Kerrang! Ownership

Bauer Media 

• Kerrang! magazine, website and music awards was sold by Bauer Media Group to Wasted Talent in April 2017.
• Bauer Media retained ownership of Kerrang! radio whilst Box Plus Network owns Kerrang! TV
• Bauer Media is an example of a conglomerate as it owns Kerrang! Magazine, Kerrang! Radio, MOJO Magazine, Empire Magazine, Kiss FM and Magic FM 
• A conglomerate is a company which owns, other, smaller companies involved in mass media enterprises ( e.g. TV, radio, publishing)

Jerry Perkins of Mixmag Media on Kerrang! Magazine 

• Bauer Media retained the right in the UK and Europe 'to continue broadcasting Kerrang! Radio and Kerrang! TV'
• Was important to keep Kerrang! in print as it is 'the soul of the brand' but will 'move to a digital video-first strategy with facebook and google to build an international audience'
• Moving Kerrang! from a weekly to monthly magazine magazine was a better use of editorial resources, the magazine didn't need to be weekly as news has gone digital 
• Kerrang! had been suffering by putting a lot of its resources into a relatively low-production weekly print magazine.

Diversification: how a product diverse its self across different types of media

History of ownership

1981 - published as a one-off supplement in Sounds newspaper

1987 - became a weekly magazine (after initially being monthly then fortnightly).

1991 - sold to EMAP

2008 - sold to Bauer Media 

2017 - Sold to magazine to Wasted Talent 

What are the implications for Kerrang! magazine with regard to its synergy?

As Kerrang! radio and Kerrang! TV are owned by different companies, there may be conflict over promotion. Bauer Media, who owns radio, may not want to promote the TV channel, owned by White Box Plus, within their radio station as it may result in a decrease in listeners, therefore profits. 

How is synergy promoted across its content when the brand is dispersed across different owners?

Synergy is promoted through keeping the same branding throughout the different types of media. For example, the logo, colour scheme and slogan remains the same for TV and magazine. Synergy is also developed through the use of cross media promotion, this means using the radio station to advertise the TV channel.  Synergy may also be promoted through related content on different platforms, e.g. having an article in the magazine on an artist and then interviewing them on radio.