ftm Radio Page - July 3, 2015

All Very Unconventional From The Sound Of It
The creative side of advertising thrives on the edge. On one side is all the excitement digital media affords. On the other, it’s the workhorse of traditional media. Big ideas must fit both. And those ideas can come from anywhere.

Efficiencies expected, manager fired for not writing himself out of a job
less is always less

Public broadcast managers find themselves under extraordinary pressures these days to fit the programming foot into the ever shrinking financial shoe. Style is rarely an impediment to the demands of boards of directors, typically demanding more for less. Of course, appearances are everything.

The head of programs at Bulgarian public radio BNR - Ivo Todorov - was given a rather crude ultimatum this week to either agree to a change in job description requiring the holder of his position to have a degree in public administration or leave, reported capital.bg (July 1). Mr. Todorov’s degree is in philosophy and journalism so, obviously, he left. He had been warned not to let staff cuts to affect BNR’s program output. (See more about media in Bulgaria here)

It seems efficiencies demanded by the BNR board include getting rid of that particular position. Program directors of the three main radio services, the multimedia service and the music operation will rotate as head of a “program council,” changing every three months. Staff changes at BNR have been numerous in recent months and some fear other “troublemakers” will be shown the door.

Not entirely coincidental media regulator CEM president Georgi Lozanov threatened to quit. “We still have no legal basis to intervene in the crisis in the Bulgarian National Radio, but then see what happens?” he said.

New box tests measurement mystery
data can be enhanced

Radio measurement hasn’t made much news over the last decade or so. The audible drum-beat “the future - ta-boom - is digital” broadcasters in several European markets switched from pen-and-paper diaries to electronic devices. Some - UK broadcasters, for example - held-fast against pervasive marketing from US measurement service Arbitron, patent holder of the Personal People Meter (PPM), which measures listening from inaudible signals encoded in FM transmissions.

Arbitron became the default US radio measurement supplier and switched from diaries in 2008. Something rather interesting happened, reports data journalism portal fivethirtyeight.com (June 30). Since 2008 average minutes listening to radio in the US dropped about 20%. Some radio formats - fivethirtyeight.com focuses on smooth jazz - absolutely crashed. Big measurement company Nielsen bought Arbitron in 2013. (See more about measurement here)

Testing the hypothesis that PPM measurement accurately tracks listening to all radio formats is a new black box - silver, actually - called Voltair. It seems to enhance the encoded measurement signal sort of like the old Optimod modulation box. The result, says fivethirtyeight.com, “is testing Nielsen’s credibility.”

US radio broadcasters are lining up for the Voltair box at US$15,000 each. Nielsen’s Canadian subsidiary Numeris asked Canadian radio broadcasters to stop using it.

Radio Page week ending June 26, 2015
radio in Italy, Gruppo Finelco, RCS Media, Radio 105, Radio Monte Carlo, Virgin Radio

Radio Page week ending June 19, 2015
radio in Sweden, digital radio, DAB, Fm shut-off, radio in Russia, Ekho Moskovy, Gazprom Media, radio in Belgium, FM Brussel

Radio Page week ending June 12, 2015
radio in Ukraine, audience measurement, Radio Committee

Radio Page week ending June 5, 2015
radio in the UK, local radio, Juice FM, Global Radio, UTV Media

Recently added radio audience figures and resources

• Greece - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (June 2015))
  public and private broadcasting, owners, executives, market share
• Montenegro - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (May 2015)
  public and commercial radio channels, management, platforms
• UK - National Radio Audience (May 2015)
  market share, trend, sectors
• UK - London Radio Audience (May 2015)
  market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (May 2015)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• Czech Republic - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (May 2015)
  public and private radio channels, management, audience reach
• Spain - National Radio Audience (May 2015)
  national channels, reach share, trend
• Spain - Major Media - Radio (May 2015)
  public and private broadcasting companies, channels, management, platforms, audience estimates
• France - Greater Paris Radio Audience (April 2015)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
• Portugal - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (April 2015)
  public and private broadcasting companies, channels, management, platforms, audience estimates
• France - National Radio Audience (April 2015)
  national channels, sectors, market share, reach/TSL
• FYR Macedonia - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (April 2015)
  public and private stations, management
• Malta - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (March 2015)
  public, private, educational and religious stations, ownership, management, platforms, audience reach
• Germany - Radio Audience (March 2015)
  leading stations, audience trend, daily reach
• Italy - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (February 2015)
  public and private broadcasting companies, channels, audience reach/share, management
• Switzerland - Radio listening by region (February 2015)
  public and private sectors, penetration, time spent listening
• Switzerland - French region Radio Audience (February 2015)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Swiss-German region Radio Audience (February 2015)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Italian region Radio Audience (February 2015)
  share, trend
• Bosnia/Herzegovina - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (January 2015)
  public and private broadcasters, management, descriptions, regulator, broadcaster association
• Albania - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (January 2015)
  public and private radio channels, national, regional, religious and community stations
• Turkey - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (January 2015)
  ownership, management, program formats, platforms, audience estimates

More Resources

Also see ftm Knowledge

Europe's Radio - Southern Europe

Radio broadcasting in southern Europe ranges from highly developed to developing highly. Italian, Spanish and Portuguese radio is unique, creative and very popular. Radio in Croatia, Serbia and Greece has had ups and downs. The ftm Knowledge file includes Resources. 126 pages PDF (June 2015)

Europe's Radio - Western Europe

Opportunity meets tradition in Western Europe's radio broadcasting. Change has come fast and yet oh, so slowly. This ftm Knowledge file contains material and resources on public and private radio broadcasting in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Netherlands and Switzerland. 244 pages. Resources. PDF (September 2013)

Order here

Europe’s Radio – Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe’s radio writes new rules. In fact, most everything about radio in this region is new... and changes often. The ftm Knowledge file reports on Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine. 159 pages PDF (April 2013)

Order here

Europe’s Radio – Northern Europe

Northern Europe’s radio has a very digital sound. And change is in the air. Economic challenges abound for both public and commercial broadcasters. The ftm Knowledge file reports on Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and the UK. 144 pages PDF includes Resources (November 2012)

Order here

Digital Radio - Possibilities and Probabilities

Digital radio has many platforms. From broadcast platforms to internet radio and rapidly emerging smartphone platforms, listeners and broadcasters have choices galore and decisions to make. Some regulators have made up their minds, others not, some hedging their bets. This ftm Knowledge file details the possibilities for digital broadcasting and the probabilities for success. Includes Resources 149 pages PDF (August 2012)

Order here

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