Blast from the past in the air for Cooney as he tunes in to radio

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Jan 30, 2000

FORMER Scottish Television journalist Paul Cooney has taken up the reins of Scottish Radio Holdings, but there could be a wee problem. Public relation supremo Jack Irvine now works for SRH after his company, Media House, dumped the Beat 106 contract. Cooney might find this alarming after his run-ins with the Scottish Sun over "exclusives" about his love life. Let's hope former editor Jack wasn't at the helm of the paper at the time.

DX Communications is providing a new service for "poor" City trendies who feel they are stuck in the rat race. In a sponsorship deal with the website Rat-Race.com, the Glasgow-based company will supply yuppies with information for the Business Lunch section of the website, which includes careers advice, a guide to the best of London's social scene, plus details of the latest gadgets.

Internet names are now the theme for the bargain of the century. Some canny London-based entrepreneur owns the rights to thescotsman.co.uk and has already contacted the Edinburgh newspaper to offer the domain name. It seems the Barclay brothers are playing hard to get but time is running out. Two US firms are bidding to create site and sell Scottish goods online. They could offer newspapers online to boost sales.

Talking of newspapers, the editor of the Daily Record is visiting Cuba on holiday. Rumour has it Castro is in hiding avoiding the wrath of the "mighty Martin Clarke".

His deputy at home, Bob Caldwell, seems to be focusing his anger on the Scottish Executive, devoting more space to trashing spin doctors than actually telling people what's going on in parliament.

Some more musical chairs at the BBC this month, with the news that BBC Scotland health correspondent Abeer Parkes is leaving the post after less than a year on the medical beat. Parkes is returning to radio, presenting the afternoon programme Newsdrive, following the departure of Maggie Shields who is joining her partner, Lawrence Donegan, in California where he is planning to write his third book.

The vacant health job, meanwhile, is being advertised internally as a three month secondment. One candidate who won't be applying is Carla Romano, a bulletin presenter at BBC Scotland. Romano is leaving Queen Margaret Drive to join the GMTV team in London.

Management at Aberdeen Press and Journals are denying a buy-out is imminent following moves to axe 40 jobs. Rumours are rife that the posts are being shed in preparation for a takeover by the Trinity Mirror newspaper group. Seven hundred staff at the Press and Journal and the Evening Express have received letters asking for volunteers for redundancy.

Managing director Alan Scott blames the downturn in the oil industry saying his firm has lost #3 million in advertising revenues but is still a profitable company.