ftm Radio Page - January 29, 2016

When News Is Serious Fun Rises Quickly
Serious news is all around, every day. Media outlets rise to the occasion informing, certainly, and reflecting public anxieties. But the popular reflex also seeks reassurance and, often, relief. People find what they need, when they need it, many places.

Broadcaster reorganizes around immigrant languages
coverage of Russia “will not diminish”

Ekot (The Echo) is the news gathering and production unit within Swedish public radio broadcaster Sveriges Radios (SR). It provides foreign language content to international service Radio Sweden. A bit of reorganizing at SR announced last week will merge the foreign language news output of international broadcaster Radio Sweden with Ekot this spring, bringing to a close German and Russian language output with Arabic, Kurdish, Farsi, Somali and English remaining.

For a variety of reasons government funded international broadcasters continually adjust service output. Radio Sweden introduced English and German output in 1939. The Russian language service was added in 1967. Along the way French, Estonian, Latvian and Belarusian were dropped. Traditional analogue distribution - medium wave and short wave - was given up in 2010 for online services. Not all that long ago - and for different reasons - UK public broadcaster BBC absorbed BBC World Service. (See more about international broadcasting here)

SR’s decision is in sync with long term Swedish immigration policy. “Sweden looks different today than it did just 10 or 15 years ago,” explained Radio Sweden director Ingemar Löfgren in a statement (January 21). “With all the new arrivals, some minority groups have become larger, and now we turn this ship and concentrate on them.” Arabic and Kurdish were added in the 1990’s as part of SR’s immigrant language department, which was then merged into the Radio Sweden operation. “We consider the Russian and German (language output) a remnant of the old international programs,” he added. (See more about media in Sweden here)

Curtailing Russian-language output hasn’t been well-received within certain circles, typically critics wary of Russian State propaganda outlets that offer Swedish-language output. “Radio Sweden should not, of course, buy (Russian Federation president Vladimir) Putin’s media policy and become a propaganda channel,” offered the Expressen editorial page (January 24). “But public (broadcasting) has a responsibility to meet increased demand for impartial news reporting in Russian, and with increased news reporting via social media.”

Those critics misunderstand SR’s mission, rejoined program director Björn Löfdahl in a statement, quoted by medievarlden.se (January 25). “What is going on is that we will not continue to make news about Sweden and Swedish conditions in Russian and German. We have the largest foreign news organisation making very good coverage of Russia and Germany and we will, of course, continue unabated. It will not diminish.”

Radio Page week ending January 22, 2016
radio in Switzerland, Mediapulse, SSR-SRG, SFR, RTS, RSI, public radio, digital radio, Radio Swiss Pop, Euergy Zurich, radio in Greece, Best 92.6, Hellenic 93.2

Radio Page week ending January 15, 2016
radio in Belgium, digital radio, DAB+, MNM, radio in Denmark, DR, P5, radio in the Netherlands, Talpa, Telegraaf Media Groep, Sky Radio, Veronica, Radio 538

Radio Page week ending January 8, 2016
radio in Germany, MABB, immigrant radio station

Radio Page week ending December 18, 2015
radio in the UK, Radio X, XFM, Global Radio, XERF, ZZ Top, radio in Russia, Ekho Moskvy, Gazprom Media

Radio Page week ending December 11, 2015
radio in Finland, Radio Nova, Bauer Media, radio in Australia, radio in Latvia, radio audience, TNS Latvia, Russian language, Latvijas Radio, Radio Skonto

Recently added radio audience figures and resources

• UK - National Radio Audience (February 2016)
  market share, trend, sectors
• UK - London Radio Audience (February 2016)
  market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (February 2016)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• France - Greater Paris Radio Audience (January 2016)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
• France - National Radio Audience (January 2016)
  national channels, sectors, market share, reach/TSL
• Switzerland - Radio listening by region (January 2016)
  public and private sectors, penetration, time spent listening
• Switzerland - French region Radio Audience (January 2016)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Swiss-German region Radio Audience (January 2016)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Italian region Radio Audience (January 2016)
  share, trend
• Poland - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (January 2016)
  public and private radio channels, owners, management, platforms, market share
• Estonia - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (December 2015)
  public and private broadcasting companies, channels, management, platforms, audience estimates
• Spain - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (December 2015)
  public and private broadcasting companies, channels, management, platforms, audience estimates
• Ireland - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (November 2015)
  national public and commercial radio channels, major local/regional stations, management, listening share
• 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
• Germany - Radio Audience (July 2015)
  leading stations, audience trend, daily reach
• Spain - National Radio Audience (July 2015)
  national channels, reach share, trend
• Greece - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (June 2015))
  public and private broadcasting, owners, executives, market share

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