldn't have come at a better time. We have worked with ARI for many years now and their experience and expertise, coupled with that of the award winning staff at Golden Square, will deliver our collective vision of a powerful and exciting new brand that will engage all key stakeholders." The acquisition is not being made by ENIL, a listed company promoted by Bennett Coleman & Co. that operates Radio Mirchi. "The reason could be that Virgin Radio operates in a matured market. The promoters of Bennett Coleman would rather fund the acquisition and create more value to that business. They may not have wanted to put ENIL under funding pressure," says a market analyst to IndianTelevision who is closely tracking the development. It is also understood that Virgin Group, which owns Virgin Radio in countries throughout Europe and Asia, is keen to reclaim the Virgin Radio brand and launch a British station, possibly on DAB. It is understood that Virgin Group would look to relaunch Virgin Radio with a partner. Excerpts from Times Online, Indian Television and Radio Today (more)

Virgin Radio is sold to Absolute for £53.2m
From The Times. Posted May 31 2008, 12.00am
SMG, the media group, has confirmed plans to sell Virgin Radio to Absolute Radio, a private company, for £53.2 million, as the new owner has revealed plans for a £15 million rebranding exercise. (more)

SMG confirms �53m sale of Virgin Radio
From The Scotsman. Posted May 31 2008, 12.00am
SMG has completed a the sale of Virgin Radio to a group backed by Indian media giants TIML for �53.2 million. (more)

Virgin Radio sold for 53million
From Radio Today. Posted May 30 2008, 10.03pm
BREAKING NEWS: The much anticipated sale of Virgin Radio by SMG has taken place. TIML Golden Square Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Times of India Group, have bought the station and will spend a further £15million on re-branding away from the Virgin brand. The new station will be managed by Absolute Radio, owners of JACK fm and FM107.9 in Oxford, and a team comprising Media and Entertainmentspecialists from TIML. (more)

Virgin Radio sold for £53million
From Radio Today. Posted May 30 2008, 10.03pm
BREAKING NEWS: The much anticipated sale of Virgin Radio by SMG has taken place. TIML Golden Square Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Times of India Group, have bought the station for £53 million and will spend a further £15 million on re-branding away from the Virgin brand. The new station will be managed by Absolute Radio, owners of JACK fm and FM107.9 in Oxford, and a team comprising Media and Entertainmentspecialists from TIML. (more)

Paul Howlett's TV film picks: United 93 | Millions | The Weather Man
From Media Guardian. Posted May 29 2008, 1.04am
Paul Howlett on United 93 | Millions | The Weather Man (more)

Virgin Radio switches off
From The Scotsman. Posted May 29 2008, 12.00am
VIRGIN Radio will disappear as a brand name under the terms of a �50-60 million sale negotiated by its owner SMG. (more)

DAB: Seven million sets sold
From Radio Today. Posted May 22 2008, 9.17am
The latest digital radio sales figures are in - and they show that after 10 years there are now seven million DAB sets sold in the UK. (more)

Revenue up for commercial radio
From Radio Today. Posted May 20 2008, 10.07am
Despite losing market share in the latest set of audience results, figures released today by the RadioCentre show that radio advertising revenue is increasing.Commercial radio revenue increased to nearly £159 million in the first quarter of 2008, an increase of nearly 7 per cent year on year. (more)

Millionaire footballer in no-win, no-fee legal action
From Press Gazette. Posted May 20 2008, 12.00am
Millionaire footballer Ashley Cole is the latest wealthy celebrity to take advantage of the "access to justice" no-win, no-fee media-law regime to sue news organisations. (more)

Millionaire footballer Ashley Cole in no-win no-fee legal bid
From Press Gazette. Posted May 20 2008, 12.00am
Millionaire footballer Ashley Cole is the latest wealthy celebrity to take advantage of the "access to justice" no-win, no-fee media-law regime to sue news organisations. (more)

Spam conmen fined €510,000
From Media Network Weblog. Posted May 19 2008, 3.02pm
The Dutch anti-spam supervisory commission OPTA has levied its highest fines on spammers ever. The two businessmen who set up Abodata and H.P.T. Development were fined a total of €510,000 for sending 4.5 million e-mails offering people the opportunity to work at home. An expensive toll number was listed and people who responded were kept on [...] (more)

Worldwide audience for US international broadcasting tops 175 million
From Media Network Weblog. Posted May 17 2008, 10.58am
US international broadcasting now reaches over 175 million people weekly, up from 155 million in 2007 and a 75 percent increase since 2001. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman James Glassman announced the new global audience estimate on 15 May in a speech delivered at the Heritage Foundation. “There are still huge expanses of the planet [...] (more)

GCap sets date for takeover
From Radio Today. Posted May 15 2008, 4.47pm
6th June is the date that GCap have set for the completion of their £375 million take over by Global Radio.The deal will create the biggest radio group in the country, dominating the London marketplace and several key marketplaces across the country. (more)

Press Gazette: ‘Many millions’ more visitors needed to Guardian.co.uk before it can stop relying on print
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted May 15 2008, 12.20pm
Guardian.co.uk needs to rethink its 'challenging' business model if it is ever to survive on its own without the printed paper, according to its head of editorial development, Neil McIntosh. Press Gazette reports McIntosh speaking at the opening of the Brighton Festival, where he said 'many millions' more visitors would be needed to the newspaper's website to sustain current levels of investment in journalism it is making on the web. (more)

