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Media group Emap has stressed it is confident of delivering against its expectations for the full-year, despite reporting a dip in pre-tax profits.

The publisher of popular magazines Closer, FHM and Heat confirmed that its pre-tax profits for the six months to September 30th dropped to £80 million, down 16 per cent on the £95 million reported for the corresponding period of 2006.

Emap's total group revenue also fell back to £408 million, compared to £554 million last year. The company attributed the drop to the impact of disposals and closures, including the sale of its French consumer magazines division, Emap France, in August.

Revenue from continuing operations was up one per cent to £386 million, but down one per cent on an underlying basis.

Emap said the dip came due to growing revenues from its women's weekly titles, radio operations and business-to-business events and information services being offset by continuing declines in its portfolio of men's monthly magazine titles.

As a result, revenue for Emap's consumer magazine division dropped by six per cent year-on-year to £173 million, on an underlying basis.

In addition advertising revenues across the division fell by ten per cent on an underlying basis, with Emap revealing that the renegotiation of certain advertising deals and the restructuring of its ad sales teams had impacted upon its performance.

Meanwhile revenue for the group's radio division, which includes the Kiss and Magic radio stations, was broadly flat after excluding the performance of Emap's stations in Ireland.

Nonetheless, Emap's executive chairman Alun Cathcart remained upbeat about the group's performance, stressing that the company's business to business activities were demonstrating good growth.

He also welcomed progress that had been made as part of a review of Emap's structure.

Emap announced the review in July, when it effectively put itself up for sale.

On Friday the group confirmed that it had yet to find a buyer and stressed that it wanted suitors interested in acquiring its business-to-business division to consider making a bid for the whole company.

Referring to the review today, Mr Cathcart said: "We are encouraged by progress on our review of group structure, which is firmly on track, and we remain committed to exploring all options to maximize shareholder value."