Radio Today: Communicorp buys 8 Global Radio stations

Global Radio is selling eight radio stations in response to a ruling by the Competition Commission after buying GMG Radio in June 2012.

The stations being sold are Smooth Radio North West, North East and East Midlands, along with Capital South Wales, Real Radio North Wales, Capital Scotland, Real Radio Yorkshire and Real XS Manchester.

The single buyer for all stations is Dublin based Communicorp, owner of Today FM, Spin and Newstalk for a reported £35m.

Communicorp is wholly owned by Denis O’Brien, subject to regulatory approval.

And whilst the stations will operate under new owners and sell local airtime, national sales and non-peak programming will still be provided by Global Radio under a franchise agreement.

All existing Real Radio stations will become Heart, as expected, and the former Marcher stations, currently Heart, will become Capital.

Smooth Radio will expand to Gold’s frequencies on AM across the UK except in London, East Midlands and Manchester.

Global Radio originally bought the assets of GMG Radio in June 2012 but has been through the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission before being told to sell stations in seven areas of the UK which would have caused a Substantial Lessening of Competition.

(C) RadioToday.

For more information go to Global Radio takeover of Real and Smooth Ltd Timeline