Press Gazette: ‘Mant millions’ more visitors needed to Guardian.co.uk before it can stop relying on print
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted May 15 2008, 12.20pm
Guardian.co.uk needs to rethink its 'challenging' business model if it is ever to survive on its own without the printed paper, according to its head of editorial development, Neil McIntosh. Press Gazette reports McIntosh speaking at the opening of the Brighton Festival, where he said 'many millions' more visitors would be needed to the newspaper's website to sustain current levels of investment in journalism it is making on the web. (more)

Letters: The BBC is not 'wasting millions'
From Media Guardian. Posted May 14 2008, 11.43pm
Letters: It is misleading to say that the BBC is 'wasting millions of pounds every year' (Report, May 13) (more)

Malaysian billionaire takes stake to help bail out Johnston Press
From The Times. Posted May 14 2008, 11.20pm
Johnston Press, the regional newspaper group with more than 200 years of ties to Scotland’s Johnston family, turned to a Malaysian billionaire yesterday to help to raise £212 million. (more)

CBS to buy CNET Networks for $1.8 billion
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted May 14 2008, 11.00pm
Buy-out will create one of the most audience-heavy internet businesses in the world (more)

BBC accused of wasting millions on props, costumes and catering
From Media Guardian. Posted May 12 2008, 11.07pm
Public accounts committee attacks BBC for the way it procures some £531m of equipment every year (more)

Cablevision buys Newsday for $650m$
From The Times. Posted May 12 2008, 5.32pm
Cablevision, the television and telecoms giant that owns New York's Radio City Music Hall, yesterday seized control of Newsday, the US tabloid, in a deal worth $650 million ($£331.5 million). (more)

�19m Long-term Cash Boost to Radio Charities
From allmediascotland. Posted May 12 2008, 12.00am
Sir Tom Hunter has pledged £4 million over the next ten years to Bauer Radio station charities in a move that consolidates all of their charities under one brand – Cash for Kids. The cash will be used to underwrite 50% of all the running costs for the charities... (more)

IOC set to receive US$2.5 billion from broadcasters
From Media Network Weblog. Posted May 11 2008, 11.48am
The International Olympic Committee will receive US$2.5 billion from broadcasters between 2005 and 2008, according to an analysis by the Reuters news agency. Sportbusiness.com reports this amount is in addition to the US$866 million the IOC is expected to receive from its top sponsors’ programme, plus money from tickets and licensed programmes. The committee is also [...] (more)

Sky Radio loses Danish court case, but plans to appeal
From Media Network Weblog. Posted May 9 2008, 10.46am
Sky Radio has lost a court case brought by the Danish Government, and has been ordered to pay 210 million Danish kroner (€25 million) to the government as compensation for breaking its contract. Sky Radio says it plans to appeal the decision. Sky Radio Denmark went on the air in 2003 with a licence valid for eight [...] (more)

Britain?s ITV fined £5.67 million over phone-in fiasco
From Media Network Weblog. Posted May 8 2008, 5.56pm
British broadcaster ITV was fined a record £5.67 million pounds (7.2 million euros, $11.1 million) today for misleading viewers over premium rate TV phone-in services, industry regulator Ofcom said. Britain’s biggest commercial television network temporarily suspended all premium-rate interactive services last year after it emerged that more than a million viewers were unfairly charged for entering phone-in [...] (more)

Ofcom hits ITV with record £5.67 million fine
From The Stage. Posted May 8 2008, 3.40pm
(more)

Global Net to acquire UBC
From Radio Today. Posted May 8 2008, 7.43am
New UK radio industry players Global Traffic Network has agreed to purchase the commercial division of UBC Media Group for £15million, subject to contract and UBC shareholder approval.UBC's commercial division supplies traffic, news and entertainment information to around 250 UK radio stations in exchange for commercials that are then sold to advertisers. (more)

Microsoft withdraws proposal to acquire Yahoo!
From Media Network Weblog. Posted May 4 2008, 12.26pm
Microsoft has withdrawn its proposal to acquire Yahoo!, saying the struggling Internet pioneer refused to budge on price despite the software giant upping its offer to nearly $50 billion. Talks aimed at resolving corporate dueling that began with Microsoft’s offer on 1 February to buy Yahoo for $31 per share ended with the two firms unable [...] (more)

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim builds stake in The Independent
From The Times. Posted May 4 2008, 12.00am
Carlos Slim, the Mexican telecoms billionaire and world’s second-richest man, has waded into the battle for control of The Independent by taking a stake in the newspaper’s parent company. (more)

World Press Freedom Day 2008: The rise of the Chinese ?netizens?
From Media Network Weblog. Posted May 3 2008, 3.08pm
The focus of this year’s World Press Freedom Day (3 May) is China and the Internet. China’s Internet population has now reached 221 million, surpassing the United States as the world’s largest. But, as most Chinese Internet users know, the People’s Republic has a sophisticated Internet censorship system. Moreover, the ministry in charge was recently strengthened. What does the rise of Internet users, or ‘netizens’, mean [...] (more)

