A decision has finally been made on what Bauer will do with its recent acquisitions. Most of the acquisitions, as expected, will join the Greatest Hits Radio network. The legacy tier 1 & 2 ILRs acquired from the Wireless Group will see their FM services joining the Hits Radio network (Pulse 1 (Bradford), Signal 1 (Stoke on Trent) and The Wave 96.4 (Swansea) - which will keep their existing names as other legacy radio stations in the Hits Radio network have done. The ex Wireless Group legacy AM/medium wave stations will be merged into the Greatest Hits Radio network. Fire Radio in Bournemouth will also join the Hits Radio network and keep its existing name.
Again, as expected, Nation will enter into a brand licensing agreement with Bauer. These being the radio stations formerly owned by the groups acquired by Bauer (those purchased by Nation as their service areas overlapped existing Bauer station coverage areas). So mirroring the brand licensing agreements between Global and Communicorp. Nation-owned The Breeze 107 (South Coast), will be renamed Hits Radio, with Nation-owned KCFM (Hull) and SAM FM (South Coast) becoming GHR. As the stations under the brand licensing arrangements are not owned by Bauer, they will be required to provide the minimum hours of local broadcasting required by Ofcom. Currently this means either a locally produced breakfast or drivetime show on weekdays only.
Lincs FM in Lincoln, Pirate FM in Cornwall and Sam FM in Bristol will continue without a rebrand and without joining a network for the moment. This is consistent with the approach in the East Midlands, where GEM 106 has some autonomy although, technically, is included in the Hits Radio network. These are areas (other than Bristol) which don't have legacy AM & FM services to join both of the existing GHR and HR networks. Perhaps Bauer will introduce a third network with a service catering for a wider range of music from both the HR (more recent hits) and GHR (older/classic hits) networks, appealing to a less targeted audience. Quite surprising that the same, middle of the road, approach hasn't been adopted for the UKRD acquisitions in North Yorkshire although these are a fairly good fit for GHR. That said, Lincs FM would also be a good fit for GHR.
This opens the way for Bauer's regional Kiss stations covering East Anglia and the Severn Estuary to perhaps rebrand and join the HR network. Kiss is already available as a national station on DAB, so currently there is some duplication. Newer acquisitions in these regions having joined the GHR network.
Many of the stations joining the GHR network in the North will allow Bauer to close the medium wave transmitters in these areas. MW transmitters are expensive to run and listening on those frequencies is at an all time low. Peak FM joining GHR is a surprise, it might have been better for it to have merged with Hallam FM in the HR network. However, Dearne, Rother and Trax joining the GHR network will leave Sheffield uncovered in the new GHR FM coverage in South Yorkshire. Not a major problem, Sheffield could keep the medium wave transmitter. Perhaps the plan is to use overspill from Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster & Bassetlaw and Chesterfield to cover as much of the Sheffield area as possible. That could also explain the UKRD services in North Yorks joining the GHR network. Ridings FM would only add GHR to the Wakefield area of West Yorkshire but, perhaps, with overspill from Wakefield, Harrogate and York, much of Leeds would also be covered.
Bauer owned Wave 105 on the South Coast doesn't fit easily into the network structure, with overlapping SAM and Breeze already added to the GHR & HR networks through brand licensing.
Clearly, the mergers and networking will result in a lot of regular and freelance staff losing their jobs. An unfortunate sign of the times.
More about the regional structure of the new networks and how existing and newly acquired stations will fit into the new structure will be considered in later posts.