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ftm Radio Page - September 9, 2016

Broadcaster waits for court ruling and, maybe, ratings
the trouble with being clever

For French radio broadcasters, the fall season debut - la rentrée - is very special. Schedules are adjusted, staff pumped up and promotions set alight all coordinated to excite the listeners. It’s all very competitive because the September-October Médiamétrie audience estimates will be released in early November, just in time for the Christmas-New Year media buying season.

RTL Group owns three French national radio channels - RTL, Fun Radio and RTL2. News-talk channel RTL has topped the Médiamétrie charts for as long as anybody can remember. (See French national radio audience trend chart here) But RTL Group executives and, of course, lawyers, are waiting impatiently for an appeals court ruling on whether or not Fun Radio’s numbers for the April-May period can be reinstated.

There was this little problem last spring with an excited DJ asking listeners to respond positively to survey interviewers. Competitors went apoplectic and demanded Fun Radio’s results be struck from published results and away from the inquiring eyes of media buyers. RTL Group complained to the Paris Commercial Court that this “delisting” was unfair, not within Médiamétrie’s remit. Au contraire, said the court in July. RTL Group appealed, ruling expected by the end of September. (See more about media in France here)

The July-August Médiamétrie audience estimates are soon to be released. Fun Radio may or may not be listed. For French media buyers summer radio ratings aren’t very interesting; smaller samples mean not comparable with other results and, well, everybody was on holiday.

La rentrée this year also means the start of the French general election campaign season and all radio broadcasters fit to the news cycles have ramped up staff and coverage plans.

Broadcasters see digital transition through bigger chips
“no cut-off date for FM”

“Digital radio is no longer a vision, but now a firm reality,” said Deutschlandradio general director Willi Steul at the digital radio presentation for the IFA consumer electronic show in Berlin this week. On evidence, from TNS Infratest, is DAB+ receiver ownership growing to 12.6% of households from 7.4% two years on. Slightly over 3 million German automobiles are fitted with DAB+ receiving devices, up 50% over the same period.

There are many digital radio channels in Germany, most simulcast on the FM band, far fewer unique to the DAB+ platform. Broadcasters, public and private, have moaned about transmission costs for a decade. With lukewarm interest from the public in the DAB+ platform, young people more attracted to streaming audio services on their mobile devices and traditional radio listeners disinterested in tossing the old kitchen FM radio, German broadcasters are taking forced platform migration - FM shutdown - off the table.

This new plan targets receivers and receiver manufacturers. “We want mandatory installation of multi-standard chips,” said private broadcasters association VPRT radio chairman Klaus Schunk. “We are continuing with a hybrid strategy… and we want no cut-off date for FM.” He also observed that DAB+ is too expensive for small stations “and not flexible enough.” (See more about digital radio here)

Public broadcaster ARD chairperson Karola Wille endorsed the idea, generally, while promising more “diversity” from DAB+ exclusive radio channels. Multi-standard receiver chips should also be installed in automobiles, she said, and include online and mobile platforms. She also asked for clarification from regulators on “liberated FM frequencies.”

Radio Page week ending September 2, 2016
radio in Africa, radio licenses, station closures, radio in Poland, Polskie Radio, Radio 4, Radio 24, TOK FM, DAB+

Radio Page week ending August 26, 2016
radio in Switzerland, digital radio, DAB+, radio online, radio audience

Radio Page week ending August 5, 2016
radio in the UK, radio audience, RAJAR, BBC Radio, commercial radio, radio brands, Radio 2, Radio 1, Radio 4, Heart, Radio X, Capital, Magic, Wireless Group, TalkSport, digital radio

Radio Page week ending July 29, 2016
EBU, gTLD, domain names, (dot) radio, radio in France, Mediametrie, radio audience, IDF, RTL, France Inter, RMC, Fun Radio, Radio Classique

Radio Page week ending July 22, 2016
radio in Switzerland, radio audience, Mediapulse, SSR-SRG, SFR, RTS, RSI, Energy Zurich, Radio 24, BNJ FM, 3i, radio in Monaco, Radio Baikal, MC 2

Radio Page week ending July 15, 2016
radio in France, Médiamétrie, radio audience, Fun Radio, Fun-Gate, RTL, Radio France, France Inter, France Info, Europe 1, RMC, NRJ, Nostalgie, Virgin Radio, Skyrock, radio in Italy, GfK RadioMonitor, RTL 102, Radio DeeJay, Radio Sportiva, Radio Zeta L'Italiana, RAI RadioTre

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