Panel Blocks Televisa’s Bid for Radio Group

Mexico’s anti-monopoly watchdog, the Federal Competition Commission, said Monday that it had blocked broadcasting giant Televisa’s proposed purchase of the country’s top radio group, Grupo Acir Telecomunicaciones.

The commission said competitors would be squeezed out of the market, especially in advertising. “The vote in the [commission’s] plenum was unanimously against the buyout,” a spokesman said.

The commission said the deal would give Televisa “power to decrease, damage or prevent competition in the market for radio and television advertising.” It would also allow Televisa to unilaterally set advertising rates.

It was not clear what the next step would be, or whether Televisa could appeal the ruling.

Televisa, with a television audience share of 80%, in September proposed in a joint venture with San Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications Inc. to buy Acir for $101 million and merge it with its Radiopolis radio group.

The merged company would have owned and operated 116 radio stations in Mexico, grouping Radiopolis’ 11 AM stations and six FM stations with Acir’s 50 AM and 49 FM stations.

Clear Channel was to get a 24% stake and Televisa a 50.01% stake in the new company, to be called Grupo Acir-Radiopolis.

Clear Channel--a diversified media group with operations in 36 countries, including more than 1,000 radio stations and 19 television stations in the United States, has been a partner in Acir since 1977.