Channel 4 hires Capital's Schwarz to bid for digital radio licence

by Sheelagh Doyle, Media Week 19-Jan-06, 13:46

Channel 4 has recruited Capital Radio’s former strategy and development director, Nathalie Schwarz, to oversee a likely bid for the new national digital radio mulitplex.

Schwarz, who joined Channel 4 earlier this month, reports directly to chief executive, Andy Duncan. Her role will be to identify expansion opportunities in the UK radio sector, focusing in particular on the forthcoming bid for the licence to run a second digital radio platform.

As well as identifying possible investment opportunities in UK radio, Schwarz will take management responsibility for Channel 4's majority shareholding in digital radio station, Oneword. Channel 4 acquired the Oneword stake, its first investment in radio, in March last year.

In his speech at the Oxford Media Convention, Duncan said Channel 4 had begun discussions with a number of potential partners with a view to submitting a proposal for the new licence, which Ofcom is expected to advertise in the second half of this year.

He said: "Radio could be a perfect fit with our digital strategy... to put public service plurality on every platform. Our aim is to contribute something new to the radio mix by offering a public service alternative to the BBC in genres like news, current affairs, entertainment, lifestyle, comedy and music."