Kerrang find a new home

Mixmag media, who own, erm, Mixmag, have bought Kerrang! from Bauer and have big plans for the UK's last rock weekly (No, the NME no longer counts). The plan involves it ceasing to be a rock weekly.

Campaing Live reports:

Jerry Perkins, who runs Mixmag Media, plans to turn Kerrang! from a print weekly to a monthly in the UK and focus on building its global, digital audience.

"Mixmag and Kerrang! are quite similar – they’re ‘f*** it’ audiences," Perkins said. "They like what they like and don’t care about what anyone else thinks."

I think this is a polite way of saying "they're clinging to their unfashionable music tastes, and prepared to pay".

Bauer keeps the Kerrang brand for TV and radio - which isn't going to be easy; the K! radio playlist has drifted quite a way from the K! paper worldview even under the same roof. (Kerrang Radio is less 'fuck it' and more 'gosh, if we must'.)

As part of the deal, Mixmag have also bought the Face brand, with plans to revive it online, and maybe in print. At the time it closed in 2004, The Face had managed to slot itself into self-mythologised irrelevance, so it'll be interesting to see how that works online.

Bauer introduce new job titles

There are no longer programme controllers at Bauer's radio stations.

Oh, no. Now, the people in charge are to be known as Content Controllers.

Sweet jesus.

The other shortlisted titles included "Person who fills the bits where we're not doing adverts" and "Head of budgetary drain".

Fireman calls for Bauer stations to be taken off their hands

Bruce Fireman - described for these purposes as "media banker and analyst" - has demanded that Bauer be refused permission to take over Absolute and that, for good measure, it be made to give up Radio City, Piccadilly and all the rest.

The reason?

Nazis, of course.

It turns out one part of the Bauer empire publishes a magazine Der Landser, which has a rather rosy view of the Second World War and the SS in particular.

Fireman thinks this sort of thing should be used to draw attention to himself ("should bar Bauer from holding broadcast licences"):

"Bauer Parent's response to complaints made about its publication of Der Landser is that the magazine does not glorify National Socialism, nor does it downplay Nazi crimes.

It says it is lawful to publish Der Landser in Germany. That may be. That does not mean that a decently-conducted company would publish such a magazine which glorifies criminals but avoids prosecution by not mentioning the word 'Nazi' and not promoting anti-Semitism.

It is obviously unacceptable deliberately to evade the application of German law by not telling the whole truth about, and never condemning, the 'heroes' Der Landser glorifies."

Fireman reminds Ofcom that it "must be satisfied that the holder of a broadcast licence is fit and proper to do so and must consider not just the conduct of a licensee but also those who manage and control it."

Ofcom has always been a bit reluctant to use the "fit and proper person" test with any degree of seriousness - you'll have noted that James Murdoch's inability to spot what was going on under his nose didn't disqualify him - so it's unlikely that Bauer are going to have to exit the UK radio industry over a small-circulation magazine, however odious.

Times Of India exits UK radio market

Somewhat inevitably, the Absolute family of radio stations have been swallowed up by Bauer, ending an exciting period when The Times Of India owned a national UK radio station.

It looks, roughly speaking, that the value of the portfolio - which also includes a bunch of decade-themed digital channels - has dropped about thirty million quid in the six or so years since the paper bought what was then called Virgin Radio.

This means that alongside Kerrang and Planet Rock, Bauer now adds Absolute Classic Rock to its stable of superserving the heavy metal fan. An exciting era of further consolidation beckons.

Commercial radio doesn't like the BBC

It's not just Nadine Dorries ('we don't need a national broadcaster because ITV have made a period drama') doing cartwheels this morning over the defenestration of the BBC; just yesterday commercial radio was blaming BBC Radio for being too good.

Every few weeks, someone from commercial radio says that Radios 1 and 2 should be made substantially poorer to encourage people to listen to them, instead. This time round, it's Ashley Tabor, who is head of Global, who is saying it's just not fair:

"These two powerhouse radio stations should do what they were set up to do — provide that which cannot be provided commercially, that's where the value is. Good-quality content which is not commercially viable."

Tabor, presumably, isn't so ignorant of radio history that he's really proposing the stations be run along the lines they were established on in 1967, when there was no commercial radio at all broadcasting from the UK.

I'm not sure Radio 1 and 2 have even been told their role is only to broadcast non-commercially viable stuff, but given that commercial radio is apparently incapable of producing programmes of the quality of the two BBC networks, that would appear to be what happens more-or-less by accident.

The Global boss said Radio 1 was not doing enough to support new British music, adding that he wanted it to break at least 10 new UK bands next year — and described its playlist as "very, very mainstream".

