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- Organization: Doctoral student, Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
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- Newsgroups: soc.culture.mexican
- Message-ID: <kfLmFci00Uf9I0pIlN@andrew.cmu.edu>
- From: DowJones@andrew.cmu.edu
- Subject: Mexico's Grupo Centro Radio Plans Local Equity Issue
- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 17:32:08 -0500
- Lines: 48
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- MEXICO CITY -DJ- Grupo Radio Centro S.A., Mexico's predominant radio
- consortium, will launch a local equity offering sometime in February
- for up to 25% of the company, local investment banking sources said.
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- While the issue will total a modest $100 million to $150 million, the
- bankers said, the proceeds could transform the group into a surprise
- contender in what is becoming a hotly-contested battle for the privatization
- of local television channels 7 and 13.
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- Grupo Radio Centro boasts a 35% share of Mexico's radio audience through
- its nine stations in Mexico City and 100 stations outside the capital.
- The company's net profit through the first three quarters of 1992 was
- 17.14 million new pesos on sales of 84.69 million new pesos, according
- to a shelf filing with the Mexican Stock Exchange.
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- The group's nearest radio rival, said media analysts, is Radiopolis
- S.A. with a market share half its size. Radiopolis is owned by Mexican
- media juggernaut Grupo Televisa S.A.
-
- The issue will be led by Mexican brokerage Acciones y Valores S.A.
- (Accival), the sources said. Neither Accival nor Radio Centro would respond
- to queries seeking comment.
-
- Channels 7 and 13 form the cornerstone of Mexico's privatization plan
- for 1993. They will be sold this spring in a package which includes theater
- chain Compania Operadora de Teatros S.A., film studios Estudios America
- S.A., the newspaper El Nacional and Impulsora de Television de Chihuahua.
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- Other suitors known to have an interest in bidding for the package
- - which has an estimated value of $500 million - include Radio Programas
- de Mexico S.A., cable purveyor Multivision S.A. and truck and bus maker
- Consorcio G Grupo Dina S.A.
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- Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc. (TBSA), owner of the Cable News Network,
- is also widely rumored to have an interest in the package. As a foreign
- company, TBS would be prohibited from acquiring a majority stake under
- Mexico's current Foreign Investment Law and would likely have to be part
- of a consortium in order to place a bid. A TBS spokesman refused comment.
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- Televisa is said not to have an interest in a bid for the package,
- and probably wouldn't be successful anyway due to anti-monopoly restrictions.
-
- 5:31 PM
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