Two US lawmakers urge conditions on XM-Sirius deal
From Media Network Weblog. Posted May 2 2008, 11.58am
The Federal Communications Commission should impose conditions on Sirius Satellite Radio’s proposed $3.95 billion acquisition of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings to protect consumers, two senior Democratic lawmakers said yesterday. Republican John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Republican Edward Markey, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, urged the [...] (more)

New mag launched for UK's 2.3 million diabetics
From Press Gazette. Posted May 2 2008, 12.00am
Independent Bournemouth-based Select Publisher Services has launched a magazine targeting the 2.3 million people in the UK who have been diagnosed with diabetics. (more)

RAJAR: Digital radio listening continues to grow
From Biz Asia. Posted May 1 2008, 4.48pm
Figures released by RAJAR today reveal that digital radio listening continues to grow. However, the radio audience measuring body has reported that 80% of digital listening is to stations already available on analogue. Nearly a third of the population - 31.4% - now listen to digital radio at least once a week, with digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio accounting for the lion's share of listening. Only 21.4% of listening is to digital-only stations such as Asian FX, ZEE Radio, BBC 6Music and BBC 7. There was also an increase in DAB set ownership with 27.3% of adults claiming to own a DAB receiver. This is a 40% increase year on year (19.5% in Q1, 2007) and a rise on Quarter 4, 2007 of 22%. Radio listening via a digital platform continues to grow steadily. Data collected for quarter ending March 2008 reveals that 17.8% of all radio listening is now via a digital platform, of which: -10.8% is via DAB -3.2% is via DTV and -2.1% is via the Internet Listening via mobile phone was also up, from 8% at the end of last year to 11.6% in the first quarter of 2008. Updated: 17:30 Related link: RAJAR:Results: Asian Network topples Sunrise (more)

GCap suffers heavy losses
From Radio Today. Posted May 1 2008, 10.39am
GCap have lost nearly eight million hours of listening in the past three months, according to the latest audience figures.Just a week after announcing weekday daytime networking, The One Network has recorded losses of three million listening hours, while GCap's Gold network lost nearly 20 per cent of its audience and nearly two million listening hours. (more)

Record highs for BBC DAB
From Radio Today. Posted May 1 2008, 9.46am
The BBC's digital stations have posted record audience figures today, as three of the five stations claim over half a million listeners for the first time ever. (more)

Bauer's Scottish heritage suffers
From Radio Today. Posted May 1 2008, 8.56am
Bauer's Big City network added nearly a million listeners in the past quarter, with Hallam FM recording an increase of over half a million listening hours and an increase in market share of over 2 per cent. North of the border however, there were record lows in reach for both Clyde 1 in Glasgow and Forth 1 in Edinburgh. (more)

Capital now fourth in London
From Radio Today. Posted May 1 2008, 7.16am
The one time king of the London marketplace, 95.8 Capital Radio, has slipped to fourth position with a smaller audience than Kiss 100.Bauer Radio is enjoying two out of the three top spots for commercial radio listening in London, with Magic 105.4 attracting 1.918 million listeners and Kiss 100 reaching an audience of 1.583 million. (more)

Moyles closes Wogan gap
From Radio Today. Posted May 1 2008, 7.01am
Chris Moyles continues to add extra listeners to his BBC Radio 1 breakfast show, and his personal goal of over-taking Terry Wogan on Radio 2 is a step closer this quarter. Chris now has 7.7 million fans, compared to Terry's 8.1, bringing down the gap to just 382,000 listeners. (more)

Commercial Radio attracts more
From Radio Today. Posted May 1 2008, 7.00am
The commercial radio industry has added an extra 300 thousand listeners in the last three months, taking the total to 31 million adults. National stations Classic FM and talkSPORT all gained a small amount of extra listeners, but Virgin took a slight total drop of 0.2 per cent (more)

Commercial share drops again
From Radio Today. Posted May 1 2008, 7.00am
The commercial radio industry has added an extra 300 thousand listeners in the last three months, taking the total to 31 million adults. However the industry lost nearly seven million listening hours putting commercial radio's share at just 41 per cent. (more)

Sleeveface go Smooth
From Radio Today. Posted April 30 2008, 2.52pm
GMG Radio have looked to viral phenomenon Sleeveface for a new multi-million pound campaign to promote Smooth Radio.It is the biggest marketing campaign undertaken by GMG Radio to date, as the six Smooth stations introduce a new strapline Love Life Love Music. (more)

Sky subscribers near 9 million as first-quarter results announced
From Media Guardian. Posted April 30 2008, 7.32am
Satellite group BSkyB added 56,000 new customers in the first quarter of 2008 to take its customer base to almost 9 million. By Chris Tryhorn (more)

RAJAR to test an Online Diary
From Radio Today. Posted April 29 2008, 12.46am
RAJAR has abandoned its trial of an electronic alternative to its diary-based ratings system after spending over three million pounds researching the scheme. Instead, RAJAR is looking to investigate the introduction of a new online digital survey. (more)

