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ftm Radio Page - July 1, 2016

Broadcaster sanctioned for ratings stunt
lawyers gather

The grandees of French radio broadcasting have certainly worked themselves into a tizzy. Complaints to audience measurement institute Médiamétrie from Lagardère Active, NRJ Group, NewsRadioTV, Skyrock and the association of independent broadcasters Les Indies about Fun Radio morning host Bruno Guillon’s on-air encouragement to report listening, thus affecting audience estimates, was never going to settle gently. Médiamétrie, which is jointly owned by radio and TV broadcasters and ad agencies, determined that Fun Radio would not appear in the April-June report due in mid-July, reported Le Monde (June 29).

In addition, Médiamétrie will “correct” results from the January-March audience estimates, which showed a rather large ratings bump for Fun Radio. In its internal review, Médiamétrie found “a correlation between the broadcasting of messages by Fun Radio and growth of its audience.” Fun Radio managing director Tristan Jurgensen admitted the “blunder” but said on-air comments about the Médiamétrie telephone interviews were just part of the morning show’s “humor.” (See more about media in France here)

Fun Radio owner RTL Group is reportedly pursuing legal remedy against Jean-Paul Baudecroux (NRJ Group), Denis Olivennes (Lagardère Active) and Alain Weill (NextRadioTV) for nasty comments made on Europe 1. Prior to the big Médiamétrie radio committee meeting there was a suggestion that all RTL Group radio channels might be delisted. The competitors group, it seems, are seeking cash compensation, perhaps as much as €20 million. One source, puremedias.com (June 30), reported “bailiffs” entering the Fun Radio offices looking for “evidence.”

Regulator says public radio can be entertaining
Sports not very attractive

After considerable deliberation and analysis, Austrian media regulator KommAustria determined public broadcaster ORF’s radio content, overall, to be balanced. ORF offers two national FM channels, one quasi-national digital channel and 9 regional channels. The question was brought about by complaints by private-sector broadcasters three years ago and the same conclusion drawn.

Within the legal framework governing ORF all programming is divided into four categories: information, entertainment, culture and sports. Through the legal appeals process the Federal Administrative Court questioned KommAustria’s process for differentiating entertainment and culture. Judges poured over playlists for several months.

In the latest ruling, reported by derStandard and Horizont.at (June 28), KommAustria said, again, that ORF’s aggregate radio output – 57% entertainment, 23% culture, 19% information, 1% sports – is “proportionate” and “fulfills the order prescribed in the ORF Act.” The high percentage for entertainment is “not problematic” as “music is more entertainment than art.” The low percentage of sports programming is “not inappropriate,” said the report, because “sports coverage is simply not very attractive on the radio.” Really.

Private broadcasters have long been incensed by the audience reach and market shares of pop music channel Ö3, which sells ads. “That you can have entertainment at almost 60% of the overall program (output) is not balanced,” said private national pop music channel Kronehit managing director Ernst Swoboda, indicating another appeal would be forthcoming. He and other Austrian Private Broadcasters Association (VöP) members are lobbying for fundamental changes in the “too vague” ORF Act.

Public broadcaster returns without outreach channels
gone but not forgotten

About a year ago Greek public broadcaster ERT returned to the airwaves. ERT’s closing in 2014 was unpopular, not only with employees, and became a point of serious contention with government leaders. Several radio services, notably for foreigners, remain closed or diminished, reported Greek media portal radiofono.gr (June 23).

International broadcaster Voice of Greece, on satellite and shortwave, targets Greek-speaking listeners only. Foreign language programs, which include news of Greece, are limited to one hour per day. The proposed multilingual ERT24 service never proceeded.

The ERT-funded Friendship channel in Athens, targeting immigrants, closed in 2015. Five years earlier the popular multilingual Athens International Radio, funded by the city of Athens, closed. A proposal by the ERT’s temporary predecessor NERIT to resurrect Athens International Radio was never acted on. Transmission facilities used by the Friendship channels were vandalized and the frequency is currently used by ERT Open, a station produced by former employees. (See more about media in Greece here)

Also gone is the ERT3 channel based in Greek Macedonia. It had targeted listeners in and from neighboring Western Balkans states.

Radio Page week ending June 24, 2016
radio in France, music quotas, radio in Ukraine, language quotas, New York Festivals, radio awards, BBC, ORF

Radio Page week ending June 17, 2016
radio in Spain, community radio, M21 Directo, radio in Germany, ma IP Audio, streaming audio, 1Live, SWR3, Spotify, advertising, Turkish Airlines, radio in France, radio audience, Mediametrie, audience measurement, Fun Radio, RTL Group

Radio Page week ending June 10, 2016
radio in Poland, Polskie Radio, digital radio, Radio Czworka, Radio 24, Radio TOK FM, radio in Hungary, Klubradio, radio licensing

Radio Page week ending June 3, 2016
radio in Switzerland, digital radio, OFCOM/BAKOM, digital transition, radio in Russia, international broadcasting, RFE/RL, China Radio International, Radio Sibir

Radio Page week ending May 27, 2016
radio in Spain, Catalunya Radio, media laws, radio in Africa, business models, radio in Norway, digital radio, DAB+, FM shut-off

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