The Annual 2004: The Year in ... Radio

Douglas McArthur reflects on a year when consolidation overshadowed the Rajar saga, Contract Rights Renewal and the growth of digital. No review of the year in radio would be complete without a reference to consolidation - so let's start there. The planned GWR/Capital merger is certainly the biggest thing to have happened to radio since I came into the industry in 1992. Since the 2003 Communications Act became law, it doesn't seem to have been possible to read anything about radio in the City pages without consolidation swamping the story. There's been a rumour to suit every taste: Emap has been just about to buy SRH; Chrysalis is going to tie up with GMG; SMG has been talking about Virgin with other radio groups, and so on. And all of this with the prospect of Clear Channel waiting in the wings.