Time to wake up to DAB
From Radio Today. Posted April 29 2008, 12.40am
Recent sales figures show nearly half a million DAB digital radio sets were sold in the first quarter of 2008, with DAB now accounting for half of all clock-radio sales by value. (more)

Rajar under fire for ditching meter trial
From The Times. Posted April 29 2008, 12.00am
Rajar, the radio audience measurement body funded by the BBC and commercial radio, has been fiercely criticised for abandoning its £3.5 million trial of an electronic alternative to its diary-based ratings system. (more)

Rajar dumps 'expensive' electronic ratings
From The Times. Posted April 28 2008, 5.04pm
Rajar, the radio audience measurement body, has been fiercely criticised for abandoning its trial of an electronic alternative to its diary-based ratings system after spending £3.5 million researching the scheme. (more)

Swiss Broadcasting Corporation announces loss for 2007
From Media Network Weblog. Posted April 28 2008, 10.55am
The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) has announced a SFr17.2 million ($16.64 million) loss for 2007. Director General Armin Walpen cited difficulties in generating additional revenue as the cabinet rejected an increase in licence fees. The company board also announced today a review of the corporation’s governance and management structures in line with a request by the government. The [...] (more)

Next wave of billionaires will come from the East
From Daily Telegraph. Posted April 27 2008, 12.01am
'A whole load of stuff could come apart here," warned Art Cashin last week on CNBC - the US business channel. "This oil thing - it's gettin' crazy". (more)

Millions haven't a clue what they'll do without Humph
From The Independent. Posted April 27 2008, 12.00am
There was a growing feeling last night that I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, widely regarded as the funniest radio programme since The Goon Show, will pass away along with its chairman and innuendo-peddler in chief, Humphrey Lyttelton, who died on Friday at 86. (more)

Heroes pulls in 3.7 million viewers on BBC2
From Media Guardian. Posted April 25 2008, 9.53am
The return of the US sci-fi drama import Heroes pulled in 3.7 million viewers to BBC2. By Ben Dowell (more)

Fru Hazlitt could walk away from GCap with £1.2m
From The Times. Posted April 23 2008, 11.50pm
Fru Hazlitt, the GCap chief executive, could leave the group with £1.2 million after only four months in charge, in the wake of the group's pending takeover by Global Radio. (more)

Deal or No Deal? Underworked president makes TV joke on $3 trillion budget
From Media Guardian. Posted April 22 2008, 11.08pm
Bush 'thrilled to be anywhere with high ratings' as he puts in an appearance on popular game show (more)

TV ratings - April 20: Baftas watched by 5.6 million
From Media Guardian. Posted April 21 2008, 10.46am
The Bafta television awards had their best audience for four years as 5.6 million viewers tuned into BBC1's coverage. By Chris Tryhorn (more)

RBS to unveil sale of Angel Trains and £10 billion rights issue
From The Times. Posted April 20 2008, 11.10pm
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) will announce the £3.5 billion sale of Angel Trains and a £10 billion-plus rights issue tomorrow. RBS board members and the bankers advising them were in talks yesterday to finalise the bank’s fund-raising plans. They are expected to be approved by a full board meeting today. The bank plans to announce that the long-awaited sale of Angel Trains has been completed. It is believed that the rolling stock leasing company has been sold to a consortium led by the investment firm Babcock & Brown and backed by Deutsche Bank. RBS will also signal that it is open to offers for the insurance brands Direct Line and Churchill by confirming that it is conducting a “strategic review” of these business. They are thought to carry a price tag of between £4 billion and £5 billion. AIG, Allianz, AXA and Generali have been mentioned as possible bidders for the business. The sale of Angel Trains would help to alleviate some of the pressure on the RBS chief executive, Sir Fred Goodwin, who said recently that the bank had no need to raise equity capital. RBS has yet to fix the price of the rights issue, which will be at a substantial discount to the current share price. RBS, which owns NatWest, is also set to announce a further writedown of between £5 billion and £7 billion. The figure has yet to be agreed because management want this to be the last time it is forced to mark down the value of assets. The bank has already announced writedowns of about £1.7 billion on the value of mortgage-backed securities, loans to private equity groups and securities guaranteed by cash-strapped bond insurers. A source close to RBS said that the planned rights issue will raise “closer to £10 billion” than the £12 billion that was the top of the range that some analysts had been expecting. Although both Churchill and Direct Line are performing well, insurance has become less central to RBS’s business as it concentrates more on core banking activities after the acquisition of ABN Amro last year. Snatching the Dutch bank from Barclays, the rival bidder, has stretched RBS’s balance sheet. It paid about €71 billion (£56.2 billion), with Banco Santander and Fortis, for ABN Amro, a price that some analysts believe was too high. There will be a full board meeting today, conducted over the telephone, to confirm the proposals, which will be announced to the stock exchange tomorrow. The bank’s annual meeting in Edinburgh will take place on Wednesday as planned. Although Sir Tom McKillop, the chairman of RBS, will back Sir Fred, there are set to be changes to the board. The bank aims to recruit new nonexecutive directors to show that its corporate governance is sound. RBS cut 200 staff in its global banking and markets business this month, mostly in London. UBS has joined Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch in underwriting the rights issue. Shares in RBS, which have slipped 14 per cent since the start of 2008, were volatile on Friday but ended up 18p, or 4.9 per cent, at 384p after news of the rights issue, the largest in British history, emerged. If the bank goes ahead with the rights issue, it could prompt other British banks to follow suit. Analysts believe that Barclays and HBOS are the most likely to try to bolster their balance sheets through a rights issue. The banks should receive a fillip today as Alistair Darling is set to announce a £50 billion package to help to ease bank liquidity worries and restart interbank lending. The Bank of England is expected to swap £50 billion of government bonds for lenders’ assets in an attempt to ease the crisis in the mortgage market, which has seen lenders drop thousands of products in the past year. (more)