But if Radio 1 doesn't mix Top 40 music with new bands and acts, how is it going to "break" (by which I guess Tabor means 'help towards the mainstream') anything?

And if a band is broken by Radio 1, does that mean they're then mainstream and should be dropped from the radio station straight away? Is Tabor suggesting the Sunday night Top 40 rundown should only be allowed to play the new entries?

To be frank, I'd be very surprised if setting some sort of confused 'break bands' target to 10 wouldn't mark a major reduction in the number of acts given support by the BBC in their early years. And would a band that finds a small audience who follows them for years, but doesn't have a top ten hit, be considered a mark for this mysterious target or not?

Tabor likes strange maths, though:

He claimed the two stations were delivering on only 30% of their public service commitments.

I'd love to see his working on that. Does the announced Panorama-style programme on Radio 1 bring us up to 32%?

Paul Keenan - head of Bauer's radio things - has another cunning plan:

Paul Keenan, chief executive of Kiss and Magic parent Bauer Radio, said the two BBC stations could be used as a key driver in encouraging digital take-up by removing them from analogue and making them digital-only, including digital audio broadcasting (DAB).

"If you moved Radio 1 and Radio 2 that would show us the way [on digital]," Keenan told the BBC's director of audio and music, Tim Davie, at the Radio Festival in Salford.

Paul Keenan, I hope you never play poker, as it's probable you'd hold your cards the wrong way round.

You're really suggesting that commercial radio would invest in DAB if Radio 1 and 2 went DAB-only?

Really?

Because given that commercial radio spends every minute of every day whining about how it can't compete with Radio 1 and 2, why would you then rush to join them on a largely unadopted platform? If you really thought there was a future in DAB, you'd be investing in it and campaigning for Radio 1 and 2 to be kept off it.

Presumably Bauer's radio networks have got so used to assuming its audience is a bit dull that they've forgotten we're not all idiots.

Gordon in the morning: Becks defender

Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross are getting back together to generate some cheap publicity for Absolute Radio:

RUSSELL BRAND and JONATHAN ROSS will be together on the radio next month for the first time since Sachsgate.

Except, it turns out, they won't be on radio at all:

The pair will record a podcast live from Hackney, east London, for Absolute Radio.

What's the "live" doing there? Is it recorded, or is it live?

Elsewhere, Gordon's former number two and a journalist come together to rubbish the claims of the Beckham 'hooker':

Tosh N Becks By RICHARD WHITE and PETE SAMSON, US Editor

There is an obvious weakness in the InTouch story: if the woman who claims to have had an on-the-meter threesome with Beckham really is a high-earning sex worker with royalty, celebrities and sportspeople amongst her regulars, why would she ruin her business for a single cheque from a US magazine?

But News International isn't going to point out that the sort of top-level prostitute who often appears in their stories is the least likely person to be spilling beans. Indeed, it suggests that maybe this is a cash cow for her:

Last night Irma was trying to cash in on her allegations. She hired an agent and set up the website irmanici.com to charge 60p for each picture downloaded by users.

There's nothing more shabby than salacious content behind a paywall, eh, Mr Murdoch?

Of course, what's really here is a chance to throw rocks at another publisher:

Irma's story was splashed across America's In Touch Weekly lifestyle magazine, published by German media group Bauer, which operates in 15 countries including Britain.

Two journalists and - presumably - a sub looked at that sentence and decided it needed no further work.

To a casual observer, there might be a question 'if the story is so horrific and wrong, why bother repeating it?' But, hey, there's a news angle as... erm... it might all be some sort of conspiracy:

One theory about the allegations is that they may be an attempt to undermine England's bid to stage the 2018 World Cup. Becks is one of our leading ambassadors.

Even if that was likely - and, frankly, is isn't - given that the World Cup is one of the biggest drivers of new business to prostitutes, that shouldn't be a problem, should it?

Q, Mojo attempt to make miserable freelancers' lives a bit more miserable

Bauer is using its music magazines as a test-bed for a new contract which effectively sucks away most of the benefits of being a freelance while offering... well, I'm sure there's some sort of return deal.

A group of freelancers have issued a statement explaining why they're angry:

Bauer music magazines declare war on freelances

The following statement has been agreed by representatives of 200 freelance music journalists.

Bauer music magazines Kerrang!, Mojo and Q are in a stand-off with 200 freelance writers and photographers over the company's attempt to impose a copyright-grabbing contract. This comes just eight weeks after Mojo became the UK's best-selling music magazine in ABCs which, according to Bauer UK chief executive Paul Keenan, proved that "investing in editorial content is a winning strategy".

