ftm Radio Page - November 4, 2011

New interest in passive radio measurement
So much to recall

Electronic measurement for radio will come to Sweden next year and, maybe, Ukraine. After a break for the great recession and returning pressure from media buyers, broadcasters seem willing to give up on diary measurement.

A six-year contract from Sweden’s two major commercial radio operators – Modern Times Group (MTG) and SBS Radio – was awarded to Kantar Media through its newly acquired TNS Gallup research company for radio measurement using the PPM system developed and owned by US company Arbitron. Sweden’s public broadcaster SR will also participate. Kantar Media will provide data analysis software.

The move by Swedish broadcasters to the PPM system nearly rounds out a Scandinavian shift to electronic measurement. Broadcasters in Denmark, Norway and Iceland – fully or partially – moved to electronic measurement several years ago.

Broadcasters and media buyers in Ukraine might be looking at electronic measurement, too. A new contract for radio listening measurement was awarded) to GfK Ukraine. Details remain up in the air but might include a change in technology, reported Kommersant Ukraine (October 26. GfK offers the MediaWatch electronic measurement system first developed in Switzerland.

Broadcasters and media buyers are again raising questions about the old diary-recall measurement method because of the growing number of radio channels offered on new platforms. (JMH)

Facebook radio ratings revealed
something about 7 pm…

The latest rage in dubious ratings is counting Facebook fans. What it all means, nobody’s quite sure but it’s certainly fun to look at. Polish media webportal Wirtualnemedia grabbed the numbers (November 2) from CatNapoleon.com, provider of social media data.

First, the Facebook fan page of pop/dance music channel Radio Eska is way far ahead of all other stations. In the last six month it’s accumulated 491, 401 Facebook fans. Placing second is sister channel Eska Rock with 170,491. Next is adult hit format national channel Radio Zet with 134,422. Pop music national channel RMF FM, the market leader by normal ratings, placed fourth with 86,352 Facebook fans.

Polish public radio young people’s channel Radio Cworka has the most active Facebook fans, followed by news/talk channel TOK FM.

Oh, unsurprisingly, the biggest hour for radio channel Facebook action is 19h00 (7pm). (JMH)

Nobody’s happy about Hungary
Investors seek arbitration, review

Two years to the day after losing radio license renewals in Hungary, Emmis Communications and Accession Mezzanine Capital (AMC) filed a request for arbitration (October 28) with the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Renewal applications for Slager Radio, owned by Emmis, and Radio Danubius, owned by AMC, were controversially denied in 2009 in favor of applicants linked to Hungary’s two largest political parties. The ICSID organizes independent arbitration of disputes between governments and foreign investors and is part of the World Bank Group. A joint statement by Emmis Communications and AMC announced the filing.

Both companies pursued litigation in Hungarian courts, winning some issues but failing to recover the national radio licenses. (See more on the Slager Radio and Radio Danubius license renewal rejections here) Several governments and international observers voiced objections to the license renewal procedure. Emmis and AMS “assert that the Republic of Hungary has violated its treaty obligations by expropriating private property without compensation and not extending fair and equitable treatment to non-Hungarian investors,” said the statement.

Official corruption is rife in Hungary, with continuous revelations souring the public mood and spooking foreign investors. A protest rally against the right-wing government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban on the 55th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution (October 23) drew 100,000 people in Budapest. Hungarian government debt is the second highest in Europe and under review for possible downgrade to junk status by ratings agencies Moody’s and S&P, reported Bloomberg (October 28). (JMH)

Internet radio takes on the big guys
and the big guys take note

As new platforms extend the diversity and reach of media outlets, competition was sure to follow. Unshackled from expensive transmitter leases, internet broadcasters are giving legacy channels a run for their money, literally. Listeners are finding content they like and platform is less and less important.

Switzerland has a unique linguistic mix. There are four official national languages – the Swiss German dialects, French, Italian and Romansh – plus the unofficial, and officially begrudged, English. “Including 120,000 to 140,000 native English speakers and a huge mass of anglo-professionals, we estimate about a million people speak English in Switzerland,” explained World Radio Switzerland (WRS) director Philippe Mottaz, interviewed by Le Temps (October 25). Several media outlets, broadcast and print, have targeted Swiss English speakers, considered both influential and affluent. Many have failed.

The newest is Radio Frontier, an internet radio station with, as the Le Temps article noted, “an insatiable appetite.” The station is Web radio 2.0, all the expected services of “normal” radio – music, DJs, news, ads – but not on FM, though it may appear on the DAB platform next year. Radio Frontier competes for English speaking listeners in the Geneva region with two long established FM channels – WRS, a national English channel of the Swiss-French public broadcaster RTS, and religious station Radio 74 broadcasting from nearby France. Radio Frontier took to the internet airwaves in June, founded by television entrepreneur Peter Sibley and former WRS programmer and show host Mark Butcher.

