Nahed Ojjeh, the Syrian-born chess promoter, has increased her stake in Cordiant Communications to more than 10%, it was revealed last night. The crisis-torn advertising group has told the stock exchange that Mrs Ojjeh, the widow of a Saudi billionaire, had “built a stake in the company during the period 10 June 2003 to 4… Continue reading Mystery As Chess Queen Raises Cordiant Stake

Liberal democrat peer, Lord McNally has narrowly failed to enforce changes to the Communications Bill which would have prevented Rupert Murdoch from buying a UK terrestrial TV channel, such as Channel Five. Despite support from across the political divide, the proposed amendment (see Lib Dems May Scupper Communications Bill Compromise) was defeated by 167 votes… Continue reading Lords Fail to Carry “Murdoch Amendment”

Merrill Lynch has revised down its forecasts for the US newspaper industry due to weakness in a number of advertising sectors. Only last week, the broker expressed confidence that revenue growth for 2003 would be 2.9% (see US Newspaper Spend To Grow 3% In 2003, Says Merrill Lynch) but disappointing May results have forced its… Continue reading Broker Lowers US Newspaper Growth Forecasts

The inability to initiate professional business plans has been the main reason for the lack of success of many European pay-TV channels, says a new report. Some 150 channels across Europe have been forced to close in the last six years, costing investors more than £2 billion. Wasted investment in the UK alone is in… Continue reading Poor Business Plans To Blame For Pay-TV Failures

ITV needs to brace itself for a 3.3% fall in advertising revenues this year, according to new analysis of the commercial television sector from Lehman Brothers. Earlier this year, ITV companies were told to anticipate flat revenues for the full year to September (see ITV Advertising And Merger Outlook From Lehman Brothers) but the situation… Continue reading ITV Advertising Forecasts From Lehman Brothers

Capital Radio boss, David Mansfield, has moved to rule out a potential takeover by American-owned Clear Channel following the relaxation of the media ownership regulations. Lowry Mays, chief executive of Clear Channel, has made no secret of his intention to acquire a major UK radio group once the Communications Bill comes into force (see NewsLine)… Continue reading Capital Radio Chief Moves To Quash Clear Channel Takeover

Greg Dyke, director general of the BBC, has warned that the relaxation of the media ownership regulations could lead to the market being flooded with radio stations that are simply in the business of ”selling products” for advertisers. Speaking at this yearÂ’s annual Radio Festival in Birmingham, Dyke criticised the GovernmentÂ’s plans to allow just… Continue reading Dyke Warns Against Regulatory Free For All

The government’s last minute agreement with Lord Puttnam may not be enough to secure the smooth passage of the Communications Bill through the Lords, after Liberal Democrat peer Lord McNally called for a specific ban on Rupert Murdoch buying Channel Five. Liberal Democrat peers are hoping to force an amendment to the bill which would… Continue reading Lib Dems May Scupper Communications Bill Compromise

Ofcom Chairman, Lord Currie, has welcomed the GovernmentÂ’s decision to amend the Communications Bill to give the new super-regulator the power to investigate major media mergers (see Government Ends Media Ownership Deadlock). The eleventh hour amendment, put forward by Lord Puttnam to limit the dominance of large media owners following the relaxation of the ownership… Continue reading Ofcom Chairman Welcomes Puttnam’s Plurality Test

Total UK advertising expenditure was relatively flat in 2002 as the football World Cup prompted a second half revival following a difficult start to the year, according to figures published today. The Advertising Statistics Yearbook from the Advertising Association shows that spending, including agency and production costs increased by 1.2% to £16.7 billion. However, this… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: 2002 UK Advertising Revenue Figures