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Sly Bailey, chief executive of Trinity Mirror, has apparently ruled out the demerger of the company’s national and regional newspapers but is expected to announce shortly a thorough cost-cutting programme. According to a report in the Mail on Sunday, Bailey, who has carried out a strategic review, is planning to slash overheads and cut between… Continue reading Bailey Seeks To Cut Costs At Trinity Mirror

In a widely anticipated move, Cordiant Communications has agreed the sale of its City PR firm Financial Dynamics International in a deal worth £26 million. The transaction represents the final stage of Cordiant’s disposal programme intended to cut debt. The group has already concluded deals to sell its Australian assets (see Cordiant Completes Sale Of… Continue reading Cordiant Sells PR Subsidiary For £26 Million

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has stepped up its fight against spam with the launch of a new set of guidelines designed to help consumers reduce the amount of unsolicited commercial emails they receive. The guidelines have been issued in response to the growing problem of spam, which now accounts for around 40% of global… Continue reading UK Authorities Take Measures To Can Spam

The battle for control of Cordiant Communications has taken a bizarre new twist after it was revealed that a Syrian billionairess is the independent investor who recently purchased a 2% stake in the troubled advertising group (see Active Value And Unknown Investor Buy Cordiant Shares). Nahed Ojjeh is better known as a patron in the… Continue reading Endgame No Clearer As Chess Fan Makes Move On Cordiant

John Malone’s Liberty Media has agreed to pay $7.9 million for full control of the shopping channel QVC raising doubts about the company’s ability to make a competitive bid for the US entertainment assets of Vivendi Universal. Earlier this year Liberty, which already has a 42% stake in QVC, triggered a clause in its deal… Continue reading Liberty Buys Partner’s Stake In QVC

Active Value, the UK fund management service and the largest shareholder in Cordiant Communications, has again increased its stake in the group, this time buying 113.4 million shares. The purchase raises Active Value’s stake in Cordiant to 27.1%, comfortably past the 25% mark at which it has the power to block the proposed takeover of… Continue reading Active Value And Unknown Investor Buy Cordiant Shares

The Government has agreed to allow ITV licence holders to take full control of ITN following a last minute amendment to the Communications Bill. Ministers have previously been unwilling to lift the current restrictions, which prevent individual shareholders owning more than 40% of the commercial news provider that produces News At Ten and Channel 4… Continue reading ITV Partners Cleared To Take Full Control Of ITN

Ofcom’s chief executive, Stephen Carter, has criticised Lord Puttnam’s recent amendment to the Communications Bill to give the new super-regulator a greater emphasis on protecting the interests of citizens. In his first public speech since his appointment earlier this year (see Carter Set For Chief Executive Role at Ofcom), Carter said the amendment, which was… Continue reading Carter Blasts Risky Amendments To Communications Bill

Radio airtime revenues at the Wireless Group (TWG) rose by 1.4% in the six months to June, despite the fact that last year enjoyed a boost to spend during the World Cup competition. Chief executive Kelvin MacKenzie unveiled the stronger figures at the company’s AGM this morning. He also announced that the group’s flagship national… Continue reading Wireless Group Sees H1 Revenues Rise 1.4%

The contrasting fortunes of advertising markets on either side of the Atlantic became more apparent in June with bullish mood in the US unmatched in the UK and across Europe. However, economic growth is slow in most major countries and there is little prospect of a boom to rival that of the late nineties. Reflecting… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: Media Healthcheck – June 2003