This “war of English-speaking radio” between WRS and Radio Frontier that the Le Temps article noted remains “one sided.” WRS benefits from financial and technical support from the Swiss public broadcaster, which in several iterations has offered English language radio since 1996. That the editors of the very conservative Le Temps would even acknowledge an interloper is something of a surprise and certainly a recognition that Web radio 2.0 is here to stay. (JMH)

Radio Page week ending October 28, 2011
radio brands, Brave New Radio, radio in the UK, Absolute Radio, BBC Radio 4 Extra, brand extension, digital radio

Radio Page week ending October 21, 2011
radio in the UK, digital radio, DAB

Radio Page week ending October 14, 2011
radio in Greece, NRJ

Radio Page week ending October 7, 2011
radio in Italy, RAI Uno

Radio Page week ending September 30, 2011
radio in Hungary, radio advertising, radio in France, Médiamétrie, Europe 1, Fance Bleu, radio in the UK, Absolute Radio, Radio in Iraq, AFN

Radio Page week ending September 23, 2011
internet radio, radio in Germany, radio in Russia, digital radio, ProfMedia, local radio, radio in the UK, consumer electronics

Radio Page week ending September 16, 2011
audience measurement, Ipsos MediaCT, smartphones, Civil Radio, radio in Hungary, community radio

Radio Page week ending September 9, 2011
community radio, Angel Radio, Keith Richards

Radio Page week ending September 2, 2011
radio in Poland, Polksie Radio, radio in France, talk radio, CSA, Sud Radio, radio in Ireland, ownership rules, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland

Radio Page week ending August 5, 2011
radio in the UK, RAJAR, BBC, commercial radio, Radio 4, Radio 1, Capital London, 6Music, 4 Extra, digital radio, Czech public radio, Peter Duhan, Radiozurnal

Radio Page week ending July 29, 2011
radio advertising, RTL Group, radio in the Netherlands, Radio 538, John de Mol, digital radio, radio in Germany, VPRT, radio in Poland, Radio Track, RMF FM, Radio Zet, TOK FM, internet radio

Radio Page week ending July 22, 2011
radio in France, Médiamétrie, RTL, RMC, NRJ, Skyrock, radio in Czech Republic, Radio Hey, international broadcasting, BBC World Service

Radio Page week ending July 15, 2011
radio in Germany, AG.MA, Antenne Bayern, Star FM, Radio Hamberg, NRW, audience measurement, Ipsos, MediaCell

Radio Page week ending July 8, 2011
radio in Germany, AG.MA, radio in France, music quotas, CSA

Radio Page week ending July 1, 2011
radio consumption, EBU, new media, radio in Hungary, Klubradio, radio in Russia, Silveer Rain, international broadcasting, Radio Netherlands worldwide, radio in Lithuania, Zip FM, radio promotion, radio in Bulgaria, Radio Antenna, RadioDays Europe

Radio Page week ending June 24, 2011
radio advertising, Cannes Lions, radio in Poland, Radio ZET, Lagardère

Radio Page week ending June 17, 2011
radio in Switzerland, OFCOM, SSR-SRG, classic rock, radio in Ireland, audience measurement, JNLR

Radio Page week ending June 10, 2011
radio in the Czech Republic, digital radio, DAB, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, international broadcasting, audience measurement, radio in the UK, RAJAR

Radio Page week ending June 3, 2011
radio in the Czech Republic, audience research, music testing, Ceske Rozhlas, radio in Romania, audience measurement, Societatea Romana de Radiodifuziune, Kiss FM, Radio Zu, Pro FM, online radio, UK Radioplayer, Pandora, Spotify

Radio Page week ending May 27, 2011
radio in the UAE, radio advertising, Pan Arab Research Centre, Global Radio, Digital Radio UK, radio in Switzerland, Radio 24

Radio Page week ending May 20, 2011
internet radio, web radio, Spotify, Radiodays Europe, radio in Greece, radio advertising, radio in Ukraine, National Radio Company

Radio Page week ending May 13, 2011
radio in the UK, RAJAR, audience survey, BBC, Capital FM, Radio 4, mobile radio, radio in Germany, internet radio, Pandora, radio in France, digital radio, CSA

Radio Page week ending May 6, 2011
radio in Portugal, international broadcasting, RDP, ANACOM, radio in Poland, radio advertising, RMF FM, Radio Zet

Radio Page week ending April 29, 2011
radio in France, Skyrock, Axa Private Equity, Skyblog, Pierre Bellanger, radio in Africa, Africa No.1, Eutelsat

Radio Page week ending April 22, 2011
radio in Hungary, NeoFM, Est Media Group, radio in France, radio audience, Médiamétrie, RMC, Europe 1, France Inter

Radio Page week ending April 15, 2011
radio in Germany, morning radio, BLM, Antenne Bayern, radio in France, Skyrock, private equity

Radio Page week ending April 8, 2011
radio in Finland, SBS Radio, The Voice, Iskelmä, new media applications, digital radio, radio in the UK, FM shut-off

Radio Page week ending March 25, 2011
digital radio, DAB, Enspert, radio in Hong Kong, radio in the UK, Jazz FM, BBC Asia, music quotas, radio in Poland, ChiliZet

Radio Page week ending March 18, 2011
radio in France, CSA, music quotas, radio in Sweden, MTG, Star FM, radio in the US, public radio, National Public Radio

Radio Page week ending March 11, 2011
radio in Italy, podcasts, RAI, Radio Due, radio in Germany, VPRT, FM shut-off, ag.ma, Radio NRW, Antenne Bayern, Radio Bob

Radio Page week ending March 4, 2011
digital radio, Association of European Radio, Neelie Kroes, EBU, Rouge FM, radio in Germany, ag.ma

Radio Page week ending February 25, 2011
radio in Denmark, web radio, DAB, digital radio, radio in Germany, Londa, Lagardere, radio in Czech Republic, music quota, radio in Ukraine, radio news, Hungarian public radio, Danubius Radio, Slager Radio, radio in Hungary

Radio Page week ending February 11, 2011
radio in Denmark, DR, P4, Voice of Russia, medium wave, radio promotion, Rock FM

Radio Page week ending February 4, 2011
radio in the UK, RAJAR, BBC Radio, Five Live, digital radio, radio in Norway, NRK, FM shutoff, radio in Belarus, Radio Svaboda, Avtoradio

Radio Page week ending January 28, 2011
radio advertising, radio in the Netherlands, Communicorp, radio in Ukraine, Nashe Radio, Mediametrie, radio in Paris, Oui FM, FIP

Radio Page week ending January 21, 2011
radio in France, Mediametrie, RTL, NRJ, Virgin Radio, Lagardere, radio in Switzerland, digital radio, SSR-SRG

Recently added radio audience figures and resources

• Netherlands - Radio Audience (04/11/2011)
  national survey, market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (27/10/2011)
  market share, trend, sectors
• UK - London Radio Audience (27/10/2011)
  market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (27/10/2011)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• France - National Radio Summer Audience (30/09/2010)
  national channels, summer period 2008-2011 trend
• Poland - National Radio Audience (29/07/2011)
  national survey, market share, trend
• France - Paris Radio Audience (20/07/2011)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
• France - National Radio Audience (15/07/2011)
  national channels, sectors, market share, reach/TSL
• Belarus - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (02/07/2011
  State, institutional, semi-private and private channels, national and regional
• UK - National Radio Audience (12/05/2011)
  market share, trend, sectors
• UK - London Radio Audience (12/05/2011)
  market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (12/05/2011)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• France - Paris Radio Audience (26/04/2011)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
• Denmark - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (24/02/2011)
  public and private radio channels, market share
• Switzerland - French region Radio Audience (22/01/2011)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Swiss-German region Radio Audience (22/01/2011)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Italian region Radio Audience (22/01/2011)
  share, trend
• Spain - National Radio Audience (04/12/2010)
  national channels, reach share, trend
• Italy - Major Media (05/11/2010)
  radio broadcasting
• Italy - National Radio Audience (updated 03/11/2010)
  market share trend, annual, 2006-2009
• Portugal - National Radio Audience (28/10/2010)
  leading stations, audience share, trend
• Croatia - Radio Audience (07/10/2010)
  national survey, 2010 Q1 and Q3
• Malta - Radio Audience (17/09/2010)
  leading stations, audience share

• Czech Republic - Radio Audience (19/08/2010)
  Top stations, national survey, trend
• Digital broadcasting associations (12/08/2010)
• Germany - Radio Audience (14/07/2010)
  leading stations, 2010 national survey, daily reach
• Belgium - Radio Audience (01/07/2010)
  Flemish region, market share, trend
• Belgium - Radio Audience (01/07/2010)
  French region, market share, trend
• Belgium - Major Media (16/06/2010)
  Flemish region, radio broadcasters, public, private

More Resources

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