ftm Radio Page - October 23, 2015

Radio folks looking for that digital future see more disruption
still under appreciated

The annual German media festival Medientage Munich wound down this week after the wise and the well-known offered views of that great 21st century challenge - digital disruption. On the lips of all were Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple and Netflix, just like last year. This left little space for radio.

Radio did, as always, have its day; less than sunny. "Radio is an under-appreciated medium,” said Bauer Media managing director for radio and TV Carsten Schüerhoff. “Audio-only is no longer enough,” said bigFM/RPR1 CEO Kristian Kropp. ”Radio has disappeared from the radar of young people,” said former Energy Germany program director Martin Liss. (See more about media in Germany here)

For private-sector radio broadcasters this digital disruption feels like 1985, year the privately-owned radio broadcasting appeared in Germany, said law professor Thomas Hirschle. The duel public-private broadcasting system, he said, remains lopsided. The vast and well-funded German public broadcasting system is secure while “financing for private providers is still pending.”

“With the regulatory policies of the last century we cannot start a digital future,” offered private broadcaster association VPRT radio department chairperson Klaus Scrunk. He asked for a new State Treaty to include radio broadcasting. (See VPRT statement here - in German)

The bottom line is, of course, the bottom line. “If we want to keep up, we need to generate more money,” said Radio Hamburg (RTL) CEO Carsten Neitzel. And there you have it.

New owner starts changing brands
what was once new…

The Voice has been one of the more enduring radio brands in Scandinavia, launched in Denmark in 1984 then on to Sweden, Norway and Finland. Music TV channels with the same brand name followed. Then there’s that competition reality show.

Ownership changed from SBS Radio to ProSiebanSat1.Media and now Bauer Media. The TV channels are gone. The Voice as a broadcast brand is showing signs of age.

In Norway The Voice is no more. FM distribution scattered across the country was divided up between The Beat, Radio Rock and Radio 1. The TV channel closed in 2012. For a short time The Voice was available in Oslo on the DAB test multiplex. That and the online service are now gone, confirmed Bauer Media (Norway) program director Kristoffer Vangen to radionytt.no (October 20). (See more about media in Norway here)

The Voice continues on radio in Denmark, Sweden and Finland - all with slight format variations of dance music.

Radio Page week ending October 16, 2015
radio in Iceland, talk radio, Utvarp Saga, Capacent Gallup, Bylian, Ras 2, radio in Belgium, DAB+, digital radio, BBC World Service, Radio X

Radio Page week ending October 9, 2015
radio in Slovakia, music quotas, Europa 2, RTVS

Radio Page week ending October 2, 2015
radio in Finland, radio audience, RadioMedia, Finnpanel, YLE, Spotify, Bonnier, NRJ Group, Nelonen Media, Bauer, radio in France, music quotas, broadcaster boycott, RTL Group, NRJ Group, Lagardere Active, Sirti, Fleur Pellerin, radio in Latvia, Radio SWH, media ownership, Communicorp

Radio Page week ending September 25, 2015
radio in Sweden, digital radio, DAB+, Spotify, radio advertising

Recently added radio audience figures and resources

• UK - National Radio Audience (October 2015)
  market share, trend, sectors
• UK - London Radio Audience (October 2015)
  market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (October 2015)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• Finland - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (September 2015)
  public and private radio channels, management, market share, platforms
• France - National Radio Summer Audience (September 2015)
  national channels, summer period 2010-2015 trend
• Ireland - National Radio Audience (August 2015)
  market share, 07h00-19h00, trend
• Ireland - Dublin Radio Audience (August 2015)
  market share, 07h00-19h00, trend
• France - Greater Paris Radio Audience (July 2015)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
• Germany - Radio Audience (July 2015)
  leading stations, audience trend, daily reach
• France - National Radio Audience (July 2015)
  national channels, sectors, market share, reach/TSL
• Spain - National Radio Audience (July 2015)
  national channels, reach share, trend
• Spain - Major Media - Radio (July 2015)
  public and private broadcasting companies, channels, management, platforms, audience estimates
• Greece - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (June 2015))
  public and private broadcasting, owners, executives, market share

More Resources

Also see ftm Knowledge

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