Emap Radio stations look safe with Bauer

Bauer Magazines, headed by managing director David Goodchild, covers all
Bauer's own weekly titles; Emap Radio becomes Bauer Radio; and the rest
of the Emap assets, including TV, consumer magazines and online, will be
called Bauer Consumer Media.

Emap announced on Monday (yesterday) that Emap Consumer Media chief
executive Paul Keenan has resigned from the Emap plc board and is taking
up the role of Bauer Consumer Media chief executive.

However, the role is less than the one Keenan enjoyed at Emap, leading
to speculation over whether Keenan would remain long term.

One source said: "There are too many people at the top level on the
magazine side and the only unknown now seems to be whether Paul will
stick around if he has to go back to running magazines. People think
that's where the axe will fall."

The futures of Emap Performance managing director Dharmash Mistry and
Marcus Rich, group managing director of Emap Advertising who also heads
lifestyle magazines, will also come under the spotlight.

After speculation that Bauer was preparing to sell on the radio assets
that include Magic 105.4 and the Kiss network, it now seems
unlikely.

In a letter to staff, company head Heinrich Bauer said he "wants to
continue to grow and flourish as a company", while radio staff have been
led to believe there will be "no major changes on the landscape".

It has also come to light that the deal for Emap's consumer magazines
and radio were finalised in two separate discussions, suggesting Bauer
was always as committed to the radio business as the magazines.