In the run-up to the FM frequency auction, John de Mol sells his least successful radio station to competitor Mediahuis, namely Radio Veronica. “They just buy a pig in a poke.”
For the first time in a long time, the FM frequencies will be auctioned again this year and it has been decided that media parties may only own three ‘lots’. This means that John de Mol had a concrete problem with his four radio stations Radio 10, Sky Radio, Radio 538 and Radio Veronica (in order of size).
Pig in a poke
John chooses eggs for his money and, in the run-up to the auction, disposes of his least successful, and therefore expensive, channel: Radio Veronica. The Telegraaf parent company Mediahuis is taking over the tent and at the same time announces the acquisition of RadioCorp, owner of the radio stations 100% NL, SLAM! and SUNLITE.
Patrick Kicken, the country’s best-known radio columnist, writes Mouthpiece: “The first thing that comes to mind when I hear this news is: bought a cat in a poke. Because what good are radio brands if it is not even certain that they can be received on your car radio from September onwards.”
fickle
Radio Veronica is a nice brand to have anyway, even if it doesn’t work with that FM frequency? Patrick wonders. “Sure, you buy the station, the employees, the brand experience and its listeners, but they are quite fickle and not so loyal to the purchased brands.”
Probably Veronica face Rob Stenders is not happy with this, Patrick thinks. “The best thing is, of course, that Rob Stenders, a real VARA man, has to work together with De Telegraaf right away. I wonder how long that marriage will last.”
Sublime out
Luuk Ikink thinks that Mediahuis will do everything it can to promote Radio Veronica, 100% NL and SLAM! to get on FM. “I have a suspicion that Mediahuis is pretty sure that they will win a lot auction three times.”
Mediahuis now has one station on FM: Sublime. “So it goes overboard, I think. Or continue digitally. Wondering if there are many candidates for that lot. Never been the most popular kid in class.”
Ron Vergouwen, the media connoisseur of NPO Radio 1, also expects that Sublime ‘seems to miss the FM boat’.