Fresh offer for Classic FM firm

Global Radio has increased its proposed takeover offer for GCap Media, the owner of Classic FM and Xfm.
Global, which owns the Heart and Galaxy radio stations, said it was increasing its takeover proposal to 225p a share, valuing GCap at £371m.
On Friday, GCap snubbed an offer of 202p per share, saying the proposal significantly undervalued the company.
GCap said it would consider the new offer from Global and would make a further announcement in due course.
Shares in GCap closed 6% higher at 199.25p.
Knockout blow?
Global said its new proposal was subject to GCap extending the deadline for a formal bid to 2 April.
In January, the UK Takeover Panel imposed a deadline of 1700 GMT on 5 March for Global to announce a firm intention to make a bid for GCap - a so-called "put up or shut up" deadline.
The move came after GCap had rejected an initial bid proposal of 190p a share from Global.
Global Radio is chaired by former ITV boss Charles Allen and backed by horse racing tycoons JP McManus and John Magnier.
It was set up as a vehicle to buy radio stations and bought Chrysalis Group's stations last year for about £170m.
Global urged GCap shareholders to accept its latest offer, saying that the price represented an 86% premium to GCap's share price before the first bid approach was made.
It also said the new proposal offered substantially greater value than could be achieved by GCap alone, even if the revamp that GCap is planning is carried out.
In February, GCap chief executive Fru Hazlitt unveiled plans to cut costs and boost advertising revenues.

Information Minister lays foundation stone of Broadcasting Institute

ISLAMABAD, Feb 25 (APP): Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Nisar A. Memon on Monday laid the foundation stone of the Pakistan Institute of Broadcasting and Information Technology at Alipur Farash.The institute, spreading over 60 kanals and costing Rs.63 million will be completed in two years.The Minister said that the Institute of Broadcasting will go a long way in meeting the national needs for educating and training the mediamen.
He said trained mediapersons were the need of the hour as the country had more than 50 TV channels and 106 radio stations.
Nisar Memon said that propaganda campaigns against nuclear assets and Pakistan’s ability to fight against terrorism were launched from outside the country and these were joined by local media intentionally or unintentionally. He said an adequate response to each of these, stopped these campaigns.
He said he intends to carry out a research to find out the reality behind these campaigns.
He said following the November 3 order, the apprehensions were aired that the media will not be free, but everybody could witness the free media as early as November 16 and with the addition of 13 new channels.
He said President Musharraf had fulfilled all the promises he made to the nation.
He said that certain people alleged that political leaders abroad will not be allowed to return to the country but this did not prove to be correct. The political leaders were allowed to return and for that a congenial atmosphere was created for their return with the issuing of the National Reconciliation Ordinance.
He said after the unfortunate incident of December 27 in which Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, apprehensions were expressed that election would not be held. He said the date of holding the elections was changed but they were held. He said all apprehensions of rigged elections also proved wrong and the credit for holding transparent and peaceful elections goes to President Musharraf. For this, he added, the whole nation deserved to be felicitated.
He said as a caretaker minister, his role was not political. He said, however, after he relinquishes his charge as minister, he will become politically active again and he will defend the country like other patriotic Pakistanis at all levels.
Nisar Memon said in due course of time, people will realize that President Musharraf had served the country in the best possible manner by protecting all the institutions. He said president as a symbol of the federation, should be kept above politics.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Syed Anwar Mehmood, Secretary Ministry of Information who is also Chairman of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, hoped that the Institute of Broadcasting will come up as a centre of excellence.
He said the Information Minister had worked with zeal and enthusiasm to deliver. He said the minister had done his best while working for the welfare of all those concerned with his ministry during his short tenure as the caretaker minister.
Javed Akhtar, Director General Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, said the use of modern technology had rendered surplus much of the 960 kanals of land of Radio Pakistan Lehtrar Road Receiving Centre. He said the cost of the project which was Rs. 63 million had already been approved.
He said the institute will have modern classrooms and residential accommodation for the faculty and the students.
Unveiling the plaque, the Minister said that the name of Secretary Ministry of Information, Syed Anwar Mehmood may also be added along with his name as the idea of the Broadcasting Institute was conceived by him.

Trai recommendation on FM radio under study: Govt

NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday said that it is studying the recommendation by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) that private FM radio channels should be permitted to broadcast news.
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In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Information and Broadcasting minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi noted that the Trai has recommended that FM broadcasters may be permitted to broadcast news from All India Radio, Doordarshan, authorized television news channels, and news agencies United News of India (UNI) and Press Trust of India (PTI).
He said in another reply that All India Radio has been permitted to set up around 65 FM channels in 24 states, keeping in view the proposals received from private parties for setting up such channels.

