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News aggregators have long been targets of ire, either from tariff seeking publishers or ink stained journalists. Most of that has worn thin; the internet and, with it, news aggregators are here to stay. That does not mean the pressure is off.
Two Russian State Duma deputies have proposed amendments expanding current laws to include online news aggregators, reported vedomosti.ru (February 25). Yes, this includes Google News but also Russia’s most popular news aggregators Yandex News and Rambler News. Deputies Alexei Kazakov and Alexander Yushchenko even made a list of about 30 news aggregators with more than a million daily visits in Russia.
If the proposed amendment is approved these news aggregators would be required, like all Russian media outlets, to comply with the 20% foreign ownership limit and “check the accuracy of the socially important information prior to its distribution and at the request of regulatory authorities to remove information deemed unreliable.” (See more about media in Russia here)
The proposed new rules were not met with indifference. “If the bill entails equating the full service duties of media (outlets) and news aggregators Yandex News in its current form would not exist,” said Yandex spokesperson Asya Melkumova. Yandex is Russia’s most successful internet company with more than half Russia’s total search traffic. Its shares are traded on the NASDAQ exchange.
Russian media outlets, one after another, complained that news aggregators bring in significant page view traffic and with that ad revenue. “Aggregators are a convenient entry point for readers, and one we would not like to lose,” said vedomosti.ru managing editor Ekaterina Derbilova. State news agency TASS strategic development director Natalia Akafyeva said the proposed amendments would “badly affect the agency’s traffic.” (See more about online news here)
Whether or not these amendments become law is anybody’s guess. Foreign investors in Russian media outlets were taken by surprise by restrictive ownership and operating rules coming into effect at the first of the year requiring sell-offs at significant losses. Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov - the guy with that watch - said the measure “requires careful consideration” while Russia’s Internet Ombudsman Dmitry Marinichev called it “unholy folly.”
German broadcasters always perk to the chair’s edge as release dates for the semi-annual AG.MA radio audience estimates approach. Ad rates depend on those numbers. And, in Germany, there’s always a bit of a preview as top-line data is released a week before the station-by-station detail.
For the MA 2016 Radio 1 - actually collected from the second half of 2015 - a slight methodology change added folks listening on mobile phones. AG.MA is a joint industry body organizing radio measurement for public and private broadcasters; thus, little changes are the result of great consultation. Methodology changes seem to strike about every two years. To the joy of all, it appears that young people are tuning-in to radio.
Missing, however, are about 1.5 million daily listeners. Compared with estimates from the MA 2015 Radio 1 period total daily listening has dropped to 56.1 million folks from 57.6 million. Oh yes, of course, there was that methodology change challenging year-to-year comparison. Average time spent listening rose one minute to 243. (See more about media in Germany here)
Compared, as recommended, the previous half year MA 2015 II audience estimates, released last July, radio listening was up noticably among women and folks between 10 and 29 years. Time spent listening, however, was significantly lower among all age groups.
Voices informing the public are more diverse than ever. Radio is “necessary to be informed,” said six out of 7 radio listeners in Turkey (86%), reported in radio association URYAD’s content survey. Significant majorities found their radio choices “objective” (60%) and “honest” (69%). The survey of 7,500 people was conducted by Nielsen in January.
Radio is “not just a jukebox” in Turkey, said URYAD managing director Olcay Akay, quoted by mediacatonline.com (February 19). “The majority of radio listeners see it as an honest and impartial news source.” (See more about media in Turkey here)
The survey estimates radio’s overall weekly reach in Turkey at 65.8% of the population, more men than women and nearly three-quarters of 35 to 44 year olds tuning-in.
Big metropolitan media houses have distinct advantages. The numbers are bigger, media buyers closer, talent harder to keep. Local media, typically newspapers and radio stations, often have a precarious life.
