THE chief executive of Channel 4 will announce today a big push into digital radio and appoint a former Capital Radio board member to lead the campaign, The Times has learnt.
Andy Duncan is expected to tell an audience at the 2006 Oxford Media Convention that Nathalie Schwarz, the former strategy and development director at Capital Radio, has been recruited to help the broadcaster to build a strong presence in digital radio. Channel 4 has only a small exposure to radio through its 51 per cent holding in Oneword, a digital station.
Mr Duncan is understood to be keen to make a joint bid for the national digital radio multiplex — a group of digital radio licences — which is to be put up for auction by Ofcom, the communications regulator.
He is expected to say today that the group’s radio strategy will, in part, involve the creation of a radio presence for Channel 4’s leading television shows.
One example could be the creation of a talk radio station, which would run alongside leading Channel 4 shows, such as Big Brother. Sources close to the broadcaster said that Mr Duncan could announce a so-called “crossover project” with Oneword as early as today.
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Channel 4 refused to comment on the detail of Mr Duncan’s speech.
The Oxford Media Convention will focus today on the role of public service broadcasting and media regulation in the digital age.
Ms Schwarz was instrumental in persuading media regulators that a merger between Capital Radio and rival GWR would not stifle competition on the airwaves. The £711 million merger, to form GCap Media, received final regulatory approval in December 2004 and Ms Schwarz left Capital Radio the following month “to pursue other opportunities”.
She spent most of last year working as a consultant to Dee Ford, the head of radio at Emap.
Channel 4 is particularly keen to win the national digital radio multiplex and Ms Schwarz will be expected to work with regulators and the industry to make this happen. Channel 4 already has held talks with several radio groups, including Emap, about making a joint bid for the digital radio multiplex.
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Ms Schwarz, who has a strong network of contacts in the radio sector, has been working as a consultant at Channel 4 since last month.
The television broadcaster first entered radio in March last year, when it acquired the 51 per cent stake in Oneword.
Oneword had been fully owned by the digital radio group UBC Media. The station broadcasts on the national digital radio multiplex, Digital One, as well as on Sky, Freeview and cable television platforms.