Blurred Keys

'State' music magazine to go free

Following rumours of closure and then a very strange statement, the high quality Irish music magazine is to drop its cover price.

And you apparently don't have to worry if your outside large distribution areas, State will post the magazine to you for "no more than the real price of postage and packing".

As Jim Carroll points out: "Oh and that line about 'the first Quality National Music Monthly available completely free of charge'? Surely, the lads and lasses at State also read Analogue magazine which happens to be a quality national music monthly available completely free of charge?"

Here's the press release...

Irish media news round-up (July/August)

A round-up of news, comment and other info from news sites blogs, and message boards etc...

Cardinal challenges the media's 'dominant' secular view
Sunday World top of the pops as it avoids musical marketing
Ireland's papers defy downward trends
JNLR July 07-June 08 Survey results issued (PDF)
ABC IofI report (PDF, link replaced when new report released)
Tom Dunne to Newstalk
Today FM to preserve Pet Sounds
Ray of sunshine
Muzu makes music pa
Media world: Too Late Late for Pat Kenny?
RTE promises 'spectacular' first Late Late Show despite Kenny's delay in signing up
Lung cancer under reported in Irish media - report
Sunday Times to launch monthly Irish edition of Style magazine
South Ossetian man angered by Irish media coverage
MediaBite Email Re: The €11m 'gas bill'
Media ought to beware groups bearing surveys
Belfast Telegraph relaunched website sees huge traffic spike
Myers and Nigerians
RTE Television unveils new season
Sponsors fail to check in to Failte Towers
The Big Switch over
BCI National Conference Asks ‘Does the Medium Matter?’
O'Brien group told January DTT launch is a 'fantasy'
Digital terrestrial TV available from autumn next year
Adverts rate alert for Channel 6
TV3 to buy Channel 6 for €10m
Is RTE Radio 1 being dumbed down?
Mandy and the Irish Media

New Irish music mag to launch March

A new monthly Irish music publication, State Magazine, is to release its first edition on March 6, describing it self as a quality monthly music magazine aimed at the Electric Picnic generation.

The magazine’s website, State.ie, is already online with content such as Ireland-exclusive interviews.

State is should stand somewhere between the mainstream Hotpress and the underground Foggy Notions.

MORE: Mag to aim at Electric Picnic generation
MORE: Ireland's new music monthly states its case
MORE: Online edit talks of his involvement

Denis O'Brien’s Communicorp to buy Today FM, FM104 and Highland Radio

Communicorp, owned by Irish businessman Denis O’Brien, is to buy Today FM, FM104 and Highland Radio.

An RTE.ie news report states that it is understood €200m was paid for the stations formally held by the UK media group Emap.

Communicorp already own Dublin stations Spin and 98 FM, and the national talk station Newstalk. Today FM is also national, while Highland is based in the North West. 

As Adam Maguire points out, the combined Dublin market share of combined stations may now cause problems for the company with the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland and the Competition Authority.

The Irish Times is also reporting (subs reqd) that the Competition Authority will now investigate if the company can hold both  Newstalk and Today FM.

The company also owns Spin South West which is currently on a test signal and is due to launch to serve Clare, Limerick, Kerry, and parts of counties Tipperary, and Laois.

Communicorp now owns over 40 radio stations on Europe.

Meanwhile, while in the move Emap disposes of its Irish stations, it will still have a strong presence on newsagents’ shelves. The firm's magazine portfolio include Arena, closer Empire, FHM, Grazia, heat, Mojo, Q, Top Sante, Yours, and Zoo.

Emap confirms it is to sell Irish stations

Emap has confirmed it is looking to sell its radio station in Ireland, as reported by Reuters.co.uk and Finfacts.com.

The UK media company’s Irish stations, Today FM, FM 104, and Highland Radio, are profitable, however Emap are trading tough and looking to sell the station off in a consolidation move.

The Sunday Business Post has more information on the radio stations, while Adam Maguire has comment and analyses.

NME Ireland canned after just months

An Irish edition of the music magazine NME is being cancelled by it publishers IPC after just three months.

"I think NME intended to be in it for the long haul but IPC decided to pull it" said NME Ireland editor Steve Cummins.

MORE: Irish Independent (free reg reqd)

2FM SHAKE UP: Out with the old and…

Veteran RTE 2FM DJs Larry Gogan and Marty Whelan are being pushed aside to aid the image of the state broadcaster's ‘youth’ station.

Gogan has agreed to move to a weekend slot, while the Irish Independent reports that ‘it is understood that’ Whelan will receive a similar offer.

Larry Gogan’s “retirement” to the weekend was reported with grace earlier in the week, but the news of Whelan being replaced with the Strawberry Alarm Clock team from Dublin's FM104 has shown the moves to be highly managed to increases appeal of the station to younger listeners.

As the Sunday Business Post points out today, with 2FM performance lacking in the Dublin area, it make perfect sense for station head John Clarke to headhunt the highly popular Strawberry Alarm Clock team. Read more at TCAL.net.

Irish NME: 8 pages; accepting local input

The new Irish edition of the NME will contain an eight page special section, and the magazine will accept content from local journalists and photographers.

Speaking on Today FM’s 'the Last Splash', NME editor Conor McNicholas, said that the content “should be made by Irish writers”.

He said they are starting to gather a network of Irish writers and photographers, but cautioned that the standard is high and people shouldn’t be disappointed if they get turned down. Long-time contributor, Steve Cummins, is now NME Ireland correspondent.

Countering questions on completion, McNicholas said that they will be the only “dedicated music magazine”.

In recent press reports, Hotpress has been highlighted as their local opposition. Hotpress however is now widely viewed as a general entertainment magazine, with its other content ranging from politics and current affairs, film, sex, and computer games. To its advantage, it has – at least until now –  reserved the image of being one of the only places to find local music news.

Although McNicholas didn’t make the link, he highlighted “quality” music photography. Meanwhile the main section of photography in Hotpress is similar to what you’d find in the social diaries of newspapers.

NME to launch Irish edition

NME is to launch an Irish edition, with a preview edition published, it is set to be in stores on October 21. More...

NME takes on market leader Hot Press with Irish edition, Brand Republic

Ireland edition first step in NME’s global plans, pressgazette.co.uk

The New British Invasion: Run For Your Life, Hot Press, blogorrah.com

‘A little information is…’ yes, again

Mediaforum.ie has published “excerpts of ‘about us’ descriptions of a sample of Irish media owners”, following such excerpts there is a list of what each is “responsible for”. The list for at least Independent News and Media is massively incomplete, making it at best misleading.

The INM list some-how fails to include high profile publications, including the Evening Herald, the Sunday World, the Star, and Herald AM. Less obvious, it fails to record the control INM has over the Sunday Tribune.

INM ownership or part ownership of media outlets in the UK, Australasia, South Africa, and India, is not worth bringing up when the Mediaforum.ie listing fails to draw a realistic listing of their dominance of newspapers in Ireland.

Elsewhere, the listings under Emap lists Irish radio stations they own, but fails to name any of its newsstand publications, which include entertainment magazines Empire, Kerrang!, Mojo, and Q; woman mags heat, closer, Grazia, Yours, and New Woman; and ‘lad mags’ FHM, and ZOO.

While the listing under the Irish Times Trust list the paper it self and myhome.ie, it fails to list the nicemove.ie, as well as the part ownership (less obvious, again) of the Dublin freesheet Metro.

For an article focused on the ‘about us’ sections of media outlets not to include full listings of what each are “responsible for”, it could be seen as far more telling then any mission statement.