Podcasts from Share Radio Breakfast

The Culture Secretary's going to ask the watchdog to look into two public interest issues regarding the proposed takeover of Sky by 21st Century Fox. They are media plurality and commitment to broadcasting standards. Karen Bradley's told the Commons her decision isn't the end of the matter. Both parties have until tomorrow to give any further input. Mrs Bradley will make a decision within a week on whether to intervene in the merger. Meanwhile to find out why the deal is so controversial, James Brydges heard from competition lawyer Howard Cartlidge, from law firm DWF, but first got the financial angle from Michael Hewson, market analyst at CMC markets.

The housing market has seen a slight fall in prices over the last couple of months, is this likely to change over 2017? And what can we expect on housing from the Chancellor's budget this Wednesday? Nigel Cassidy spoke to Russell Quirk, Founder and CEO eMoov to discuss further.

Now to some company results - SQS, which describes itself as leading global specialists in software and act as consultants for companies across the world in a variety of different sectors, helping them ensure quality through their software. Today they released their latest set of full year results, so how are they doing? Nigel Cassidy was joined by Diederik Vos, CEO of SQS to give us the low-down.

Small to medium size businesses in the UK say that their International Paypal sales have risen 34% from July to December. The online payment system says its no small part down to an increase down to devaluation of the pound since the EU referendum result. Meanwhile, rumours abound there may be a tie up between Paypal and Amazon. Global CEO Dan Schulman has admitted there's been "conversations," and analysts say a deal would benefit both companies. Paypal has 200 million users, and Amazon want to make it easier for infrequent customers to pay. Share radio's James Brydges spoke to PayPal's UK Managing director, Mark Brant, about both topics.

You may think driverless cars are a terrible idea, but you may also think they’re an ingenious idea. Whichever way you think, car manufacturers are heading in this direction, and the most well-known tech giants want a piece of the action too. But who would you rather trust to make your driverless car? A tech company or your favourite car manufacturer? Auto Trader's Operations Director, Nathan Coe, joined Nigel Cassidy on Share Radio Breakfast to discuss the future of the industry. Nathan also offered comment on the big news of the day – the agreed deal between PSA Group and General Motors.

Today marks the start of National Apprenticeship Week, encouraging more people to choose apprenticeships as a fast-track to a career. Seemingly apprenticeships are a great alternative to heading to university. However according to research out today from Redrow, the British house-builders, poor careers advice and misconceptions are exacerbating the construction sector skills-gap and discouraging apprentices. Joining Nigel to discuss further was Karen Jones, HR Director at Redrow.

The next few days look pretty eventful for investors, with a string of events likely to set the pace and direction of markets. 4,500 car workers at Ellesmere Port and Luton are braced for future job cuts as General Motors readies the sale of Vauxhall and Opel to France's PSA. Joining Nigel Cassidy was investment director of QuilterCheviot, David Miller, beginning with the likely GM deal, discussing is this is another example of UK industrial car jobs facing a new Brexit risk.

New analysis published by the TUC on Friday reveals that the average woman has to wait nearly a fifth of a year (66 days) before she starts to get paid, compared to the average man. The analysis shows that inequality within the workplace is still a major issue. So what do employers need to do to reign in the gap? Scarlet Harris, Policy Officer at the TUC, joined Share Radio Breakfast to discuss.

With the Spring Budget just around the corner, certain industries might be feeling a little worried with tax hikes on the horizon. One of the suggested tax hikes is cigarette tax, with the Chancellor expected to set a Minimum Excise Tax for cigarettes. There are concerns amongst retailers that this tax could have a major impact on their sales, as well as potentially costing UK taxpayers an estimated £1.2 billion in lost revenue. Will Hill, Director of British American Tobacco UK, joined Share Radio Breakfast to discuss this further.

In today's world of financial uncertainty, a growing number of people are taking their financial future into their own hands. However, investing can be a bit of a financial minefield even for the most savvy investor. So, what's out there to help those deciding to take the plunge and invest? Master Investor, the monthly e-magazine and daily blog, is there to give a helping hand with investment ideas and analysis. Alongside this, around 4,000 private investors will gather in London on March 25th to attend their annual Master Investor Show. To discuss this, Swen Lorenz, Director at Master Investor, joined Share Radio Breakfast.