'Oolala' India's latest FM radio

The Government commissioned 31new FM radio channels during January taking the total number of operational such channels to 187.
Government received a sum of Rs 9,94,21,745 as licence fees from the private FM radio broadcasters during this period, a release here today said.
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The newly commissioned FM radio channels are 'OOLALA' by Positive Radio for Agartala and Shillong.
'S FM' by Kal Radio for Pondicherry, Rajamundry, Trichur, Trichi, Varanasi and Vijaywada while BIG FM launched, by Adlabs films, is for Jodhpur, Mangalore, Pondicherry and Rourkela.

Radio DJ jailed in Dubai over drugs

Radio 1 DJ Grooverider has been jailed for four years in Dubai for possession of cannabis.
The 40-year-old - real name Raymond Bingham - was arrested at the city's airport on November 23 after flying in for a nightclub gig.
Customs officials found 2.16 grams of cannabis in his luggage.

Pakistan's new balance of power

When the two parties that won this week's elections meet to discuss forming a coalition government, they will have to reconcile their different priorities including whether President Pervez Musharraf should remain in office.
The atmosphere in Hanif Abassi's campaign tent in Rawalpindi is ebullient - there are singing beggars, a man with a monkey and some of the city's ladyboys all joining in.
The symbol of this politician's wing of the Muslim League party - a tiger - is everywhere, adorning badges, flags, cars and posters.
When asked what should happen to President Pervez Musharraf, Mr Abassi - the newly elected member for this constituency - replies resolutely, "He should go," and a chant of "Go, Musharraf, go!" quickly erupts from his followers.
For the tiger party's leader - the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif - the revenge provided by this week's polls has been sweet indeed.
Deciding fate
Mr Sharif was the civilian leader deposed by Gen Musharraf's coup eight-and-a-half years ago.
He was thrown in jail on terrorism charges and then exiled to Saudi Arabia.

Now Mr Sharif is well-placed to decide Mr Musharraf's fate.
It is true that the late Benazir Bhutto's People's Party did better and will form the next government, but they cannot rule on their own.
What is more, it would need a two-thirds majority to impeach the president and that is what Mr Sharif's bloc could bring.
Last week I interviewed Nawaz Sharif, as he raced between rallies in the back of his armoured four-wheel drive.
After we stopped filming, the conversation turned to how Mr Musharraf might deal with a massive vote against his government.
Could he not dissolve the assembly and fall back on the army, I asked?
"Do you really think the army would support him?" Mr Sharif shot back.
"No," I replied, "I think the army probably would not because General Musharraf was once their man, but the new army chief has shown signs of wanting to distance the forces from politics."
And so it went on as we sped through the dark streets of Islamabad.
I will not dwell on detail, because it was one of those conversations that might be termed "privileged". He had finished the on-camera interview and was discussing matters freely, not expecting to be quoted.
When I parted from Mr Sharif later that evening, I was left in no doubt about one thing - the depth of his antipathy to the man who overthrew and jailed him. This is very personal.
Restoration
In his public statements, Mr Sharif has emphasised that the price of his entering into a coalition with the People's Party is that they must accept his plan for a full restoration of the judiciary.
The president swept away the Supreme Court with his emergency measures last November but his battle with the country's lawyers has been fought across many months and issues.
The lawyers issue played very well for Mr Sharif's party on the stump.
Pakistan's educated classes in particular yearn for an independent judiciary.
Demonstrations by the legal profession, clad in their black suits and ties, have become a regular and sometimes violent part of the scene in this country, as they hurl stones or writs with equal dexterity.
People's Party leaders do not seem quite so keen on restoring the judiciary.
Indeed, at a packed press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, they avoided any solid pledge on the issue.
When asked about it, the late Benazir Bhutto's husband said that his first priority would be the investigation of her murder.
Political manoeuvring
The People's Party also seems a little less ready to drive Mr Musharraf from office, or a little less determined on revenge, in any case.
The issues have both their public dimension - forming a coalition, restoring the judiciary and so on.
And they have their private meaning - how quickly can Mr Musharraf be shunted out of the way, will the army let that happen and who will really lead the coalition, given the immense gap left by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto?
The People's Party leaders must understand that coalition with Mr Sharif will be - to reach for this week's obvious metaphor - like riding a political tiger.
As for Mr Musharraf, he has promised to respect the results of the elections and work with the new government.
But if his behaviour in recent months has been anything to go by, he is a man ready to manoeuvre with dizzying speed as he tries to maintain his hold on power.
In the coming weeks, his people might try all sorts of tactics, from fomenting divisions within the People's Party to exploiting the security situation.
One thing is clear though, from the streets of Nawaz Sharif's native Lahore to the festive, almost carnival atmosphere in his candidate's tent in Rawalpindi - he and his people will be driving the effort to oust Mr Musharraf.
They will attempt to turn this week's events from an unexpectedly representative election into the final rout of the general who seized power back in 1999.

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