A different model for local media operators, usually discussed only in whispers, is philanthropy. Big Norwegian media house Amedia is moving in that direction as Sparebankstiftelsen DnB (Savings Bank Foundation) agreed to buy-out the publisher’s existing shareholders. Amedia, formerly A-pressen, publishes 62 local newspapers in Norway and operates two local radio stations. Shareholders Telenor, the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions and the Fritt Ord foundation and smaller stakeholders will sell their shares in Amedia for NOK 395 million. (See more about media in Norway here) A-pressen acquired the Eddy Press Norwegian titles and sold its interest in TV2 to Telenor in 2012.
“We do not do media,” said Sparebankstiftelsen DnB chief executive André Støylen at a press conference, quoted by Dagbladet (February 22). “There are other foundations with longer traditions. The reason we are here is these local newspapers are incredibly important venues in their communities.” A new board of directors will be named and the transaction is expected to close in April.
A new foundation will be created to hold the Amedia acquisition with subordinated debt underwritten by Sparebankstiftelsen DNB. “We’re taking a risk,” said Mr. Stoylen. “It’s not a gift. We consider this as a loan.” Sparebankstiftelsen DNB chairman Randi Eek Thorsen indicated the foundation would not be the “long-term owner.”
The Romanian Parliament’s culture committee held hearings this week seeking a solution to public television broadcaster TVR worsening financial situation. Some politicians suggested simply declaring TVR insolvent (bankrupt) and, well, just moving on. Other suggestions include raising the household license fee and stiffening collections as well as raising the hourly advertising limits.
Without a cash infusion, roughly €100 million, salaries will go unpaid this month, said acting TVR general director Irina Radu. "Meanwhile we are continuing to report accurate news and give Romania the honor of the Eurovision (Song Contest), she said, quoted by mediafax.ro (February 23). “We have not lost hope. We are trying to understand what this country and its leadership wants from public television.” (See more about media in Romania here)
Declaring insolvency is not an option, said Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, attending the meeting. “We need to find some solution to control the short-term situation, the accumulated debt. Simply deleting the debt would not solve the problem because it would accumulate more. Writing off the debt is not possible because it would be considered State Aid.” The European Commission has shown relative flexibility in applying State Aid rules to public broadcasting. The Amsterdam Protocol (1997) requires Member States to provide for public television services.
“What we can't do is before July to give (public) television extra money,” he explained. “A budget adjustment we can do in five minutes. We must see that there are solutions to relaunch the work of the TVR. The government wants to get involved as far as it can, but the Parliament has a greater responsibility.
Media watchers earlier this month were ready to declare a final, inglorious end to the printed daily newspaper when the publisher of UK’s Independent and Independent on Sunday announced the ink would soon be only virtual. (See more on the Independent’s shift to digital-only here) But simple conclusions are just that. Big UK publisher Trinity Mirror took a different approach, launching The New Day at the end of February, the UK’s first new daily in 30 years. The last new print title in the UK, conspicuously, was the Independent.
Also against conventional wisdom the New Day will have no website. It will, however, be “very active” on social media, publishing directly to a Facebook page. “There are a lot of people who don’t buy newspapers at the moment,” said chief editor Alison Philips in a statement, “not because they don’t like newspapers but because what is currently available does not correspond to their expectations.” Trinity Mirror publishes the well-regarded tabloid Daily Mirror, which remains editorially separate from the New Day.
Paid circulation for French national dailies in 2015, reported last week by publisher association ACPM, fell only 1.5% over the previous year. Declines are clearly slowing; 3.8% in 2014 and 6.1% in 2013. Digital subscriptions to French daily newspapers now accounts for 13% of all paid circulation, up year on year from 8%. “There is a real explosion in mobile,” noted OJD director general Philippe Rincé, quoted by Les Echos (February 18). Traffic to French publisher’s mobile sites and smartphone apps “jumped” by more than 100% in the last year.
At the end of January RCS MediaGroup released a redesigned online offering for major Italian daily Corriere della Sera and, with that, implemented a soft paywall to encourage digital “premium” subscriptions. After a month 26 thousand have “signed the pact of confidence,” said editor-in-chief Luciano Fontana, in a statement. (See full statement here) To be part of the premium service a real-time PDF release of Corriere della Sera is being developed.
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