Amid wild speculation surrounding the question of who will take over the 2GB Drive shift, soon to be vacated by Jason Morrison, comes another delicious turn of events in that John Singleton’s Macquarie Radio Network is keen to purchase the Fairfax Network. And Fairfax is not disinterested in selling.
First things first: who will be 2GB’s Drive presenter in 2011? Word from our secret sources (no its not Julian Assange) is that two of the names that keep cropping up are the Nine Network’s Ben Fordham, who has plenty of radio experience, and Steve Price who is reported to be lobbying hard to be brought in from the cold of MTR in Melbourne into the warm bosom of the MRN flagship in Sydney. With GB eager to get one back, 2UE’s Stuart Bocking has been mentioned in despatches as has Andrew Moore.
But the on-air upheaval that’s gone on between MRN and Fairfax of late would be nothing compared to the seismic shift that would occur in the world of radio should Macquarie acquire the radio assets of Fairfax.
According to a report in The Australian, “MRN has discussed a deal with Fairfax on more than one occasion in the past 18 months but failed to agree on price. But directors such as Mr Carnegie are more confident following comments by Fairfax chief executive Brian McCarthy at the newspaper and digital group’s investor briefing last month.”
Mr McCarthy told the paper he would consider selling the radio division “If someone came along with a bag of money.”
No doubt both MRN and Fairfax must find it frustrating to have a number one in one city and an also ran in the other. While both are making valiant attempts at making MTR and 2UE competitive, any change in the status quo is likely to take years of uncertainty. Far quicker and surer to simply buy the opposition out.
Its been done before of course. In 1992, the once bitter enemies that were Austereo and Triple M were merged and moved in to the same building in each market. Past animosities were soon forgotten once staff were made aware of the alternative in event that people were found not getting along. And the rest, as they say, is history.
For MRN and Fairfax it seems like a deal made in heaven. If the price is right, one will feel great relief in unloading a major headache while the other will be triumphant in acquiring the missing diamond in a pair of cufflinks.
Those who watch that enthralling television series, Madmen (a must for anyone connected with the advertising industry) will recall the episode when a British agency took over Stirling Cooper. After much discussion about improved synergies economy of scale and revenue growth, the founding director, Cooper, says, “I have yet to hear anyone mention our clients. What do they get out of it?”
The question is, if MTR buys out Fairfax, or the other way around, what would their listeners get out of it?