ftm Radio Page - May 3, 2013

Embattled Russian service director resigns
The political is the personal

In what appears as a hastily written statement, US-funded international broadcaster RFE/RL announced the resignation of Russian service director Masha Gessen. She was strongly criticized by right-wing neo-conservative members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees all non-military US government international broadcasting, for initiating the migration of Radio Liberty to web-based broadcasting in late 2012 and downsizing the Radio Liberty Russian staff.

The Russian government refused to renew Radio Liberty’s Moscow medium wave radio authorization, which the neo-cons also blamed on Ms Gessen and RFE/RL president Steven Korn, who was forced out in December 2012. (See earlier article here) Former NPR president Kevin Klose was named acting RFE/RL president and CEO in January. Klose had been RFE/RL president in the mid-1990’s.

“Masha Gessen is an award-winning journalist who will continue to bring her insight, energy and activism to journalism in the interest of civil society in Russia,” said the RFE/RL statement attributed to Mr. Klose. (See RFE/RL statement here) She will continue writing a blog for the New York Times. Russian sources said she is writing a book of punk band Pussy Riot and her dismissal “probably does not mean the return of all laid-off (Radio Liberty) employees.” Ms Gessen had been on the job for seven months and will not be directly replaced, “coordination” being shared between RFE/RL offices in Prague and Washington. (JMH)

3D comes to radio
yummy

Technology has a way of leading us to places we only could imagine. Certain advances lead to new ideas and on and on. Engineers at French public broadcaster Radio France have taken a mighty leap right into the stew pot.

For the last couple of years Hervé Déjardin has been working on “binaural sound” using a complicated microphone and audio processing to get “closer to natural listening,” he told Le Monde (April 29). Experimenting recently for the France Info foodie program “A toutes saveurs” (“Every Flavor”) he took the special gear into the kitchen at Hotel Raphael in Paris. “I love wandering around the pots with my microphone when the meat is sizzling and the stock is simmering. With binaural sound I can identify each of these.”

The technique is designed for listeners using those little earpieces rather than big home audio outfits. The Radio France experiment, called NouvOson, is available on the Radio France website. For those interested in greater, possibly excruciating, detail the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is hosting a special workshop on binaural sound in mid-May. (JMH)

Difficult period for news and talk stations
Good for arts and culture

The two dominant forces of France radio – RTL and NRJ – posted impressive gains in the Médiamétrie Il-de-France (IDF - greater Paris) January-March market survey. Two others – Europe 1 and France Info – saw market share drop dramatically. Overall IDF listening was lower, Monday through Friday 78.7% penetration of listeners over 13 years from 79.4% one year on, with time spent listening slightly up.

The largely speech-based general interest channels continued to hold the top positions. RTL and public channel France Inter held first and second place, respectively, with RTL recovering market share, 13.0% from 12.2% year on year, and France Inter dropping to 9.8% from 10.2%. (See France IDF radio market share trend chart here)

From third place lower market positions were rattled. RMC, also speech-based, held 7.8% market share but found itself in 3rd place, up from 5th one year on. Falling to its lowest market share in a decade, Europe 1 posted 7.7%, down from 8.5% and dropping to 4th place. All-news public channel France Info careened to 7th place from 5th year on year, dropping to its lowest market share in a decade, 4.1%, from 5.0% one year on. Yes, this time last year all of France was gripped by election coverage. Both broadcasters indicated programming reviews would be forthcoming.

The markedly lower market shares for news and talk channels in the survey period allowed legacy hit music channel NRJ to climb into 5th place with 5.0% market share from 7th place and 4.2% market share. Rap and hip-hop channel Skyrock – long NRJ’s main youth market competition – budged not a twinkle at 4.8% market share, holding 6th place.

Classical music channel Radio Classique held 8th place while gaining market share year on year to 3.6% from 3.1%. Other arts and culture channels showed upward trends; France Culture tied for 9th with 2.6% market share, up from 2.5%, and France Musique posting 2.0% market share from 0.9% one year on, its best showing in forever.

Alternative music channel Radio Nova, until recently a Paris-only station and now with broader coverage, rose to 2.2% market share from 1.6% one year on. Radio Latina remains the highest rated local station in the IDF survey with 2.5% market share, up from 2.2% year on year. (JMH)

Radio Page week ending April 26, 2013
radio in Italy, digital radio, DAB+, AgCom, radio in Spain, EGM, AIMC, Cadena SER, Grupo Prisa, Los 40 Principales, Onda Cero, M80, Cadena COPE, RNE

Radio Page week ending April 19, 2013
radio in France, Médiamétrie, radio audience, RTL, France Inter, NRJ

Radio Page week ending April 12, 2013
radio in Austria, ORF, O3, Kronehit, KommAustria, radio in Sweden, TNS Sifo, Sveriges Radio, local radio, Mix Megapol, NRJ

Radio Page week ending April 5, 2013
radio in France, international broadcasting, RFI, Monte Carlo Doualiya

Radio Page week ending April 5, 2013
radio in France, international broadcasting, RFI, Monte Carlo Doualiya

Radio Page week ending March 29, 2013
radio in Poland, RMF Group, Millward Brown, Radio MAXXX, Bauer Media, RMF FM, Eurozet, Time Radio Group, VOX FM, Radio Plus, Polskie Radio Jedynka

Radio Page week ending March 22, 2013
radio in France, RTL Group, RTL2, Fun Radio

Recently added radio audience figures and resources

• France - Greater Paris Radio Audience (25/04/2013)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
• Spain - National Radio Audience (24/04/2013)
  national channels, reach share, trend
• France - National Radio Audience (16/04/2013)
  national channels, sectors, market share, reach/TSL
• Poland Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (28/03/2013)
  public and private radio channels, management, platforms, market share
• Germany - Radio Audience (06/03/2013)
  leading stations, audience trend, daily reach
• Lithuania Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (25/02/2013)
  public and private radio channels, management, platforms, audience reach
• Czech Republic Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (18/02/2013)
  public and private radio channels, management, audience reach
• UK - National Radio Audience (30/01/2013)
  market share, trend, sectors
• UK - London Radio Audience (30/01/2013)
  market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (30/01/2013)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• Switzerland - Radio listening by region (20/01/2013)
  public and private sectors, penetration, time spent listening
• Switzerland - French region Radio Audience (20/01/2013)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Swiss-German region Radio Audience (20/01/2013)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Italian region Radio Audience (20/01/2013)
  share, trend

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