Bauer, a German-owned publisher which bought the music magazines and other consumer titles from Emap in December 2007, is seeking to impose new, draconian contracts on all contributors to Kerrang!, MOJO and Q. These contracts remove copyright and all financial, legal and moral rights from freelance writers and photographers while simultaneously requiring that the freelances provide Bauer with an unlimited lifetime financial indemnity in the event of legal action arising from their work.

Among various other restrictive impositions, the contract further grants Bauer the right to sell stories or photos to whomever they wish without reference to the writers, photographers or the subjects of the work - and it even presses freelances to acquire licenses from their subjects for the company to use their image for its own profit as and when it wishes.

In a covering letter delivered with the contracts, Bauer issues an ultimatum: after April 16, if the contributors do not sign, they will no longer be commissioned.

The three music magazines, which are heavily dependent on freelance contributions, are believed to be the first former Emap titles on which Bauer seek to impose the new contract. Stuart Williams, the managing director of Bauer's music titles, has confirmed the company's intent to roll out this policy across all the magazines Bauer purchased from Emap, which include Empire, Heat, Closer, Grazia, Max Power, MCN, Match!, FHM and Zoo.

Over 200 contributors to the three music magazines have refused to sign the new contract, which has been described by contributors as "foolish", "malicious", and "an unprovoked and pointless declaration of war on freelancers".

Since contributors sent an initial letter of objection to the contract in late February, Bauer have withdrawn the rights-grab from a revised version offered to a few contributors. However, the open-ended legal liabilities remain, and it is unclear whether these improvements for a few contributors will apply for long: Williams wrote to freelances that "Bauer is committed to its stated aim to seek copyright transfer."

The company has told freelances that there will be no further amendment to the contracts and that the 16 April deadline is final.

Bauer now faces losing most of its best-known music writers and photographers, including Q contributing editors Billy Bragg, Miranda Sawyer and John Harris, former Kerrang! editor Paul Brannigan, former MOJO editors Mat Snow and Paul Trynka and former features editor Jim Irvin, celebrated writers including Nick Kent, Jon Savage, Sylvie Simmons, Dave Marsh and Greil Marcus, and acclaimed photographers including Jill Furmanovsky, Kevin Westenberg, Kevin Cummins and Val Wilmer.

Westenberg speaks for many when he points out: "You'll either have to sign the contract - signing copyright away; sign and be a slave - or not work for them again. I already decided not to sign a long time ago. Never give your rights away. This is your pension and legacy."

A committee of the freelances affected has been attempting to enter into dialogue with Bauer since the first draft was issued late in February, but the company has rebuffed every overture. "Their behaviour is bizarre and counter-productive," says Iggy Pop’s biographer Trynka, who was previously responsible for overseeing MOJO and Q syndication and contracts. "As contributors, we share Bauer’s need for their titles to remain profitable, and are offering Bauer permission to use some material on the iPad and similar digital platforms for no extra payment."

Attempted rights grabs like Bauer's are far more than an assault on a specific group of music writers and photographers - they undermine the viability of freelance journalism as a whole.

Freelances bear a significant proportion of the risk in most media businesses because, behind their commission-by-commission availability, they pay for their own equipment, office space and training. Without any of the statutory sickness, holiday, maternity and paternity pay rights of staff, the only asset their work produces is their stock-in-trade: copyright ownership, as acknowledged by UK law.

Will Bauer’s magazines sell more copies if they push these contracts through, so losing the services of many of their most expert, reliable and popular contributors? Will musicians and other showbusiness talent stand idly by and see their quotes and photographic likenesses commoditized and put on sale by a publishing company? In business terms, it doesn't make sense.

Managing to annoy your best writers to such an extent is quite a piece of work. Offering a few contributors a slightly better deal is divide-and-rule. The trouble is, as freelancers will tell you, there isn't a great deal of work around at the moment, and publishers have got the whip hand. It's a pity Bauer is choosing to use that whip so rigidly.

[Related copyright licence for statement]

Q has a slippery definition of the word "exclusive"

Here's some exciting news (if you can pretend to be excited by U2 for a minute) as Q trumpets an exclusive:

Q Radio will exclusively broadcast U2's entire show from Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium on the night of Thursday, 20 August.

Exclusive, huh? That's quite a coup, a small digital network like Q signing up those rights.

But... hang on a moment, what's this announcement from the Big City network?

The Bauer Radio network has secured the live broadcast rights to U2's latest tour, planning to air the band's Sheffield concert across its 20-station Big City network and three of its national digital stations.
[...]
The Big City network programme director, Steve King, said the concert would be the "biggest commercial radio event of 2009".

"U2 are very appropriate for the Big City network - they are straight down the middle of our audience, particularly the more recent material from their last album and the one before that," he said. "There aren't many artists you can do this with – U2, Take That, possibly Robbie Williams."

