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Who really wants Virgin Radio?

Posted in Media, Oliver Milman, Latest reporters' blogs January 22nd, 2008 by Oliver Milman

Virgin Radio must feel fairly unwanted at the moment – its owner, SMG, has been in the process of selling it for the past year and potential suitors haven’t exactly been queuing up outside its studios in London’s Golden Square.

Indeed, Global Radio, the supposed frontrunner for the station, has only turned to Virgin Radio after being rebuffed for both Emap and GCap. Not sloppy seconds as such, more like thrifty thirds.

It seems a little unfair on the station, which has performed fairly well in recent months in terms of listener numbers, although revenue wise it is not doing SMG any favours.

Virgin Radio, much more than many of its contemporaries, is overly-reliant on a star DJ – in this case, breakfast DJ Christian O’Connell. Save perhaps Suggs, O’Connell is the station’s only recognisable face in either the public’s or mediaworld’s consciousness.

Should O’Connell decide to jump this sinking ship, the unattractive Virgin Radio would turn a whole lot uglier and SMG won’t be able to rely on a ginger, spec-wearing DJ coming to its rescue, as Chris Evans did in the 1990s.

Virgin Radio has a whiff of 1990s laddism about it that doesn’t appeal to the power brokers out there. But with a buyer desperately needed, who out there will give this Virgin some love?