EMAP's radio division is to be restructured so that rather than being a stand alone entity it operates as a unit within the group's consumer media business (which is pretty much how it used to be, if I remember rightly). The shift means there will be an extra layer of management (mainly EMAP consumer boss Paul Keenan) above the top team at EMAP Radio.
The move follows pretty full on criticism of EMAP Radio's management by media regulator OfCom after they slapped that record breaking £175,000 fine on Kiss FM following complaints relating to the subsequently axed Bam Bam breakfast show. According to the Guardian, the regulator said EMAP radio's top team were "unable to manage its talent", that it had "little control" over its local management and that it "showed an almost willful disregard for not only OfCom's codes but also the station's own audience".
However, EMAP Radio boss Dee Ford denied that the restructure had anything to do with OfCom's rant against her division. The Guardian quote her thus: "These are two completely separate issues. While we acknowledge there were weaknesses in our system, we have dealt with them. This is the next stage in our development and will let us realise the benefits of getting closer to consumer insights. EMAP Radio is in rude health and this stage of our evolution will put us in an impeccable position to take advantage of EMAP's breadth of platforms and strength of our brands."