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ftm Radio Page - week ending March 16, 2018

Rights lawyers force name change at small broadcaster
"something special"

After hearing from Virgin Group lawyers the owner of a radio station on the Greek island of Rhodes has agreed to a name change. The litigation for “illegal use of the copyrighted Virgin trademark” began in 2016. Virgin Group, owned by billionaire Richard Branson, is well-known for aggressive enforcement of trademark infringements.

To avoid expensive litigation the station’s name will be changed from Virgin 104.5 to something else. “It will be something special, something fresh,” said owner Andreas Katsaras, quoted by radiofono.gr (March 14). The not-for-profit station has operated since 2009. (See more about media in Greece here)

The Athens Commercial Court decided in favor of Virgin Group in 2016, although Mr. Katsaras or his representatives did not appear, requiring removal of the Virgin name from all uses, rights fees not forthcoming. The Court did not, at the time, specify a deadline for the changes. After that Virgin Group had the station’s internet domaine name and registration dropped as well as any social media use and directory use. (See more about intellectual property rights here)

The Virgin Radio brand, with variations, is licensed for use in France and Romania to Lagardére Active, in the UK to the Wireless Group subsidiary of News Corporation, in Dubai to Arabian Radio Network, in Canada to Bell Media for several stations, in Italy to Mediaset and in Turkey to Karnaval Media. There are others. Virgin Group owned and operated UK national commercial station Virgin Radio, launched in 1993, then sold it on in 1998. It is now known as Absolute Radio. Virgin Group no longer operates radio channels.

Discomfort to the ear calls for solutions in limited supply
qualifications, notwithstanding

Decision making in broadcast news operations are unlike anything else. It’s minute-by-minute, 24 hours a day. Since reverting public broadcasters Polskie Radio and Telewizji Polska (TVP) to state-controlled operations, decision making - and staffing - has become increasingly problematic. The plan shifts constantly.

Polish state radio broadcaster Polskie Radio fired the director of all-news channel Radio 24, Pawal Badzio, reported newsweek.pl (March 14). Apparently, Mr. Badzio terminated the contract of commentator Andrzej Stankiewicz, who writes for news portal Onet. The official statement from Polskie Radio said Mr. Badzio had not been the Radio 24 director since March 1st, had “exceeded his competencies” and “the management board of Polskie Radio had not consented to his decision.”

Mr. Stankiewicz had written, for Onet (March 5), an article describing “a serious crisis” in Polish-American relations. In it he quoted a leaked diplomatic note. Politicians from the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) and their supporting media were furious, calling it “fake news.” That backfired when the origin of the leaked note was confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Obviously, Mr. Badzio had to go. At the end of last week Polskie Radio president Jacek Sobala was “looking” for Mr. Badzio’s replacement, reported press.pl (March 9). Mr. Badzio had been Radio 24 director and chief editor since April last year. Previously he worked for far-right, pro-government Telewizji Republika, a source of many recruits for Polskie Radio and TVP since the political re-shuffle. (See more about media in Poland here)

Confusion is all around Polskie Radio. Regional radio channel Radio Gdansk president Andrzej Liberadzki resigned in later February. He had been appointed in March 2016. The resignation, “forced out”, said wirtualnemedia.pl (March 14), seems related to complaints from the PiS. In his resignation letter, he wrote of “considering the expectations of the local Law and Justice (PiS) structures.”

His replacement, Grzegorz Sielatycki, was named by the National Media Council (RMN), also PiS controlled. Hours after that formality, Mr. Gielatycki resigned for “personal reasons,” reported Gazeta Wyborcza (March 2). PiS president Jaroslaw Kaczynski, de facto ruler of Poland, “received information” about Mr. Sielatycki’s prior association with the far-right nationalist group All Polish Youth. Mr. Kaczynski has recently attempted to distance the PiS party from skin-heads and anti-Semitic groups.

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