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ftm Radio Page - December 18, 2015

New station website suspiciously like another
Sinister plot, the muses cry out

About two weeks ago a new online radio portal appeared in Ukraine, under the name Echo Kyiv. By appearance, it is remarkably similar to the website of well-known Russian channel Ekho Moskvy. Media watchers took certain interest as the website listed the chief editor as Lesya Ryabtseva, until recently employed by Ekho Moskvy.

Ms Ryabtseva left the employ of Ekho Moskvy rather abruptly, telling all to Russian magazine Snob (May 29). “I can’t be near idle, stupid, passive people,” was the big quote. “I have a lot of plans. I will create media that outdoes Ekho Moskvy.” (See more about media in Russia here)

When the Echo Kyiv website appeared, Ekho Moskvy chief editor and minority shareholder Aleksey Venediktov said he and the radio station “have nothing to do” with it, quoted by telekritika.ua (December 14). After Ms Ryabtseva unloaded about her dismissal from Ekho Moskvy, Mr. Venediktov appealed, via Twitter, to co-workers to “please accept my apologies for the unjust and grave public utterances… directed at you. Please do not take these statements at value.” Gazprom Media is the majority shareholder of Ekho Moskvy.

This past weekend she appeared on Russian TV channel NTV’s tabloid show New Russian Sensation (December 12) disparaging individuals unpopular with the current government; Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Alexei Navalny and former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov. “The Russian opposition is shit,” she offered. The show introduced Ms Ryabtseva as “Snowden in a skirt,” reported novayagazeta.ru (December 12). NTV is owned by Gazprom Media.

Ms Ryabtseva was, on exit, Mr. Venediktov’s personal assistant and deputy editor with responsibilities for the Ekho Moskvy website. Deeper plot-lines, oft repeated by Russian media watchers, are quite tangled. Radio Svoboda (RFE/RL) sent a reporter to the Kyiv address listed for Echo Kyiv and found no business.

Once upon a time nobody thought about intellectual property rights
lawyers overlooked the X

Managing assets - trademarks and such - is about the least exciting activity for broadcasters, except for shareholders and, of course, lawyers. The fun comes from all those cool competitive things; DJs, promotions, selling ads. In the post-modern age, however, every publisher and broadcaster pays close attention to intellectual property, which has a life quite separate.

Sometime earlier this year a decision was made at big UK radio broadcaster Global Radio to re-brand its national channel XFM, focused on rock alternative music, as Radio X. XFM appeared on FM and DAB multiplexes drawing less than stellar ratings in recent years. And so a plan was set.

The September switch-over included new DJs, shows, logos and jingles for the “first truly male-focused fully national music and entertainment brand for 25-44 year olds,” according to the presser. Hired for the morning show was Chris Moyles, former star DJ at BBC Radio 1, and others of note. Global Radio, reportedly, invested a small fortune launching Radio X. That’s OK; this is the fun stuff.

Late in the game, lawyers for Global Radio applied for appropriate trademarks to the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and the European Commission’s Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM). Owners of local Exeter station Radio EXE, thereafter, filed an objection. It seems they registered trademarks covering visual and audio representations in 2012. The disposition of those objections at the IPO are pending. This could get really expensive.

A half century ago, far from the UK, a burning hot radio station known as The X - for XERF - could be heard from central Mexico to the US-Canadian border. Wolfman Jack was on the air playing the hits. The station was immortalized by ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons in 1975. For a little blast from the past, check out Heard It On The X here.

Radio Page week ending December 11, 2015
radio in Finland, Radio Nova, Bauer Media, radio in Australia, radio in Latvia, radio audience, TNS Latvia, Russian language, Latvijas Radio, Radio Skonto

Radio Page week ending December 4, 2015
radio in Norway, NRK, P2, radio satire, radio in Spain, EGM, radio audience, Cadena SER, Cadena Cope, Onda Cero, Los 40 Principales, Rock FM, RNE

Radio Page week ending November 27, 2015
radio in Finland, Jouluradio, streaming radio, radio in France, Médiamétrie, radio audience, Paris audience, France Inter, Skyrock, France Culture, local radio

Radio Page week ending November 20, 2015
radio in France, Médiamétrie, radio audience, rentrée, RTL, Radio France, France Inter, France Info, Europe 1, RMC, NRJ, Nostalgie, Fun Radio, radio in Slovakia, music quotas, RVR, Europa 2, RTVS

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