Deal or no deal for Nine Radio?
The parent company says no agreement has been made to sell 4BC and its sister stations. Yet. Also: what’s going on with 4BH and Nova?
The Australian is reporting this morning that no deal has been inked for the sale of the Nine Radio network, which includes Brisbane’s 4BC.
The newspaper says Nine Entertainment has received as many as a dozen unsolicited bids for the radio assets, and speculation is intensifying that a sale will happen soon.
Now, of course, I was among those who reported rumours that adman John “Singo” Singleton and Hungry Jack’s owner Jack Cowin had already made a deal.
It now seems that other potential bidders remain in the race.
The survey 7 radio ratings results are due to be released tomorrow (Tuesday, November 25) and I suppose it’s possible that these figures will sway the final decision. A ratings miracle might give the seller a tiny bit more leverage.
The Oz is suggesting that Australian Digital Holdings, a conservative media outfit reportedly backed by billionaire James Packer and previously linked to Alan Jones, remains a serious contender.
Nine’s preference is said to be to sell the entire network as a package — presumably meaning talk stations 4BC, 3AW, 2GB and 6PR and music stations 4BH, Magic and 2UE? (See below).
It’s almost certain that the Nine Radio network will be sold and, when that happens, the new owners will want to put their own stamp on it.
How that plays out in Brisbane is uncertain, linked to what kind of editorial policy the new owners will want to run at 4BC — will they, like Nine, ignore important research about the market here that may not suit their own narrative and the Sydney-Melbourne experience? — and how much money they think they can make.
Whatever happens, it’s a nervous time for the people working at 4BC and the other stations in the network.
I feel sorry for those people caught up in this ownership uncertainty, who seem to have been kept completely in the dark, creating an extremely difficult working situation and, perhaps, unrealistically raising expectations.
I have experience of a similar situation — and I hope that the staff are treated fairly and with respect.
Social news
Last week was a big one for me on social media, with posts relating to this newsletter getting a huge number of responses.
Of particular interest was chatter regarding my post about the rumoured sale of Nine Radio stations, including 4BC, to Singleton and Cowin. (See above for an update on that.)
People had strong opinions on the subject. Most of the feedback was welcome, but some chose to express their opinions in a sweary, offensive and potentially defamatory manner. If you can’t make your point in a civil and coherent way, you don’t have much of an argument and you’re not welcome on my socials.
Apart from that… I was asked about the future of 4BH and the other Nine Radio music assets, which are currently managed by Ace Radio.
The answer is: I don’t know for sure whether the music stations will be part of any sale, but I suspect they will be.
I do know that 4BH is considered to be one of the prize assets. Magic in Melbourne and 2UE in Sydney, despite having similar formats, are not anywhere near as successful. Yes, the radio market in Brisbane is different.
I imagine Ace is keen to hold on to 4BH either by extending its lease or buying it outright, but I also imagine any buyer of Nine Radio would want it in their portfolio because it provides a lot of bang for the buck (unlike 4BC).
In the most recent survey, 4BH had an overall audience share of 10.0 — compared to 4BC’s 5.3.
I also understand that matters surrounding 4BH are somewhat complicated due to the ownership of the transmission site and related facilities. Not all the networks own their broadcasting infrastructure.
Meanwhile, The Sunday Mail reported yesterday that there are rumours about possible changes at Nova 106.9, possibly involving former Hit Network NSW brekkie host Nick “Ducko” Allen-Ducat. It would seem unlikely that Nova would tamper with its successful formula in Brisbane, but anything is possible in radio.
P.S.
The other post from late last week that got a lot of feedback was regarding the “worst headline of the year”. I’ve written about that here.
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Insightful. You've really cut through the noise here. It's fascinating how those ratings might still change everything at the last minute. My only hope is that any new ownership understands the importance of fair and balanced editorial policy. We've seen how quickly media can shift the narrative, and not allways for the better.
I really thought that DAB+ was going to end up being the dominant format and would have provided the AM licence holders to deliver more innovative formats and brought more people into Radio. I was way too optimistic!