THE long hot summer had a bit of a break last week, as Mediaworks retained the business for Quinn Direct and McConnells' MCM breathed a sigh of relief at having retained AIB. The latter is some much-needed good news for MCM, with AIB's business tipped to grow in size through the autumn with the Ryder Cup.

iRADIO AMBITIONS

The bid by former Newstalk and 98FM Dan Healy and former Communicorp "nance director Deborah Fagan for a youth radio licence in the North-West won't be their last, according to Healy. Their consortium, iRadio, plans to apply for several licences over the next few years as the BCI continues to work its plan for the sector.

Healy and Fagan's application for the North-West, i105 (not 105FM, as had been reported elsewhere) pits them against four other groups, including one backed by Louis Walsh, not to mention Healy and Fagan's former boss, Denis O'Brien, via his Communicorp.

Even though applying for radio licenses is a "savage process", Healy said, iRadio would be applying for pretty much any that come along.

The group's strategy is based in large measure on "expensive" research commissioned by Fagan and Healy into changing Irish audience attitudes towards media, and towards a changing Ireland itself.

"I "ew into Shannon Airport recently and drove to Galway. When we got out at Eyre Square, the "rst six people we saw were black and the "rst voices we heard were speaking in an East European language, " Healy said.

He's afraid of speech "ghettoes" developing on late-night radio, with programming in different languages catering to different communities.

PHANTOM CALLS THE IRS

Phantom FM has appointed IRS as its sales agent in advance of its September launch. The news brings with it a peek at some shows that will be part of Phantom's line-up. Goths will be delighted that their tastes . . . as well as fans of industrial, post-punk and dark wave . . . will be catered for on 'Spiral Stares'.

The station will also run an Irish language alternative rock show and an "audience feedback and comedy programme".

CITY

CHANNEL NAMES Noel McSweeney of Senator Windows and Michael Pilsworth, a director of Chrysalis in the UK, have been appointed directors of City Channel.

FOOTBALL WIDOWERS?

Women made up 41% of the global TV audience for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, according to worldwide audience survey figures released by Initiative last week.

Some 284 million viewers tuned in for the France v Italy fnal, more than twice the audience for the opening ceremonies for the Athens Olympics in 2004, according to Initiative. The total viewership for the 2006 World Cup was up 10% on figures for 2002.

So did women around the world simply give up trying to maintain control of the remote this summer?

EGGVERTISING In the ever more fraught quest for cut-through, the American TV network CBS is hitting potential viewers up at the breakfast table: the network will promote its autumn lineup of programmes on the shells of 35 million eggs.

Copywriters have been busy cooking up gems such as, "CSI. . .

Crack the case on CBS", "Hardboiled drama" and . . . in connection with a comedy series . . . "leave the yolks to us".

The ads are placed on the eggs at the same time they're washed and graded using laser-etching technology developed by a "rm called EggFusion in Illinois.

So, will someone poach (sorry) the idea on this side of the Atlantic?

Mediaworks MD Paul Moran recalled that there was some interest back in the 1990s by a dotcom company in doing something similar.

The good folks at Bord Bia said they would be concerned that the traceability and freshness information currently etched onto Irish eggs might get lost amid advertising.

Well, you can't make an omelette. . . somebody stop me.

PUBLIC ME-LATE-SHUNS

The Publius hotline rang at 5.50am last Tuesday morning, setting off a chain reaction of howls from 19week-old Publius Jr and our official mascot, Charlie.

We rang the number back; after a few rings it went to voicemail, identifying the caller as the head of a Dublin PR "rm. As this elicited no response or explanation, we sent a text, which received a four-word message . . . 'sorry wrong number' back from the number dialled.

We are not amused. FYI, Mrs Publius was last spotted with a can of petrol and an axe, looking for the PR man . . . or his phone, at least.

TIPS, BRIBES, ABUSE (and pleas for mercy) All welcome at rdelevan@tribune. ie