You would have thought that since Big City and Q are both Bauer stations, the trumpeting of "exclusive" on something that isn't could have been avoided.

To be fair, though, Big City stations won't quite be broadcasting the whole thing:

Longer pieces between songs would be taken out, King said, because they were not so relevant to a radio audience.

Presumably, though, Q will still leave those bits in, exclusively covering the bits that are meaningless on radio.

City Talk not all about the talk

Sorry, I'm incredibly late with this story, but it's worth mentioning now anyway. Back on May 12th, Ofcom allowed Radio City's City Talk station abandon its all-talk format:

Station director, Richard Maddock said that the news was a relief:

“Ofcom’s decision is welcome news as it provides clarity. The team will now look at the business plan, review our current market situation and consider the implications of the Ofcom decision."

“On behalf of everyone at all the City stations, I’d like to thank Ofcom for their decision and also thank everyone that has supported our format change request through the 30 day public consultation period. Our commitment to quality, well-produced speech broadcasting at key parts of the day continues as before and we will continue to work hard to deliver the best talk-focused station.”

"Provides clarity"? As if the idea of an all-speech network wasn't, you know, quite clear in the first place?

The suspicion has to be that Bauer have pulled a fast one, pitching a format it knew wouldn't work (as it's already closed down City Talk once, when it was an AM station) in a bid to win the last licence; having closed down the prospect of serious competition for Radio City, it's now effectively watering down its talk station into a "speech-focused" product.

Part of the talk will be a nightly phone-in - which can be simulcast on Radio City. Two FM networks broadcasting the same thing in one city? Well done with the protecting media plurality, Ofcom.

EMI give president's chair to radio expert

I don't really know enough about Andria Vidler's day-to-day work at Capital and EMAP/Bauer to comment on if she's got the right ideas to steer EMI UK & Ireland as President.

However, the broader question raised by her appointment is a fair one: her background is radio and marketing. And, yes, she's been very good at it - particularly in turning Magic into a successful-solid-but-dull brand. But: radio and marketing? These, surely, are the two areas where EMI should be fairly confident about their approaches - it's a bit like a team who keep letting in goals focusing their attention on the strikers rather than defence, surely?

Someone at Bauer finally notices Kerrang problem

The decision to use Kerrang as a radio station brand for music that overlapped but went further with the sort of music the magazine writes about was always a curious one, and finally someone seems to have spotted it. MediaGuardian are reporting the Bauer are thinking of changing the name to stop, frankly, putting people off:

Travis Baxter, the managing director of Bauer's Big City network of stations, said the Kerrang! Birmingham station had a committed audience but he was looking at ways of expanding its appeal. A change of name is one of the options being considered, he added.

"People think it is heavy metal. There are risks and opportunities with the name but we don't want to throw away what we have got," Baxter said.

A name unattractive to a general audience linked to a magazine that isn't doing as well as it was. Yes, you wouldn't want to throw that away, would you?

Seed's appeal falls on stony ground

Kev Seed won't be returning to Radio City; the company has rejected his appeal against his suspension.

In other atonement for sins at Bauer, Tim Shaw no longer works at Kerrang after fixing it for a mate to win a pre-recorded competition:

Shaw, who has since moved to Absolute Radio, admitted that he had fixed the competition but told the station's owners, Bauer, that he believed he was "doing the right thing by rewarding a loyal and deserving listener", who he knew suffered from a chronic and debilitating illness and was a fan of the Rolling Stones.

Wow. While it's nice to help someone with a nasty illness, if that was what Shaw wanted to do, wouldn't it have made more sense to just give him the prize rather than invent a fixed competition? What if other loyal and deserving listeners who loved the Stones and had chronic illnesses had tried to enter?

Tim Shaw is now working for Absolute Radio - what used to be Virgin - so at least he's somewhere where there are no listeners to harm.

New Q?

Bauer, currently working through the bits of things it bought with EMAP, is touting round a new look for Q Radio, headed up by Ric Blaxill, late of 6Music and Top of the Pops:

Sources close to the situation are suggesting the relaunch could happen as early as May.

A spokesperson for Bauer said that no firm decision has been made as the “teams are still assessing the demand for a bigger Q Radio”.

Since we're not sure there's much of an actual demand - unless we've missed some sort of public debate - we imagine they're hoping to create a demand. It's part of Blaxill's brief:

to look at a range of new male music propositions including a new version of Q Radio with stronger ties to monthly music magazine Q.

So, a station that plays a lot of U2, then.

Bauer starts to trim EMAP flab

Nervous times for the former EMAP magazine portfolio: New Woman and First have been "suspended", which is a polite way of saying they're closing, but the staff are going to be given time to tidy up first.