A FORMER managing director of Aberdeen-based Northsound radio is part of a consortium to have yesterday bought local rival, Original 106.
Adam Findlay, who now owns Dundee-based Wave102, was MD between 2001 and 2005 when Northsound was part of Scottish Radio Holdings, whose chair was his father, Richard.
Northsound has since become part of Bauer Media and Findlay’s father is now chair of STV Group plc.
Findlay has been joined in the purchase of Original 106 by John Quinn, chair and majority shareholder of Central FM in Falkirk, and well-known Aberdeen businessman, Murray Strachan.
Original 106 first launched in November two years ago under the ownership of Canwest, a Canada-based media company with global interests. Last year, the station underwent a management buy-out led by Iain McKenna, the current managing director.
Findlay declined to comment whether he and Quinn are seeking to build a Scottish radio group. The most recent example of a similar move was when Fife-based Kingdom FM hooked up with Clan FM in Lanarkshire and River FM in West Lothian. But it was to prove an unhappy link-up, the licence for the former eventually being passed on and the latter closing down.
Said Strachan: “Original 106 was awarded a licence to expand and broaden listener choice in the north-east of Scotland and the station has successfully carved a niche in the market appealing to a very desirable target market for advertisers, the station is well positioned to grow on its existing listener base.”
In a statement, the outgoing shareholders said: “We are delighted to have been a part of Original 106 from its very inception through to this stage. We are pleased for both the staff and the client base that the station has been acquired by well known existing radio operators. This did form part of our deliberations when we considered the various offers for the station.”
McKenna will continue to work at the radio station, during a three-month handover period, with Findlay who will assume day-to-day operational control with immediate effect.
