ftm Radio Page - February 14, 2014

Just a moment for radio
And a plea for equality

World Radio Day has come around, an opportunity to salute the widely popular and long standing media platform. The UNESCO-sponsored event is in its 3rd year with many broadcasters taking a well-earned victory lap.

Over a hundred German radio broadcasters paused from regular programming on Thursday morning (February 13) to give listeners a moment called “I’m your radio. Your life is my program.” The little moments were created by Grabarz & Partners and produced by Studio Funk. ”Radio is like a friend who goes with you side by side through life,” said radio association Radiozentrale managing director Lutz Kuckuck in a statement. “No medium is so close.”

German private broadcasters association VPRT took the opportunity to remind one and all of the quality and diversity of radio broadcasting as well as the need for “fair conditions in competition,” “must-carry status in digital networks” and “equal treatment with fee-funded radio in EPG displays.” (See VPRT presser here – in German)

UNESCO’s themes for this World Radio Day are gender equality on-air and enhancing the role of women in broadcasting organizations. “From pioneering executives in the early 20th century to those today reporting from conflict zones, women have played a key role in the growth of radio,” said UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova in a statement. “As citizen journalists, reporters, producers, technicians and key decision-makers, women are working at every level of the broadcasting industry to ensure the free exchange of opinion, information and ideas over the airwaves.”

The UN General Assembly endorsed World Radio Day for observation in all Member States on February 13th.

New measurement system reports bigger audience
More work, too

Radio measurement in Sweden made the switch to the electronic meter (PPM) a year ago. Programmers at the big radio broadcasters – MTG, SBS Radio and public broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR) – have had a year of daily reports of minute-by-minute audience behavior. There are, quite expectedly, differences from the previous telephone survey methodology, reported by Swedish media portal dagensmedia.se (February 7).

Most obviously, the PPM measurement shows far greater daily reach, 75.3% under the new system, 69.6% under the old comparing like periods year on year. Station-to-station comparisons would be worse than apples to oranges but some stations dropped 7% to 10%. (See more on audience measurement here)

Working with so much data has been a challenge. “There is much more work to handle daily listener figures compared with managing listener figures that come four times a year,” said SBS Radio president Staffan Rosell. Media buyers love numbers.

PPM measurement results present a new challenge for SR. Minute-by-minute results show an “icicle problem” when newscasts are broadcast on national network P4. A quarter of listeners seem to “leave.” (JMH)

Maybe another day for digital radio
Spring, summer, now fall…

The long discussed Vienna pilot test of the digital radio platform DAB+ has been pushed back to September. Digital radio association Digitalradio Österreich had hoped for something to happen this spring, then summer. The group now suggests tying the platform’s first appearance in the Austrian capital to the 90th anniversary of radio broadcasting in the country, reported Der Standard (February 10).

The lack of excitement for the DAB+ platform in Austria is palpable. Public broadcaster ORF still holds about three-quarters of all radio listening more than 20 years after the arrival of private radio broadcasting, who have been less than enthusiastic about taking on the expense or the uncertainty. ORF infrastructure subsidiary ORS has bid for the pilot test along with Media Broadcast, a subsidiary of TDF. Music rights negotiations have added to delays. (See more on digital radio here)

"I am convinced that digital radio in Austria can only be successful if all radio broadcasters, the private sector as well as the ORF, want this and move together,” said Austrian broadcast and telecom regulator RTR managing director Alfred Grinschgl in a statement last fall. Tests of the DAB digital radio platform in Austria ended in 2008. (JMH)

Radio Page week ending February 7, 2014
radio drama, radio in Spain, RNE, BBC Radio 4, radio in the UK, radio audience, RAJAR, 6Music, Planet Rock, Communicorp

Radio Page week ending January 31, 2014
radio in Germany, digital radio, BR Klassik, BR Puls

Radio Page week ending January 24, 2014
radio in Italy, radio advertising, RadioCompass, radio in Switzerland, Mediapulse, SSR-SRG, private local radio, Radio 3i, Radio Swiss Pop, radio in France, Médiamétrie, Paris audience, Europe 1, Radio Latina

Radio Page week ending January 17, 2014
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Radio Page week ending January 10, 2014
radio in France, public radio, Le Mouv', radio in Poland, Radio Trojka

Radio Page week ending January 3, 2014
radio in Italy, RCS MediaGroup, Finelco, radio in Spain, Radio Marca

Radio Page week ending December 20, 2013
radio in the UK, radio in Switzerland, digital radio, DAB, DAB+, BAKOM, Frontier Silicon, Euro-chip, EBU

Radio Page week ending December 13, 2013
radio in Spain, news radio, RNE, Radio 5

Radio Page week ending December 6, 2013
radio in Poland, Eska Rock, VOX FM, Time Radio Group, disco, radio in the UK, BBC Radio 1, Official Chart Show, Karrang, OFCOM

Radio Page week ending November 29, 2013
radio in France, digital radio, CSA, Médiamétrie, Paris audience, Radio Latina, Europe 1, talk radio, radio in the Czech Republic, Radio Impuls, radio in Italy, Radio Number One

Radio Page week ending November 22, 2013
radio in France, Médiamétrie, NRJ, RTL, Europe 1, Skyrock, radio in Russia, Sochi Winter Olympics, radio in Germany, WDR, Valerie Weber, Antenne Bayern

Radio Page week ending November 15, 2013
radio in Ukraine, United Media Holding, radio advertising, radio in the UK, digital radio, EBU, radio sports

Radio Page week ending November 8, 2013
radio in Africa, international broadcasting, Radio France International, Citi FM, African Story Challenge

Radio Page week ending November 1, 2013
radio in Africa, Radio Shabelle, radio in Sweden, Radio 1, MTG

Recently added radio audience figures and resources

• UK - National Radio Audience (February 2014)
  market share, trend, sectors
• UK - London Radio Audience (February 2014)
  market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (February 2014)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• France - Greater Paris Radio Audience (January 2014)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
• 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
• Bulgaria - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (12/12/2013)
  public and private radio channels, management, platforms, market share
• France - National Radio Summer Audience (03/10/2013)
  national channels, summer period 2008-2013 trend
• Austria - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (09/09/2013)
  public and private broadcasters, owners, management, audience trend
• Belgium - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (French region) (28/08/2013)
  Wallonia region, radio broadcasters, public, private, owners, platforms, audience trend
• Belgium - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (Flemish region) (28/08/2013)
  Flemish region, radio broadcasters, public, private, owners, platforms, audience trend
• Turkey - Major Media - Radio broadcasting (15/08/2013)
  ownership, management, program formats, platforms

More Resources

Also see ftm Knowledge

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