Schawinski objects to sale of Radio 24 and Tele Züri
Der Aargauer Verleger Peter Wanner will nach Tele Züri auch Radio 24 von Tamedia kaufen. Dagegen hat Roger Schawinski Einspruch erhoben.
The background to this is the pending legal dispute over the radio license in the canton of Aargau, in which Radio Argovia, owned by Peter Wanner, and Radio AG, a project of Roger Schawinski, are also involved, according to a press release. The Federal Administrative Court has ruled in favor of Roger Schawinski and instructed Bakom to investigate, with the help of the Competition Commission Weko, whether the Peter Wanner Group has a dominant market position in Aargau. These investigations have not yet been completed and will take a new turn as a result of the announced transactions.
In previous statements, AZ Medien had denied a dominant market position in the radio sector with the argument that the large Zurich private broadcasters - above all market leader Radio 24 and the Zurich private television station Tele Züri - broadcast into parts of the canton of Aargau, the statement continued.
In a submission to OFCOM, Roger Schawinski is now demanding that approval for the sale of Radio 24 to Peter Wanner should only be possible once these investigations have been completed and a legally valid radio license has been granted to one of the two applicants in the canton of Aargau. If the dominant market position of the Wanner Group is further strengthened by the acquisition of Radio 24 and the planned purchase of Tele Züri in Aargau, Bakom may not approve this transaction in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Administrative Court, according to Schawinski. In addition, when deciding on the sale of Tele Züri, the Competition Commission should consider the impact on market dominance by the Wanner Group in the canton of Aargau before giving its approval. It is assumed that the final decision on the radio license in the canton of Aargau will only be available in the course of 2013.
Schawinski's "good right"
When asked by the news agency SDA, AZ publisher Peter Wanner said it was Schawinski's "right" to make a submission. Radio 24 has nothing directly to do with Radio Argovia. Radio 24 covers the Zurich area. The small market share that Radio 24 has in Aargau is compensated for by the market share of the Solothurn local radio station Radio 32 in Aargau. AZ Medien would have to give up its majority stake in Radio 32, Wanner noted, speaking of a "zero-sum game".
(Photo: Keystone)