TV ad you can sing along to
From Radio Today. Posted April 15 2008, 8.01am
GMG Radio is about to spend part of a one million pounds advertising budget on a new three-week long television campaign for Real Radio Wales and Century Radio in the northwest and northeast. The ads feature Duran Duran’s Rio and promote the strap-line "Music you just have to song along to". (more)

BLOG: The beginning of the twist
From Radio Today. Posted April 14 2008, 12.00am
And so it begins. The biggest radio group in the UK have finally bared their teeth.A week after their £375 million offer to buy GCap Media was accepted, Global Radio have begun the gentrification of the radio industry. You can justify it any way you like, but the bottom line is that this is grave news for the industry. (more)

XFM South Wales still for sale
From Radio Today. Posted April 11 2008, 1.37pm
GCap will not sell its XFM stations in Manchester and Scotland, following Global's £375 million buyout of the company last week.However XFM South Wales, launched in November, is still up for sale. (more)

GTN bags Trafficlink contract
From Radio Today. Posted April 10 2008, 1.50am
Global Traffic Network has out-bid Trafficlink for the multi-million pound contract to supply traffic and travel information to the Highways Agency's Traffic Radio. (more)

GTN bags Traffficlink contract
From Radio Today. Posted April 10 2008, 12.40am
Global Traffic Network has out-bid Trafficlink for the multi-million pound contract to supply traffic and travel information to the Highways Agency's Traffic Radio. (more)

TV ratings - April 6: Headcases starts with 4 million
From Media Guardian. Posted April 7 2008, 11.09am
Headcases, the ITV1 animated satirical show being billed as the new Spitting Image, debuted with 4 million viewers. By Chris Tryhorn (more)

'Doctor Who' return attracts 8.4 million
From Digital Spy. Posted April 7 2008, 10.19am
Doctor Who's season premiere gains impressive ratings despite its early time slot. (more)

Ofcom aims to raise billions from auction of HDTV channels
From Daily Telegraph. Posted April 4 2008, 12.01am
Television regulator Ofcom is hoping to raise billions from an auction of high definition TV spectrum. (more)

Virgin Radio silence as Scottish Media Group plunges into red
From The Times. Posted April 3 2008, 11.03am
SMG, the Scottish Media Group, ran up a loss of £84.6 million last year. Heavy writedowns relating to Virgin Radio and Pearl & Dean, coupled with detoriating ITV advertising revenues meant that the business had a difficult year. (more)

SMG set to announce Virgin Radio deal
From The Scotsman. Posted April 3 2008, 12.00am
SMG is today expected to outline a long-awaited deal to offload Virgin Radio for about �60 million alongside its annual results. (more)

New Virgin owners - Absolute Radio?
From Radio Today. Posted April 2 2008, 12.10pm
It has been reported Absolute Radio has been accepted as the preferred bidder to acquire Virgin Radio from television company SMG.According to a story in today's Telegraph, Absolute have offer £60 million for the national AM station, and has been chosen over UTV. (more)

Alba TV supplier forecasts £10 million loss
From The Times. Posted April 2 2008, 12.00am
Alba, the consumer electronics distributor for brands such as Goodmans, Grundig and Bush, said yesterday that losses for the past year would be far greater than expected because of fierce competition on the high street. (more)

Global Radio offers £375 million to buy Classic FM-owner GCap
From The Times. Posted April 1 2008, 12.00am
Global Radio, the owner of Heart 106.2, has agreed to buy Capital Radio-owner GCap for £375 million. (more)

Major UK commercial radio deal agreed
From Media Network Weblog. Posted March 31 2008, 7.06pm
Privately-owned Global Radio said today it was to buy Britain’s largest commercial radio group, GCap Media for an agreed £375 million, to create a bigger rival for the BBC. The deal will bring together Global’s Heart and Galaxy brands with GCap’s national Classic FM and network of commercial radio stations across Britain including Capital 95.8 FM [...] (more)

GCap sold for £375 million
From Radio Today. Posted March 31 2008, 7.00pm
The UK's biggest radio group has been formed tonight, as Global Radio agree to buy GCap Media for £375 milion. Global will pay an 86% premium for the company, which values GCap shares at 225p each. (more)

GCap accepts £375m Global deal
From The Times. Posted March 31 2008, 6.33pm
Global Radio, the owner of Heart 106.2, has announced an agreement to buy Capital Radio-owner GCap for £375 million. (more)

GCap braced for agreed Global Radio offer
From The Times. Posted March 31 2008, 1.44pm
GCap Media and Global Radio are expected to confirm in a joint statement an agreed £371 million offer for the Classic FM-owner, according to sources close to the deal. (more)

