The front page ‘exclusive’ claimed by the County Press today, that the Isle of Wight Festival might be for sale, was first reported by The Telegraph in January 2012. OnTheWight ran a brief piece pointing to it a few days later.
In the first few paragraphs of the 2012 Telegraph article it says:
[John Giddings] is known to have received a number of approaches in recent months for his business.
One of the approaches has come from AEG, the American music giant controlled by Philip Anschutz, which operates the O2 arena at the site of the former Millennium Dome.
The firm already runs the much smaller and newer Rockness music festival, at Loch Ness, but the offer to buy the Isle of Wight event suggests it is looking to significantly increase its interest in the lucrative market.
Today’s CP article quotes from John, “I know there are rumours and that’s because I’ve been approached by AEG and Live Nations. It’s no secret I’ve spoken to them.”
The article goes on to say, ‘When asked if he had any immediate plans to sell, Mr Giddings said he did not.’
It appears strange to put this story on the front page of this week’s paper and to claim it’s an ‘exclusive’.
