The Regional newspaper group, Newsquest, is believed to be looking
to take over United News & Media’s regional newspapers. United’s
regional newspapers have a turnover of pounds 135 million, and City
analysts say the business could be worth between pounds 300 and pounds
400 million.
Channel 5 is running a national radio and press campaign to promote its
live European football coverage. Colour ads in the national press were
created by Mother, while the radio campaign features Channel 5’s sports
commentator, Jonathan Pearce.
ITV’s first Internet site, produced by ITN and IPC Magazines, carries
information on programmes, ITV personalities and news from ITV ’as it
happens’. It can be accessed at http://www.itv.co.uk. A trade site will
be launched later this year on: http://www.itv.org.uk.
The outdoor company, Maiden Group, has announced an increase in profits
in its interim results. Pre-tax profits are up by 68 per cent to pounds
4.8 million, with earnings per share up by 37 per cent to 8.2p. The
interim dividend stands at 2.0p. The group reports a yield improvement
in 48-sheet panels.
Kiss 100 is revamping its music policy to exclude any track more than
two years old. In addition, the station will play new tracks in heavy
rotation from day one of their release to promote new music. The
initiative begins on Friday with a weekend of non-stop music,
interrupted only by ads and IRN newslinks.
Vision Posters, the Midland’s outdoor owner, and the poster specialist,
Poster Publicity, are launching a deal as part of an outdoor test market
campaign. New advertisers will receive a research package worth up to
pounds 10,000, plus a discount of 25 per cent off market rates, and will
not be restricted to fixed distribution sites.
The Independent Television Commission is inviting applications for local
delivery franchises in the Dumfries and Galloway region, accessing
60,000 homes, and the North Wales and South Cheshire region, covering
351,000 homes. Applications must be submitted by 15 December 1997 and 12
January 1998 respectively.
Chris Parry, the managing director of Xfm, is teaming up with his former
Creation Records colleague, Alan McGee, to enter a bidding battle with
Scot FM for the proposed radio licence for central Scotland.
The Scotsman has launched its own credit card with the slogan: ’A credit
to the nation.’ The card will be administered by the Royal Bank of
Scotland, which will be partnered by MasterCard. There will be no annual
fee and a 12.9 per cent introductory rate.
Talk Radio has appointed Laura Doughty and Deirdre Lythe to its sales
team. The station has also secured two sponsorship deals: Tesco will
sponsor a 12-week series, Talking Food with Tesco, while Vauxhall will
back Talk Radio’s live commentary of the Italy vs England football match
on 11 October.
Hyundai, the Korean manufacturing conglomerate, has announced its first
international TV campaign, which is based on a global sponsorship and
advertising deal. The ads will be broadcast with EBN’s science and
technology strand, Future File, and will also run in Asia on its sister
channel, ABN.
The Guardian Media Group’s profits were halved in the year to March
1997, because of the pounds 19.8 million costs from the IRA Docklands
bomb. Pre-tax profits totalled pounds 10.4 million.
The Cable company, Telewest, is to carry an un-named analogue cable
channel for a seven-figure sum. This move reflects the scarcity of spare
analogue capacity.
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