Bauer enters Ireland

Bauer Media has further extended its European footprint by acquiring Communicorp Group from Denis O’Brien, who exits the Irish media market after three decades. The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

It means the Absolute and KISS owner reclaims national AC network Today FM (sold to its current owners by EMAP in 2007) and adds the first speech station, Newstalk, to its international portfolio as well as Dublin stations SPIN 1038 & 98FM, SPIN South West in Limerick and online-only sport station & podcast network Off The Ball.

It also gets digital audio exchange audioXI (similar to its UK joint venture with Wireless, Octave Audio) and aggregated listening platform GoLoud (similar to its Radioplay platform across the Nordics).

Communicorp UK, a separate company which mostly owns Global-operated stations through a brand licensing agreement, remains untouched and O’Brien is still the majority shareholder.

It was formed in 2014 to buy eight local/regional stations in response to a ruling by the Competition Commission surrounding Global’s £70m acquisition of GMG Radio.

The UK-operating arm was spun off in 2018 to avoid its performance being affected by the Euro.

It’s possible that Bauer’s UK regional brand strategy (GHR/Hits Radio) could make its way across the border eventually, although I think it’s unlikely, certainly at this stage.

Another point is about how DAB has failed to make moves in Ireland thus far - just 0.5% of adults listen according to the latest Ipsos MRBI/JNLR report.

Bauer’s push for DAB and DAB+ elsewhere in Europe suggests this acquisition could be a game-changer.

RTE are currently the only Irish broadcaster using the platform and coverage isn’t great at present - but all cars sold in the country are required come with DAB as standard according to EU law, not to mention the number of compatible consumer receivers, so there’s an opportunity to be had.

Greatest Hits Radio for FM in London

Bauer has announced plans to bring Greatest Hits Radio to 105.8 FM in London.

The character of service would change from:

A rock-oriented station combining new music with classic album tracks, aimed at 25-44 year-old Londoners

And change to:

A station playing classic pop and rock hits of the 70s, 80s and 90s with specialist features, music documentaries and a classic album tracks show, plus local news and information aimed at 25-54 year-old Londoners

Currently Absolute Radio, the regional licence was won following an unsuccessful campaign by it’s predecessor, Virgin Radio, for a national FM network (initially wanted to use Radio 4′s transmitters, then suggested the 105-108 band should be set aside). It launched on 10th April 1995 and required a daily London opt-out in those days.

It’s not the first time an Absolute station has flipped to GHR - in late 2018, Bauer requested to change the 105.8 West Midlands regional from:

A rock-orientated station combining new music with classic album tracks aimed at 25-44 year-olds

To:

A classic pop hits service with local news and information aimed primarily at the over-30s in the West Midlands

As both are regional licences, local programming isn’t required if the service also broadcasts on national DAB. GHR isn’t, therefore WM has its own weekday drivetime show (soon to be afternoons) - London would be covered by the fact at least three hours per day comes from studios in Camden.

This makes perfect sense. Nationwide, Absolute is well-established as a digital brand and its digital hours outweigh analogue by around 3,500 in the capital.

For GHR, having a London station makes the network more attractive to agencies. Radio 2 is second in the market so it’ll be particularly interesting to see how Simon Mayo’s new national drivetime show (launching 8th March) holds up.

Radio is one platform - repurpose the best of it

I heard a good interview on a community radio station the other day.

I later searched for it in all the places you might expect, but nowhere to be found.

I discovered the station doesn't make any audio available on-demand. Instead, they expect people to tune in at a specific time to hear it and then it’s gone - never to be heard again. What year is it? 1991?

No longer is radio THE one platform for content, it is JUST one platform for content.

Broadcasters have always fought to get their stations wherever there are potential listeners. If content is king, we should fight similarly for individual features of interest.

Some standard "listen again" shows are of little value, unless want to rehear a shoutout. You wouldn't seek out four hours of mostly outdated news, generic links, ads and music. Just repackage the best of it instead.

Podcasting is not the devil - it can actually be a great shop window for a radio station (or a radio station can be a great shop window for podcasts, as proven by the likes of Shine Radio and Alfred).

Mayo set for Drivetime return

We all saw it coming...

I had predicted national drive up until a few months ago when regional shows 4-7 was confirmed. https://t.co/QS4Vfz0vRT

— Harrison RB (@HarrisonRBRadio) August 13, 2020

Greatest Hits Radio will launch a new national drivetime show with Simon Mayo in March.

The current regional programmes in his new slot are moving to 1-4.

Some have questioned why he wasn’t put on breakfast, suggesting that should always be the focus:

He was great on Radio 1 (all those years ago!)

Aside from the fact he recently claimed to be too old for that game, I think this is a clever move by Bauer - especially considering the controversy surrounding his shock departure from Radio 2 and the loyal audience he built up at this time of day.

Not to mention that the battle for mornings - despite the COVID shift in listening habits - has never been harder to fight. Why not invest in the other end of the day?

Boom Radio - testing, testing...

I’ve been enjoying the warm sound of Boom Radio’s test transmissions.

It's a new radio station, founded by veteran radio executives David Lloyd and Phil Riley, which will launch on Sunday 14th February specifically targeting those aged 60-75.

There's been a recent shift in both the Radio 2 and BBC Local Radio music policies as they hope to attract more younger listeners. I wrote about this last year with a specific focus on R2′s new music playlist, at times, sounding more chart-driven than adult contemporary.

While Radio 2′s overall remit is 35+, it has to be more specific in targeting at any given time.

I want to scream at the mere idea of a mainstream music station thinking it can simultaneously appeal to a 35 year-old and a 75 year-old. Much of community radio makes this mistake. It doesn't work in the modern age.

I can understand moving R2 to a clear 35-54 focus to narrow the gap between itself and Radio 1.

While it's true that this demo is well-served by commercial radio, under its current funding model, the BBC has to offer something for everyone paying in.

Not to mention the degree of speech content (including many documentaries) and UK artists supported as well as specialist music programming that makes a BBC offering distinctive.

If the local network, valued most by older listeners, was actively targeting that main bulk of its audience, the Beeb would have all bases covered.

Of course the corporation needs to attract more young people to its services overall, but that doesn’t mean every outlet.

The reality is you cannot attempt to drive a new younger audience and, at the same time, keep the existing older one satisfied with the same product.

Anyway, that’s that one covered... back to Boom - with an ageing population and a core demo that’s growing, it looks destined for success if well-marketed.