Commercial radio group GCap Media looks set to announce the closure or sale of stations this week, analysts claim.
The group, which owns a number of Midlands stations including Birmingham's BRMB, will give details of its plans when it reports interim results on Thursday .
Analyst Morgan Stanley expects key announcements in the management's strategy presentation to include: Planned station disposals or closures in a programme affecting analogue stations; reinvestment for Xfm and 95.8 Capital FM and a decision on the group's dividend policy.
In the Midlands, GCap owns BRMB, Capitol Gold, Beacon Trent, Wyvern and Ram.
The group declined to comment on the speculation prior to the results announcement.
But Morgan Stanley believes disposals and reinvestments would be positive catalysts for the business.
A spokesman said: "There are a number of local analogue stations that GCap could consider for disposal. In addition, it may decide to close the least successful of its national digital stations, The Storm. We expect a focus on 95.8 FM and Xfm, with increased marketing expenditure."
The group was created in May this year by the merger of Capital Radio and GWR to create the UK's largest commercial radio group.
The £725 million deal saw GCap take control of more than 100 radio stations including Century FM, Capital Gold and Xfm, as well as major regional stations such as Red Dragon in South Wales and BRMB in the Midlands.
But the new group has had a difficult six months as it suffered from the departure of several key executives, a weak advertising climate and falling audience numbers.
Private equity firms have also been circling, with CVC Capital Partners, Permira and Cinven all reported to have expressed interest in acquiring the group.
In a trading update in September, GCap said likefor-like revenues for the first six months of the year were down nine per cent after a decline in advertising.
