Is this a Global warning to the Beeb's dominance?

Global's acquisition of GCap raises many questions about commercial radio, but can the sector return to power?

The speed of change that has been occurring in the UK's commercial radio sector these past few months makes the record business look like an industry in slow-motion in comparison.

What seemed like the inevitable - Global Radio finally capturing its target of GCap last week - means that since early last summer the three biggest commercial radio groups have all changed hands, with Global also swallowing up Chrysalis Radio and Bauer buying Emap's radio business - and we have not even got on to SMG's planned sell-off of Virgin Radio.

For any sector, such a dramatic change in power in such a short space of time will inevitably raise eyebrows. But these changes have to be put into some perspective, not least with regard to the status of GCap.

For all the fanfare that accompanied the formation of this group out of the merger of Capital and GWR nearly three years ago, what has followed has been disappointing, both creatively and financially.

The list of problems is lengthy, but clearly includes the ongoing difficulties with its flagship Capital station, which, despite repeated attempts to revive it, has so far failed to come anywhere near recapturing its former glories.

And the first key strategy moves unveiled by new chief executive Fru Hazlitt only a few weeks ago did not seem to help, including as it did a desire to pull out of digital radio in defiance of the rest of the commercial sector, the planned sale of three of its Xfm stations and the axing of digital-only services theJazz and Planet Rock, two rare examples of commercial ...