No Rock And Roll Fun

TOGETHER AT LAST: JOHNNY VAUGHAN AND DAVID MELLOR: Like blushing virgins, GWR and Capital have been giggling and staring into each other's eyes a lot recently; this morning they ripped each other's bloussons off and got down to it. In other words, Capital and GWR are to merge, creating a huge local radio company. Capital will be the daddy, holding fifty two percent of the new company. MegaRadioCorp of whatever they choose to call it will have fifty four old style local and regional stations, including Capital, XFM, Leicester Sound; one national network, the plum Classic FM, and quite a few digital networks. A few raised eyebrows will be working themselves into a frenzy over the level of control of some markets that CapiWR will be controlling - there wasn't a patch of dry land in England, Wales and Scotland that didn't already have a Capital station of some sort broadcasting to it - and it's almost certain that the merger will trigger a whole bout of merging and takeovers: EMAP and Scottish Radio Holdings being next. Presumably, Clear Channel will be watching with interest, a big sack of cash and a tranquilliser gun.