Emap chief plays down takeover talk. (News).

Emap Performance chief executive Tim Schoonmaker has accused radio groups with assets to sell of deliberately talking up the prospect of US groups such as Clear Channel moving into the UK market.

The US media giant and other key American groups have been repeatedly said to be planning bids for UK radio groups, including Emap, once current strict ownership rules are relaxed under this summer's Communications Bill.

However, Schoonmaker suggests that in reality the Americans will be put off by having to deal with European regulation and would rather invest their money in buying assets at home instead. At the same time, he adds, some of the existing UK players will have difficulty undertaking deals with one another because they have "no money".

"People are talking," says Schoonmaker, whose Emap Performance division--including radio--last Wednesday unveiled a 12% increase in turnover to 155m [pounds sterling] for the year to March 31, 2003. "Lots of things are possible, but I don't think there's going to be a rush of deals in July."

He cites Emap as having "the strongest balance sheet" of the main UK commercial radio operators, although the price would have to be ...