Building RadioHit / Slovenia

Michael Hedges November 22, 2005

In a very large white house on the outskirts of Ljubljana sits RadioHit, the top rated privately owned station in Slovenia. Recently, after operating three months in the basement, they started moving into new but not quite finished studios. Today they’re still busy.

Matej, also known as Racman, is the PD and morning show ring-leader. He describes the Slovenian radio market as a “big challenge” but it’s clear he and the rest of the team are up to it. Of the 89 privately owned commercial radio stations in Slovenia, RadioHit is the market leader. Getting there has taken a decade.

Unlike many of the market leading stations in Central and Eastern Europe, RadioHit is independently owned, without foreign partners or, even, consultants. The 20 full-time and 40 part-time staff have, like Matej, worked with this station for most of its existence.

A radio stations studios – something an audience rarely sees – reflect in many ways its personality – the brand. The custom built, well-equipped main studio can accommodate a whole cast or a whole band, said the chief engineer with a twinkle. Surrounding the main studio are individual news booth/work spaces and production studios. RadioHit feels like and looks like a “live” station. And it certainly is.

They’ve gone live from a balloon, a boat, a train, a bus. Gathered around the PC looking at the photo archives of recent promotions, a new one started brewing: broadcast from the highest mountain in Slovenia. Somebody suggests enlisting listeners to pack the equipment up the mountain. Somebody else thinks, no, hire Sherpas

There’s no comparing the Slovenian radio market with any other. And the RadioHit crew sees challenge in the cloud at the top.

Morning Team in New Radio Hit Studios

Editors note: Michael Hedges traveled through the new EU Member States, September 2005 through February 2006, surveying the audiovisual sector for European Commission Social Dialogue committee. The reports for ftm are his own observations and do not reflect the positions of the European Commission or any of the members of the Social Dialogue committee.

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