Trinity Mirror has refused to comment on speculation that it is planning to sell its titles in Northern Ireland as part of a shake-up at the UK publisher. According to a report in the Financial Times, senior executives from Trinity Mirror have approached regional publishing groups Gannett and Johnston Press to sound out the possibility… Continue reading Trinity May Sell Irish Titles

UBC Media, the UK radio station operator and programme producer, broke into operating profit in its last financial year, the group announced this morning. Before development costs, operating profit was £73,000 for the year ended 31 March 2003, up from a loss of £210,000 the year before. The group moved into the black during the… Continue reading UBC Moves Into Profit In 2003, Airtime Outlook Mixed

French media and telecommunications giant Vivendi Universal, will this week assess the bids received for its US entertainment assets, according to a report in today’s Financial Times. The Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE) division comprises a music company, film studios, theme parks and cable channels. It has received interest from the likes of Liberty Media, General… Continue reading Vivendi To Assess US Entertainment Bids

Online advertising has strengthened its position in the marketing mix, but still lags someway behind more traditional types of marketing such as local press and direct mail, according to a new study from Continental Research. The 2003 E-Commerce Report shows that 24% of UK companies regularly use online advertising, helping it to see expenditure increase… Continue reading Online Advertising Lags Behind Traditional Marketing

Up to half a million digital radio sets could be in use by the end of this year, following 170% growth in sales in 2002, according to new figures from the Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB). Only 175,000 DAB radios had been sold by the end of May this year, but the DRDB predicts that… Continue reading Digital Radio Sales Could Hit 1 Million By 2004, Says DRDB

Public wireless local area network (WLAN) hotspots – where mobile and PC users can connect to networks ‘wirelessly’ – will largely be a failure, according to a new report from Forrester Research. WLAN systems allow mobile users to connect to local networks – such as an employee’s company network – without requiring a physical plug-in… Continue reading Wireless Hotspots Will Fail, Says Forrester

The Government’s plans to relax the media ownership regulations came under increasing threat in the House of Lords yesterday, as support grew for Lord Puttnam’s proposal to impose public interest tests on large media groups wanting to buy Channel Five. Reports suggest that peers from all parties have vowed to vote down the Communications Bill… Continue reading Government Faces Growing Threat From Rebel Peers

WPP’s plans to buyout Cordiant Communications (see WPP Seals £266m Cordiant Takeover) may be scuppered yet, if intransigent majority shareholder, Active Value, manages to gather together a sufficient holding in Cordiant to block the deal. Active Value has explicitly stated that it would like to see Cordiant remain independent and has proposed to inject more… Continue reading Active Value Ups Cordiant Stake To Block WPP Deal

United Business Media (UBM) this morning said that its businesses are now trading in the most stable conditions experienced in the last two years, with the exception of some impact from the SARS virus. All business are now trading in line with expectations and UBM is continuing to act to keep costs down in order… Continue reading UBM Sees Most Stable Conditions In Two Years

Four out of ten dial-up subscribers in the US are considering switching to broadband, according to a new report from Horowitz Associates. By the end of March it is estimated that 31% of American homes had a broadband internet connection, up from 21% a year earlier (see US Broadband Reaches 30m, But Growth Looks Set… Continue reading Broadband Wagon Gathers Momentum In US