'News: UTV plc Reports Increases In Revenues And Operating Profits At UK Radio Stations' by Grant Goddard
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News story about increases in revenues and operating reports reported by UK media owner UTV plc for its commercial radio stations in the UK, written by Grant Goddard in September 2006 for The Radio Magazine.
![News: UTV plc Reports Increases In Revenues And Operating Profits At UK Radio Stations page 2
©2006 Grant Goddard
UTV plc [formerly Ulster Television] increased revenues by 38% at its
'Talksport' station during the first half of 2006, and by 4% at its 18 local stations
in the UK, following the acquisition last June of their previous owner The
Wireless Group plc.
Talksport generated a half-year operating profit of £1.9m on revenues of
£10.2m, while the local stations made a profit of £2.9m on revenues of
£10.6m, a significant improvement despite audiences having remained
relatively static since the buyout. The company says it is making “continued
investment in staff development, audience research and programming to
improve listenership and advertising revenue performance”. UTV group chief
executive John McCann explained: “You get the programming right and the
revenue follows.”
Radio now accounts for 56% of UTV revenues and 51% of its operating profit.
The company expects the revenues of its UK stations to increase by 2% during
the third quarter of 2006 on a like-for-like basis, compared with industry
expectations of an average 6% decline.
UTV admitted that the initial RAJAR ratings performance of its new Edinburgh
station 'Talk 106' was “disappointing”, and McCann said that at its new Dublin
station 'U105' “we got some of the music policy wrong”. Talk 107 generated
start-up losses of £0.9m, while U105 cost £0.5m to launch.
Asked about the ongoing possibility of a UTV merger with Scottish Media
Group plc, McCann said: “If it had been down to us, it would have been a very
quick process”.
[First published in 'The Radio Magazine' as 'UTV Improves Talksport Revenues', #753, 13 September 2006]
Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of
experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy
roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at
http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
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'News: UTV plc Reports Increases In Revenues And Operating Profits At UK Radio Stations' by Grant Goddard
- 1. NEWS: UTV PLC REPORTS INCREASES IN REVENUES AND OPERATING PROFITS AT UK RADIO STATIONS by GRANT GODDARD www.grantgoddard.co.uk September 2006
- 2. News: UTV plc Reports Increases In Revenues And Operating Profits At UK Radio Stations page 2 ©2006 Grant Goddard UTV plc [formerly Ulster Television] increased revenues by 38% at its 'Talksport' station during the first half of 2006, and by 4% at its 18 local stations in the UK, following the acquisition last June of their previous owner The Wireless Group plc. Talksport generated a half-year operating profit of £1.9m on revenues of £10.2m, while the local stations made a profit of £2.9m on revenues of £10.6m, a significant improvement despite audiences having remained relatively static since the buyout. The company says it is making “continued investment in staff development, audience research and programming to improve listenership and advertising revenue performance”. UTV group chief executive John McCann explained: “You get the programming right and the revenue follows.” Radio now accounts for 56% of UTV revenues and 51% of its operating profit. The company expects the revenues of its UK stations to increase by 2% during the third quarter of 2006 on a like-for-like basis, compared with industry expectations of an average 6% decline. UTV admitted that the initial RAJAR ratings performance of its new Edinburgh station 'Talk 106' was “disappointing”, and McCann said that at its new Dublin station 'U105' “we got some of the music policy wrong”. Talk 107 generated start-up losses of £0.9m, while U105 cost £0.5m to launch. Asked about the ongoing possibility of a UTV merger with Scottish Media Group plc, McCann said: “If it had been down to us, it would have been a very quick process”. [First published in 'The Radio Magazine' as 'UTV Improves Talksport Revenues', #753, 13 September 2006] Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk