The BBC is going to reintroduce premium rate phone-in competitions gradually during January, following the suspension of the service in July.A limited number will be reinstated during January, starting with Goal of the Month on Match of the Day and Popmaster on Radio Two.All phone-ins were suspended in July following an inquiry that unearthed several… Continue reading BBC Reintroduces Premium Phone-Ins

Emap has sold its B-2-B magazine and exhibitions business to a joint venture between Guardian Media Group (GMG) and private equity firm Apax Partners.The £1 billion ($1.98 billion) sale comes soon after the £1.14 billion deal for its consumer magazine and radio assets to Bauer in December 2007 (see H Bauer Buys Emap’s Magazine And… Continue reading Emap Sells B-2-B to GMG

The past year has been an exciting one for the radio industry, and just before Christmas there was a major move when Fru Hazlitt was appointed as the new chief executive of GCap Media.Hazlitt took over from Ralph Bernard, the man who oversaw the merger of Capital Radio and GWR in 2005, creating a single… Continue reading A Fresh Start For GCap With Hazlitt

The BBC’s lavish new dramatisation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility was pipped on New Year’s Day by a new episode of ITV1’s Midsomer Murders.The most dangerous village in the UK proved a popular choice with 5.7 million adults on average tuning in to the new Midsomer Murders, while Andrew Davies’ sexed-up interpretation of the… Continue reading Midsomer Beats Austen

Reports in the Times suggest that ITV will have a very positive 2008, following its best annual on-screen performance since 2001.Assuming the total TV advertising market remains unchanged in 2008, ITV1 is expected to trade in line with the overall television advertising market, delivering revenues similar to 2007’s estimated £1.22 billion.One of the reasons for… Continue reading ITV1 To Have Positive 2008

Emap has sold its B2B magazine and exhibitions business to a joint venture between Guardian Media Group (GMG) and private equity firm Apax Partners. The £1 billion ($1.98 billion) sale comes soon after the £1.14 billion deal for its consumer magazine and radio assets to Bauer in December 2007 (see H Bauer Buys Emap Magazine… Continue reading Emap Sells B-2-B to GMG

GMG Radio has appointed MediaCom to handle the media buying for its 13 stations across the UK.GMG Radio said that following a four way pitch with incumbent agency Brilliant, phd and MediaEdge:CIA, MediaCom won the two-year contract after a presentation demonstrating their in-depth understanding of the key markets in which GMG stations broadcast, and in… Continue reading GMG Radio Appoints MediaCom As Media Buyer

Xfm London has announced that from Saturday 5th January 2008 Dave Berry will be joining as host of the Saturday afternoon show from 2pm – 6pm.Berry first came to the public’s attention on MTV and has recently been working for T4.In addition, Xfm Scotland’s Martin Bate will be taking over the reigns of the networked… Continue reading Xfm Unveils New DJ Line-Up

The House of Lords Communications Committee has published NRS figures showing a decline in the overall number of people and proportion of the population who read a hardcopy of a national daily newspaper between 1992 and 2006.The overall number of adults reading at least one of the top ten national daily newspapers on an average… Continue reading Newspaper Readership Figures Fall

The NewsLine team would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. We will be taking a break over the festive season, but will return on January 2 with the latest media news, comment and analysis.Early in the New Year we will bring you round-ups for 2007 from… Continue reading Merry Christmas!