Sharewatch: Capital Rises As GfK Puts Vaughan On Top

Capital Radio saw a rise in share price yesterday, climbing by 0.90% to close at 393˝p. The company has seen a strong performance recently, although details of the proposed merger with rivals GWR have caused a see-sawing of both broadcaster’s share prices.

Yesterday saw the release of new data from audience measurement firm GfK placing Johnny Vaughan, newly installed breakfast host at Capital’s flagship London station, at the top of the early morning ratings charts. According to GfK, Vaughan now has a daily lead of 148,000 listeners over rival Heart’s Jono Coleman (see GfK Puts Vaughan At Head Of London’s Breakfast Table).

Elsewhere, BSkyB saw its share price slide by 1.10% to 494˝p as the company’s latest scheme to entice subscribers failed to ignite confidence amongst shareholders. The broadcaster will soon roll out pre-packaged starter packs to high street stores designed to rival Freeview in the run up to Christmas. The move follows Sky’s failure to meet subscriber targets and is designed to give the brand an ‘easy to use’ feel (see Sky Launches Starter Pack To Tempt Freeview Viewers).

Radio and magazine giant Emap also saw its share price falter, losing 0.13% to close at 770p. The company yesterday announced a reshuffle of senior management in its Automotive and magazine sales divisions (see Emap Rejigs Ad Sales Team To Boost Revenue Streams).

The FTSE 100 performed well yesterday, adding 3.9 points to its total to close at 4,626.6, while the FTSE 250 disappointed investors to close down 20.9 points at 6,252.9.

The closing prices of media company shares on Monday were: