ftm Radio Page - October 3, 2014

Social not on the side for radio
“a place of interaction”

The web has taken over radio. Or maybe radio has taken over the web. It’s all quite social and very digital. At the recent Social Media Week in Rome fans of radio and radio on the web made their pitch for a new framework to define it all. “Radio is no longer just FM with official websites a showcase,” said Radio Italia commercial director Marco Pontini, “but a place of interaction and involvement; not a watertight compartment or only the result of a single theme,” quoted by wired.it (September 26).

The presentations were organized by the Social Radio Lab, almost a year old project founded by Stefano Chiarazzo of Osservatorio Social Vip in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome and several big Italian broadcasters. The Social Radio Lab monitors about two-dozen Italian radio stations for their new media approach. In their monitoring report, Radio Italia, Radio Deejay and RTL 102.5 showed the most Facebook fans. Rome station Radio Globo had the most YouTube views, more than 25 million. All monitored stations have websites and Facebook pages, most all have mobile apps and Twitter accounts. About three-quarters have YouTube channels and more than half use Instagram and Google Plus. That’s a lot of connecting. (See more about social media here)

“Over the last twenty years there have been at least three times when everybody gave up on radio,” noted Sapienza communications lecturer Paola Panarese. “All those events, including iPod, had strong repercussions but didn’t destroy anything. Radio has held up better than other media, especially print.” (See more about media in Italy here)

The Social Radio Lab must not be confused with the recently founded Social Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a generous grant of US$ 10 million from Facebook.

Little love for digital radio
Maybe the next chief will push harder

These are certainly exciting days for media regulators. And that excitement has been both thrilling and raw every day of this century. So it was hardly unexpected for UK media, telecom and all points in between regulator OFCOM chief executive Ed Richards to announce this week his departure. He’s been with OFCOM since it was created, combining platform-specific agencies, and seated in the corner office since 2006.

Overseeing it all has been “a privilege,” he said in a statement (October 2), “during such an exciting and dynamic period in the evolution of the UK’s communications sector.” In 2012 he put forward his name to lead the BBC and was passed over for an insider who lasted but 54 troubled days. Blessings counted, Mr. Richards will continue to supervise OFCOM, more or less, until a successor is found, approved and hired.

Of late the work of OFCOM has been centered on wireless broadband spectrum, mobile phone numbering and customers complaining about phone and internet contracts… about as exciting as watching golf on TV.

Slipping off the OFCOM radar is digital radio, specifically setting a hard date to shutdown the FM transmitters. OFCOM’s annual report on digital radio, released in late September, cast further question on digital inevitability, noting a sharp fall-off in DAB radio sales and digital platform listening “broadly stable” over the last year. In 2009, when DAB receiver sales peaked, a UK radio executive called for OFCOM to “force” that digital switch, just like TV. “There’s no point in doing something the audience regards as a disaster,” said Mr. Richards. (See more about digital radio here)

Last year OFCOM’s digital radio report pushed FM switch-off into the next decade.

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Recently added radio audience figures and resources

• France - National Radio Summer Audience (September 2014)
  national channels, summer period 2010-2014 trend
• Estonia - Major Media - Broadcasting (radio and television) (September 2014)
  public and private, ownership, management, platforms, national audience trend
• Latvia - National Radio Audience (September 2014)
  national channels, audience share, trend
• Spain - National Radio Audience (August 2014)
  national channels, reach share, trend
• Spain - Major Media - Radio (August 2014)
  public and private broadcasting companies, channels, management, platforms, audience estimates
• Switzerland - Radio listening by region (January 2014)
  public and private sectors, penetration, time spent listening
• Switzerland - French region Radio Audience (January 2014)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Swiss-German region Radio Audience (January 2014)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Italian region Radio Audience (January 2014)
  share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (July 2014)
  market share, trend, sectors
• UK - London Radio Audience (July 2014)
  market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (July 2014)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• France - Greater Paris Radio Audience (July 2014)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
• France - National Radio Audience (July 2014)
  national channels, sectors, market share, reach/TSL
• Germany - Radio Audience (July 2014)
  leading stations, audience trend, daily reach
• Portugal - National Radio Audience (July 2014)
  leading stations, audience share, trend
• Greece - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (June 2014))
  public and private broadcasting, owners, executives, market share
• Portugal - Major Media - Radio (May 2014)
  public and private broadcasting companies, channels, management, platforms, audience estimates
• Italy - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (March 2014)
  public and private broadcasting companies, channels, audience reach/share, management

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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. 74 pages PDF (May 2012)

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