Roger Parry, head of Clear Channel International, has hit back at Capital Radio’s David Mansfield for ruling out a potential take-over by the American radio giant.
Speaking at last week’s Radio Academy Festival in Birmingham, Mansfield said there would be a “major clash” if the worldÂ’s largest radio operator tried to swoop on Capital following the relaxation of the media ownership regulations (see
Capital Radio Chief Moves To Quash Clear Channel Takeover).
According to the Sunday Times, Parry insisted that Clear Channel does not currently have any plans to launch a bid for Capital. However, he hit back at Mansfield’s claim that the world’s largest radio group was all about selling hamburgers and Fords (see NewsLine), whilst Capital is driven by listeners.
Parry denied the American-owned conglomerate would import “shock jocks” and pledged to introduce an all British line-up should Clear Channel buy any UK radio assets. He also said that any offer would be made to Capital’s shareholders and not its chief executive.
Last week Greg Dyke, director general of the BBC, called on British Radio groups not to “rush headlong” down the road taken by Clear Channel, the commercial success story of American deregulation.
He warned against high levels of syndicated programming and said: “I fear that we will end up with radio stations which are simply in the business of selling products for advertisers, where profit is the only motive” (see Dyke Warns Against Regulatory Free For All).
