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ftm Radio Page - week ending February 22, 2019

Ambitious plan for new national channel
"particularly exciting"

Very soon, it seems, there will be a second national private radio channel in Austria. Media regulator KommAustria granted the concession to companies controlled by publisher and broadcaster Wolfgang Fellner. Last December KommAustria offered to broadcasters the opportunity to create a second national private radio channel by combining existing regional FM licenses. Herr Fellner appears to have jumped at the chance.

"For the Austrians, this means an important step forward in the previously clear segment of national radio services," said KommAustria chairman Michael Ogris, quoted by Der Standard (February 21). "We will get a bit more program, but perhaps also a bit more diversity of opinion. After all, this development means that in future, in addition to local and regional programs, audiences will also have a wider choice of radio programs whose informational content tends to address national and international issues.“ (See more about media in Austria here)

The new channel will be "a broad adult-contemporary format from 1980s music to contemporary music with a melodious and harmonious flow of music,” according to the KommAustria filing. The composition will be 80% music and 20% speech targeting 14 to 59 year olds. The new channel’s name is yet to be determined, though it is widely expected to be Ö24, extending the print, online and radio brands owned by Herr Fellner. Antenne Salzburg will remain a stand-alone. Salzburg FM licenses have been sub-contracted from Lounge FM owner Florian Novak.

In addition there will be ten DAB+ digital channels “in parallel” with the new national channel. Digital platforms have facilitated brand extensions in several countries. “Radio will become a particularly exciting medium in the new digital age,” said Herr Fellner. More details are expected by the end of March. Herr Fellner is looking to have the new channel up and rolling before summer.

Austria’s first national private radio channel, KroneHit, arrived in 2001. Public broadcaster ORF operates three national and nine regional radio channels.

As bidders circle, broadcaster takes care of the business
raise the rates

Polish radio broadcaster Eurozet has been put up for bids by owner Czech Media Invest. The Eurozet group of radio channels - Radio Zet, Chillizet, Antyradio and Meloradio - were acquired about a year ago by the investment house with other central European radio assets of Lagardère Group. Czech Media Invest opened bidding for Eurozet last October.

At first media watchers in Poland threw the names of several potential to the wind. Big ones, like Polsat and TVN, backed away. Agora Group, publisher of newspapers Metro and Gazeta Wyborcza and owner of radio stations Zlote Przeboje, Rock Radio and TOK FM, indicated interested in acquiring Eurozet through a joint venture, which brought howls from the right-wing nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party. Fratria, publisher of PiS supporting newspaper Sieci and web portal wPolityce.pl, reportedly made a bid as did PMPG Polskie Media. Polish investor Zbigniew Jakubas also tossed his hat (filled with cash) in the ring, but his bid expired at the end of January. Publicly at least, there has been little new movement on the transaction. (See more about media in Poland here)

The folks at Eurozet are not just sitting around waiting for something to happen. This week they raised the ad rates, 8.6% for Radio Zet, 13.8% for Antyradio and as much as 12.7% for Meloradio. Granted, these are the published ad rates, certainly subject to rebates and discounts.

“Since the last change in ad rates… in February 2018,” said Eurozet spokesperson Michal Aleksandrowicz, quoted by media news portal wirtualnemedia.pl (February 19), “interest in advertising has changed. Ad rates, he noted, have been too low.

Radio Page week ending February 15, 2019
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Radio Page week ending December 7, 2018
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