When the deal between Southern Cross Media and Austereo goes through, it will create the largest, most powerful Radio network Australia has ever seen. Already, Austereo is the only network with two wholly owned FM stations in all five metro markets, plus joint ventures in Newcastle and Canberra. There’s also the fledgling digital brands of Radar and Barry. SCM owns stations in every other plum market up and down the east coast among its 68 licences.

The merged ‘Austern Cross’ or ‘Southereo’ will be a behemoth with a market dominance – at least in this tiny neck of the woods – not dissimilar to Microsoft’s position in the office software market.

How will that impact radio? Should competitors be quaking in their boots?

Will this mega-network soak up the lion’s share of available ad revenue leaving only crumbs for the rest or will it lift the profile of the radio medium and grow the amount of dollars spent, helping move past the eight per cent share of national advertising under which Radio seems eternally locked?