The final hurdle in Capital Radio’s takeover of alternative London station Xfm has been cleared today. Margaret Beckett, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, has decided not to refer the deal to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.Last week the Radio Authority announced that its public interest test had determined no reason why the takeover… Continue reading Capital’s Xfm Takeover Cleared By DTI
The Guardian has appointed Janine Gibson as media correspondent, replacing Kamal Ahmed who was recently promoted to media editor at the newspaper (see The Guardian Appoints Media Editor).Gibson joins the paper after briefly working as media correspondent for the Independent. The Guardian now has a four-strong media team: Gibson, Ahmed, media business editor Simon Beavis… Continue reading Guardian Appoints Media Correspondent
Front Row, the consortium of cable companies which provides movies on demand (see Cable Consortium Seals Buena Vista Deal), has secured non-exclusive distribution rights to three films from Universal Studios.The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Liar Liar and Dante’s Peak will all be shown to Front Row customers in July and August. The service is available… Continue reading Front Row Secures 3 Movie Universal Deal
The National Ice Skating Association (NISA) is currently seeking sponsors for two of its championship events.The British Figure & Ice Dance Championships and the Short Track Speed Skating events are to be broadcast on BBC Grandstand in November and December respectively. The BBC also has highlights rights to the events.NISA would like to find sponsors… Continue reading Ice Skating Broadcast Seeks Sponsors
Children are not vulnerable and susceptible to branded and TV-advertised foods and possess a “sophisticated mental framework” to evaluate all types of food.These are the findings of new research commissioned by the Advertising Association (AA) and undertaken by Dr Brian Young of Exeter University. The research claims that TV ads for food do not ‘unduly… Continue reading Children Are Not ‘Unduly’ Influenced By Food Advertising, Says Survey
In response to the BBC’s Annual Report and Accounts published today, ITV chairman Richard Eyre has said that the BBC’s public service and commercial operations should be regulated independently by the Independent Television Commission (ITC), the National Audit Office and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).The BBC report details the Corporation’s financial performance and highlights… Continue reading ITV Calls For Independent Regulation Of The BBC
The Radio Authority (RA) chief executive, Tony Stoller, today told the Birmingham Radio Festival how the Authority plans to make the award of radio licences a more open and transparent procedure.Following criticisms from some figures in the industry, from the Autumn the RA will make public its reasons for the choice of successful applicants for… Continue reading RA Announces More ‘Transparent’ Licence Awarding
Channel 5 has secured the rights to show Liverpool’s pre-season friendly against Inter Milan on Tuesday 4 August. The match will pit Michael Owen against Ronaldo, perhaps the two most talked-about players during the World Cup.Earlier on the same day, the channel will also show Chelsea’s friendly against Atletico Madrid in Arnhem, Holland, at 5:30pm.… Continue reading Channel 5 Augments Football Coverage
The June Retail Prices Index was announced this morning as 163.4, a decrease of 0.1% on the previous month and a rise of 3.7% on June 1997. The headline rate of inflation last month stood at 4.2%.Subscribers can access RPI trends by selecting “Encyclomedia” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.
Capital Radio’s planned kids’ station, Fun Radio, has applied for the central Scotland licence currently being advertised by the Radio Authority (RA). If successful in its bid, Fun Radio would be the only Scottish radio station to appeal to children under 15.Capital has also submitted an application for Fun Radio in the Durham and Tyne… Continue reading Capital Plans Fun Radio For Scotland
