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ftm Radio Page - week ending February 11, 2022

Sponsors flee, popular podcaster gets boot after creepy rant
others keep on ranting

Podcasts and podcasting was embraced by many several years as a new and refreshing means of listening to new and refreshing audio content. The platform, alas, has migrated from the genius of US public broadcasting’s Serial series to unlimited product placement to the depths of foul and odious. It was mistakenly hoped that ranting blowhards would keep to their place on late night AM/MW frequencies.

Brazilian podcaster known as Monark lost his slot on the Flow Studios platform, reported Folha de Sao Paulo (February 9). His podcast had been wildly popular in certain quarters for being outrageous, an attribute many podcasters currently aspire. Flow Studios shut Monark down for “defending the right of a Nazi party to exist in Brazil.” That thought may have appealed to a set of people - including a couple of right-wing politicians - but sponsors fled. Hence, Monark got the boot. (See more about podcasts and podcasting here)

Monark apologized a day later, saying he was drunk. A day after that Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, well-known for liberally applying hate speech, “repudiated” references to Nazi ideology. “Brazil will never have fertile soil for totalitarianism because the love of freedom runs through our veins,” posted on social media. “Anyone who wants otherwise is on the wrong side.”

US streaming audio platform Spotify has a similar problem. Several legendary musicians organized removal of their music from the platform, complaining vociferously about ranting racist right-wing podcaster Joe Rogan appearing on the same stage, so to speak. Spotify founder and chief executive Daniel Ek has bent himself into a pretzel defending Mr. Rogan’s freedom of speech. Spotify contracted with Mr. Rogan for his services (i.e. employed) for, reportedly, US$100 million. The payoff for Spotify has been about 11 million subscribers, not to forget the attention from outraged fans and equally outraged detractors.

In a viral internal “townhall” meeting, Mr. Ek “emphasized the need for (Mr.) Rogan,” noted observer Ashley Carmen in technology news portal The Verge (February 8). “Ek then directly related Rogan to Spotify’s ‘mission’ to reach 1 billion users and bring 50 million creators to its platform. Spotify might think its growth idea is empowering — and maybe it is for the employees who prize their stock options above all — but I think this rhetoric will lead to talent loss across the organization.”

Guys with guns attack popular radio station, again
"an isolated act"

Radio thrives on its mystique presence. For over a hundred years listeners have been enthralled by the voices emanating from thin air. There’s magic. There’s mystery. Where that all takes place, the radio studios, give the impression of a special universe. For some people, sadly, it is more than they can take.

Armed gunmen attacked Radio Capital FM in Bissau, capital of Guinea-Bissau, on Monday morning (February 7). According to various reports, several uniformed individuals arrived at the station’s building in two vehicles, entered firing shots, beat three to five employees and ransacked the studios. The transmitter was destroyed. Then they left as local police arrived. (See more about media in Africa here)

The attack is believed to have been “an isolated act,” said deputy police commissioner Salvador Soares, quoted by Portuguese public broadcaster RTP (February 8), unrelated last weeks’ attempted coup d’état in the West African country, as some observers suspected. Radio Capital FM is considered the most listened to station in the country. The station is affiliated with US international broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) and carries news bulletins from its Portuguese service. Station founder Lassana Cassamá is a VOA Portuguese reporter.

It was the second similar attack on privately owned Radio Capital FM in the last two years. In July 2020 there was a similar incident; a group of men entered the building, destroyed equipment and left. Thirty Bissau radio stations held a “day of silence” to show “our displeasure with what is happening in the sector,” said Guinea-Bissau broadcast union secretary general Diamantino Domingos Lopes, quoted by VOA Portuguese (August 7, 2020). A month earlier reporter and show host Serifo Camara was beaten and robbed outside the station’s premises. In March 2021 reporter Adão Ramalho was beaten in an attempted abduction.

Big broadcaster continues buying spree, moves south
"accelerate the development"

Portugal’s Media Capital exited its radio broadcasting assets this past week (February 3). The new owner, subject to the requisite approvals, will be Bauer Media, the very big German media house with substantial assets in radio broadcasting. Officially, Media Capital Radios, wholly-owned subsidiary of Media Capital Global, will be acquired by Bauer Media Audio Holding GmbH for a consideration of €69.9 million, though that number might change for last minute adjustments. Negotiations were first announced last September.

Media Capital Radios assets include Rádio Comercial, Smooth FM, Vodafone FM, M80 and Cidade FM. There are others. Media Capital wants to use the cash to "accelerate the development of audiovisual and digital production areas,” noted Portuguese news agency SAPO (February 3). Media Capital is principally owned by Mário Ferreira, who also owns cruise operator Douro Azul. Prisa exited its majority holding in the company in 2020. Media Capital continues to own and operate television channel TVI. (See more about media in Portugal here)

Bauer Group, thus, enters the Portuguese market bringing to nine the number of European radio markets, mostly located in northern Europe and Scandinavia. That stable includes the Absolute Radio brands and several others in the UK plus top rated RFM FM in Poland, The Voice in Denmark, Mix Megapol in Sweden and Radio Norge in Norway. Assets in Finland (broadcaster Mediatakojat), Ireland (Communicorp Group) and Slovakia (Rádio Jemné and Europa 2) were acquired last year. Bauer Media is also known for pop-up DAB+ stations.

Pop/rock national channel Radio Comercial is the most important radio asset in the Media Capital folder. Cidade FM, also targeting young people, is available across Portugal. M80 Radio was created in 2007 as a spin-off of the Spanish M80, which Prisa owns.

Radio Page week ending February 4, 2022
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Radio Page week ending January 28, 2022
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Radio Page week ending January 21, 2022
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Radio Page week ending January 14, 2022
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Radio Page week ending January 7, 2022
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Radio Page week ending December 17, 2021
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Radio Page week ending December 10, 2021
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Radio Page week ending December 3, 2021
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Radio Page week ending November 26, 2021
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Radio Page week ending November 19, 2021
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Radio Page week ending November 12, 2021
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Radio Page week ending November 5, 2021
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Radio Page week ending October 29, 2021
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Radio Page week ending October 22, 2021
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Radio Page week ending October 15, 2021
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Radio Page week ending October 8, 2021
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Radio Page week ending October 1, 2021
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Radio Page week ending September 24, 2021
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Radio Page week ending September 17, 2021
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Radio Page week ending September 10, 2021
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Radio Page week ending August 6, 2021
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Radio Page week ending July 30, 2021
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Radio Page week ending July 23, 2021
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Radio Page week ending July 16, 2021
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Radio Page week ending July 9, 2021
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Radio Page week ending July 2, 2021
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