Internet Radio: 33 Million American Listeners Each Week
From radio.about.com. Posted March 28 2008, 12.00am
The news is good for Internet Radio, according to an article at boston.com: "A study to be released by Arbitron and Edison Media Research next month shows that online radio continues... (more)

Clear Channel bid row casts doubt over $130bn of deals$
From The Times. Posted March 28 2008, 12.00am
A row erupted last night over the financing for a buyout of Clear Channel, the radio-to-billboard giant, raising doubts about $130 billion ($£65 billion) worth of similar private equity deals in the pipeline. (more)

Banks go on the attack in Clear Channel fight
From The Times. Posted March 27 2008, 5.11pm
Senior bankers involved in the funding of the $27 billion buy-out of Clear Channel, believe that Bain Capital and Thomas H Lee have no intention of acquiring the radio and advertising giant.$ (more)

Digital television in 22 million households as freeview and cable show strong growth
From Ofcom. Posted March 27 2008, 10.00am
A new item from the Ofcom website. (more)

Clear Channel to Banks: No Financing? That's a Lawsuit!
From radio.about.com. Posted March 27 2008, 4.45am
The multi-billion dollar deal to take Clear Channel Communications private has turned into a potentially expensive melee of finger pointing and litigation. Bain Capital and THL Partners, the prospective buyers, filed... (more)

Clear Channel Buyers to Banks: No Financing? That's a Lawsuit!
From radio.about.com. Posted March 27 2008, 4.45am
The multi-billion dollar deal to take Clear Channel Communications private has turned into a potentially expensive melee of finger pointing and litigation. Bain Capital and THL Partners, the prospective buyers, filed... (more)

Lionised chef meets Little Chef to add some froth to food stuck in the 1950s
From Media Guardian. Posted March 27 2008, 12.07am
· Heston Blumenthal tries to save roadside chain · Latest salvo in television's battle of celebrity chefs (more)

Thousands may lose terrestrial TV signal after 2012 analogue switchoff
From Media Guardian. Posted March 26 2008, 4.44pm
Nearly a quarter of a million households could lose permanent reception of the terrestrial TV signal after analogue switchoff, media regulator Ofcom has said. By Chris Tryhorn (more)

Clear Channel deal on brink of collapse
From The Times. Posted March 26 2008, 12.00am
Plans to take Clear Channel, the radio and advertising billboard group, private appeared to be on the brink of collapse last night in a move that could see Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee, the private equity groups, forced to pay a $500 million break fee.$ (more)

Global Media seeks extra time for GCap deal
From The Times. Posted March 25 2008, 11.26am
Global Media, the private group headed by Charles Allen, the former ITV chief executive, is seeking a week-long extension to a deadline to agree a £371 million takeover of GCap Media, Britain’s largest commercial radio group. (more)

GCap suitor Global seeks more time
From The Scotsman. Posted March 25 2008, 12.00am
THE firm looking to buy Capital Radio owner GCap Media needs more time to table a �371 million offer for the broadcaster, it was reported yesterday. (more)

Sirius plan to buy XM gets antitrust approval
From Media Network Weblog. Posted March 24 2008, 9.14pm
Sirius Satellite Radio’s $4.59 billion purchase of rival XM Satellite Radio was given antitrust clearance today as the US Justice Department concluded consumers have many alternatives, including mobile phones and personal audio players. The deal, announced in February 2007, would combine the only two providers of satellite radio in the United States and is still [...] (more)

SIRIUS and XM merger approved
From Radio Today. Posted March 24 2008, 7.24pm
The Justice Department has approved a five billion dollar take over of XM Satellite Radio by rival SIRIUS. The merger was approved despite opposition from consumer groups and an intense lobbying campaign by the american radio industry. (more)

Mobile TV subscribers in Korea top 11 million
From Media Network Weblog. Posted March 24 2008, 12.12pm
As of 29 February, the number of subscribers to mobile TV service in Korea is 11 million including 9.69 million to terrestrial DMB and 1.31 million to satellite DMB. If the growth continues at this rate, terrestrial DMB users will pass the 10 million mark in March. According to the Broadcasting and Communications Commission and [...] (more)

Hazlitt set to leave GCap
From Radio Today. Posted March 24 2008, 11.43am
After only three months as chief executive of GCap Media, Fru Hazlitt is expected to walk away from the group with almost one million pounds - if the sale to Global Radio on Wednesday is successful. Global's 371m winning offer is expected to be announced on the day of the takeover deadline, March 26th. (more)

