Following the approval of the sale of Emap Consumer Media by Emap shareholders, Bauer has demonstrated its commitment to its new media assets by creating three operating divisions and confirming to Emap staff that the company is dedicated to every medium.
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 roleof 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.
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