Emap plc () is a British media company, specialising in the production of magazines, and the organization of business events and conferences. It also owns several radio and television stations. "EMAP" is an abbreviation of East Midlands Allied Press. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange. After a period as a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, it has been demoted to the FTSE 250 Index with effect from 16 September 2005.
The group is structurally divided into main branches: "Emap Consumer Media", "Emap Communications", "Emap Radio" and "Emap Advertising". It was announced on 20 June 2006 that "Emap France" was to be sold to Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A..
Its Consumer Media department controls over 150 magazines in the UK and France, including FHM, Q magazine, 'Sneak magazine' and Top Santé.
In addition, Emap Radio now owns 40 UK and Ireland local commercial radio stations, 7 digital music television channels, and a UK digital radio network. On 21 June 2005, Emap acquired 21 radio stations from its purchase of Scottish Radio Holdings.
Twenty of its local comtempory music radio stations based across the north of the United Kingdom are marketed as the Big City Network whilst each of these has a sister station. In England, the stations play oldies jointly marketed as Magic Radio whilst in Scotland and Northern Ireland, they are marketed separately playing similar music to the Magic stations.
SRH had its origins in the 1970s when Glasgow was awarded the third license for a commercial station in the UK. As a result, in 1974 Radio Clyde began broadcasting; unlike the two existing stations, both in London, it was an immediate success helped in part by strong financial backers that included Sean Connery and Jackie Stewart.
In 1991, when laws controlling the ownership of commercial stations were relaxed, the station merged with Radio Forth to form SRH and immediately floated on the London Stock Exchange.
In 1995 it acquired Morton Newspapers which owned around 20 newspapers in Northern Ireland, and since then has expanded operations by acquiring further publications in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.
Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange | EMAP | Media in the Republic of Ireland | Media companies of the United Kingdom | Scottish radio | Companies without an unabbreviated name | Emap Media