Rock and pop concerts for Dubai after Live Nation buys Gulf promoter Mirage
From The Times. Posted March 24 2008, 12.00am
The world’s biggest live music companies are to take their battle for supremacy to the Gulf states after announcing plans to turn the region into the next lucrative staging post for rock’s biggest stars. Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which reinvented the Dome as a live music venue, plans to lure acts such as Prince and Bon Jovi to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to perform in new, purpose-built arenas. Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter and AEG’s leading global rival, is beating a similar trail. It has acquired a controlling stake in Mirage, a leading Dubai-based promoter, which has hosted concerts by Aerosmith and Shakira. Madonna, who has signed an exclusive music and concert deal with Live Nation, is expected to add Dubai, the UAE’s main city, to her tour circuit. The race to bring rock and pop to the Gulf is part of a wider effort to develop the region as a centre of tourism. Emirates is intent on making itself the world’s airline of choice, for example, a world in which millions use it to fly to the area’s rapidly expanding resorts and developments. Those resorts are already among some of the most exclusive on the planet, The World, perhaps the best-known of them, and its peers built on so grand a scale that they can be seen from space. And some of music’s most famous names are allegedly buying their slices of these exclusive spots. Yet if the superstars are intent on spending money on seven-star hotel suites and private islands, the Gulf remains a source of untapped income. Despite a wealthy expatriate population, a young music-loving local audience and the fact that 15 million visitors are expected to visit Dubai in the next decade, the Gulf region has yet to establish a consistent infrastructure for live music. With live performances replacing record sales for artists’ pension plans, the region, overlooked so far by the likes of U2 and the Rolling Stones, is seen as the next frontier for promoters to conquer. AEG Live has hired Thomas Ovesen, the man behind some of Mirage’s biggest concerts, to oversee a new live promotions office in Dubai. AEG Live hopes to operate arenas in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, seating 10,000 to 15,000 fans and styled after its own O2 in London, inside two years. Mr Oveson plans to draw young, wealthy music fans from neighbouring states by staging Las Vegas-style residencies featuring big names. Mr Ovesen said: “My vision is that the UAE will be the hub for entertainment for the entire region. We believe the O2 model, where Prince played 21 nights, could really work in the region. The right type of artist can expect to clear $1 million. But until now, the local live music scene has been fairly insignificant.$” AEG plans to host Broadway musicals as well as pop concerts in its new arenas, with the shows marketed at foreign expats living in Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. The company has promised to balance ticket prices so that the local Asian population can attend. Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live, said: “A presence in that region is very important to us in terms of growth and finance opportunities.” His Dubai-based rival Mirage Promotions, which secures acts such as Diana Ross and Bryan Adams for corporate clients in the region, will be rebranded as Live Nation after the US giant took a 65 per cent controlling stake. Elissa Murtaza, its managing director, said: “Whilst our current focus is to be on the burgeoning UAE, our position in the Middle East provides us with the opportunity to expand our operations. Our new partnership with Live Nation will help us to accelerate our growth by providing us better access to talent and resources.” The Gulf does have a flourishing local music scene, which is reflected in the recently launched MTV Arabia service and the arrival of a concert infrastructure, but it does present some logistical problems for touring international rock stars. Some artists have been unwilling to undertake a four-day round trip to Dubai for a one-off show. Promoters also have to make provision for an entirely car-bound audience. This month Celine Dion played her first Dubai concert, at the Four Seasons Golf Club, charging £135 for a platinum seat. Organisers had to promise the authorities smooth-flowing traffic and car-parking for 9,000 vehicles before the concert could take place. Western stars will have to respect local sensibilities. Last month, the Radio 1 DJ Grooverider was sentenced to a four-year prison term in Dubai after admitting to carrying cannabis into the country. “They can have the rock’n’roll but not the sex and drugs,” Mr Oveson said. He added: “Given the wealth of the country, the possibilities for charging for high-end, quality shows are endless. Frankly, if Elvis were alive, he’d consider a visit to Dubai in the next couple of years. I believe the future is here.” (more)

