If the 18 routes really are still happening and they will be under a Flybe franchise that wouldn't be a bad thing. BE are so much better known than WX for a start and marketing would be easier. The big question is what aircraft would be used and where they will come from...there were rumours a while back of Stobart getting A319s but I think that is too much capacity and they would need to sort them out pretty quickly. If it's BE aircraft it's not a franchise, it's just paying/incentivising them to operate as at Cardiff/DSA.
Could the potential operation Cityjet are talking about be operating these flights on behalf of Stobart Air at SEN, rather than in their own right?