Rock and pop concerts for Dubai after AEG buys Gulf promoter Mirage
From The Times. Posted March 24 2008, 12.00am
The world’s biggest live music companies are to take their battle for supremacy to the Gulf states after announcing plans to turn the region into the next lucrative staging post for rock’s biggest stars. Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which reinvented the Dome as a live music venue, plans to lure acts such as Prince and Bon Jovi to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to perform in new, purpose-built arenas. Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter and AEG’s leading global rival, is beating a similar trail. It has acquired a controlling stake in Mirage, a leading Dubai-based promoter, which has hosted concerts by Aerosmith and Shakira. Madonna, who has signed an exclusive music and concert deal with Live Nation, is expected to add Dubai, the UAE’s main city, to her tour circuit. The race to bring rock and pop to the Gulf is part of a wider effort to develop the region as a centre of tourism. Emirates is intent on making itself the world’s airline of choice, for example, a world in which millions use it to fly to the area’s rapidly expanding resorts and developments. Those resorts are already among some of the most exclusive on the planet, The World, perhaps the best-known of them, and its peers built on so grand a scale that they can be seen from space. And some of music’s most famous names are allegedly buying their slices of these exclusive spots. Yet if the superstars are intent on spending money on seven-star hotel suites and private islands, the Gulf remains a source of untapped income. Despite a wealthy expatriate population, a young music-loving local audience and the fact that 15 million visitors are expected to visit Dubai in the next decade, the Gulf region has yet to establish a consistent infrastructure for live music. With live performances replacing record sales for artists’ pension plans, the region, overlooked so far by the likes of U2 and the Rolling Stones, is seen as the next frontier for promoters to conquer. AEG Live has hired Thomas Ovesen, the man behind some of Mirage’s biggest concerts, to oversee a new live promotions office in Dubai. AEG Live hopes to operate arenas in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, seating 10,000 to 15,000 fans and styled after its own O2 in London, inside two years. Mr Oveson plans to draw young, wealthy music fans from neighbouring states by staging Las Vegas-style residencies featuring big names. Mr Ovesen said: “My vision is that the UAE will be the hub for entertainment for the entire region. We believe the O2 model, where Prince played 21 nights, could really work in the region. The right type of artist can expect to clear $1 million. But until now, the local live music scene has been fairly insignificant.$” AEG plans to host Broadway musicals as well as pop concerts in its new arenas, with the shows marketed at foreign expats living in Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. The company has promised to balance ticket prices so that the local Asian population can attend. Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live, said: “A presence in that region is very important to us in terms of growth and finance opportunities.” His Dubai-based rival Mirage Promotions, which secures acts such as Diana Ross and Bryan Adams for corporate clients in the region, will be rebranded as Live Nation after the US giant took a 65 per cent controlling stake. Elissa Murtaza, its managing director, said: “Whilst our current focus is to be on the burgeoning UAE, our position in the Middle East provides us with the opportunity to expand our operations. Our new partnership with Live Nation will help us to accelerate our growth by providing us better access to talent and resources.” The Gulf does have a flourishing local music scene, which is reflected in the recently launched MTV Arabia service and the arrival of a concert infrastructure, but it does present some logistical problems for touring international rock stars. Some artists have been unwilling to undertake a four-day round trip to Dubai for a one-off show. Promoters also have to make provision for an entirely car-bound audience. This month Celine Dion played her first Dubai concert, at the Four Seasons Golf Club, charging £135 for a platinum seat. Organisers had to promise the authorities smooth-flowing traffic and car-parking for 9,000 vehicles before the concert could take place. Western stars will have to respect local sensibilities. Last month, the Radio 1 DJ Grooverider was sentenced to a four-year prison term in Dubai after admitting to carrying cannabis into the country. “They can have the rock’n’roll but not the sex and drugs,” Mr Oveson said. He added: “Given the wealth of the country, the possibilities for charging for high-end, quality shows are endless. Frankly, if Elvis were alive, he’d consider a visit to Dubai in the next couple of years. I believe the future is here.” (more)

NI’s Broxbourne plant prints one million copies an hour
From Press Gazette. Posted March 23 2008, 12.00am
News International’s four national newspapers will have later deadlines and more design options when the company ends 22 years of printing at its Wapping headquarters next month. (more)

Israel Radio spares shortwave broadcasts in Farsi
From Media Network Weblog. Posted March 21 2008, 11.33am
Text of report in English by Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post website on 21 March With highly appropriate Purim timing, the Israel Broadcasting Authority has saved the Jews of Persia… as an audience. Four million shekels have been allocated in the IBA’s budget to spare Israel Radio’s budget-threatened shortwave Farsi broadcasts, which are widely listened [...] (more)

Pay for Johnston Press boss Bowdler exceeds £1 million
From Press Gazette. Posted March 20 2008, 12.00am
Pay for Johnston Press chief executive Tim Bowdler exceeded £1 million for the first time in 2007. (more)

Mail makes libel payout to US billionaire
From Media Guardian. Posted March 19 2008, 5.18pm
The Daily Mail has paid businessman Sheldon Adelson 'very substantial' libel damages and has been left with a hefty legal bill, according to his lawyers. By Stephen Brook (more)

Daily Mail left with £4 million libel bill after battle with world's 12th richest man
From Press Gazette. Posted March 19 2008, 12.00am
The world’s 12th richest man, Sheldon Adelson, today accepted a formal apology and “very substantial” damages at London’s High Court after the Daily Mail accused him of “cut-throat, ruthless and despicable business practices”, including... (more)

Sony to buy Millionaire firm for £137.5m
From Media Guardian. Posted March 13 2008, 9.34am
Sony Pictures is to buy the Dutch company that owns the rights to TV quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? for £137.5m. By Chris Tryhorn (more)

Mail on Sunday apologises to Russian billionaire over links to "rape and murder" allegations
From Press Gazette. Posted March 13 2008, 12.00am
Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, the major shareholder in Arsenal FC, today accepted a formal apology at London’s High Court after The Mail on Sunday linked him to rape and murder allegations. (more)

Ono reaches a million
From Rapid TV News. Posted March 12 2008, 2.26pm
Spain's most important cableoperator Ono has reached more than one million subscribers to its TV service. (more)

GCap deal expected this week
From Radio Today. Posted March 10 2008, 8.02am
Another weekend and another speculative report about Global Radio and GCap Media. The latest news is that Global's 371 million pound offer for GCap is set to be approved as early as this week, according to sources close to the negotiations. (more)

VRT to close most mediumwave transmitters on 30 March
From Media Network Weblog. Posted March 7 2008, 4.03pm
As previously reported, the Flemish public broadcaster VRT plans to close all its mediumwave transmitters except the one on 927 kHz. The website Radiovisie reports today that the planned date of closure is 30 March. Radiovisie says that the VRT will save 2.5 million kWh of energy, and produce 1850 tons less of CO2 per year. The [...]

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