ftm Radio Page - March 20, 2015

Big radio trend: change everything and everybody
Apple is coming

Halls are filled at big media trade shows with happy people networking their hearts out, particularly with the Great Recession a distant memory. Sellers of things and services out number participants, many of whom seeking new career opportunities. “Never is heard a discouraging word,” as that old song renders.

And so it was at the recently concluded RadioDays Europe show in Milan. Attendance has been estimated at more than 1,200, the most in its six-year history. The big “take-aways” were consistent with the radio biz zeitgeist; Apple, figuratively, is coming to get your (a) listeners (b) advertisers and (c) talent. The solution is (a) be quicker (b) more creative and (c) more like Apple, figuratively of course. Lasting memories of these words of wisdom can be purchased online.

Behind the scenes - or curtain, if you will - there were occasional nudges at the future. Big broadcasting companies aren’t very patient. It seems, reported Rzecpospolita (March 18), Polish broadcaster Eurozet, principally owned by Lagardère Active, and group program director Rafal Olejniczak parted ways “by mutual agreement” as RadioDays in Milan got under way. Flagship national channel Radio Zet has dropped abruptly in recent RadioTrack audience estimates, trounced by market leader RMF FM, owned by Bauer Media. (See more about media in Poland here)

Mr. Olejniczak had been associated with Radio Zet for nearly 20 years, off and on, and had been group program director since 2011. His termination was due to a lack of “consensus on strategy” with Lagardère Active executives, said Rzecpospolita. Last autumn the company severed its relationship with sales director Jaromir Sroga.

In 2016 RadioDays Europe moves to Paris.

Radio station hooks up through social media
“unreal competition”

Music radio programmers have long suffered to get the playlists right. Fitting tunes with target audience has become less subjective, some say less interesting, as broadcasters adopted a variety of research techniques to spot hits or, more likely, avoid stiffs. Reaching younger listeners, arguably harder to get to know, is a challenge.

Russian radio broadcaster PMBC, part of Gazprom Media, has launched Like FM in Moscow, reports sostav.ru (March 16), with the branding campaign “Listen to what I like.” The station’s playlist is “influenced” by an online function similar to popular streaming music websites. The target audience for Like FM is 12 to 19 year olds. (See more about media in Russia here)

Like FM replaces City FM, a mostly news and talk station that PMBC “tried to save,” said company president Yuri Kostin, quoted by vedomosti.ru (March 16). The Moscow radio market is crowded, to say the least. City FM “ceased to be a unique product” amidst “unreal competition from information stations, 13 including our Ekho Moskvy.” If all goes well, PMBC could roll-out the format in other Russian cities.

Radio Page week ending March 13, 2015
radio in Germany, MA Radio 2015/I, Antenne Bayern, Radio NRW, WDR, BR, Energy Munich, SWR, Radio Regenbogen, EinsLive, Radio PSR, radio in Bulgaria, audience measurement, Nielsen Admosphere

Radio Page week ending March 6, 2015
radio in Sweden, public radio, SR, radio in Italy, RCS Media Group, Radio 105, Radio Monte Carlo, Virgin Radio

Radio Page week ending February 27, 2015
radio in Italy, Eurisko GfK Radiomonitor, radio audience, radio advertising, RTL 102.5, RDS, Radio 105, Radio 24, RAI, radio in Germany, AG.MA, radio in Switzerland, digital radio, radio reception, radio in Norway, digital transition, NKOM

Radio Page week ending February 20, 2015
radio in the Czech Republic, public radio, CRo Plus, FM distribution, radio in Crimea, radio in Russia, radio in Ukraine, Gazprom Media

Radio Page week ending February 13, 2015
World Radio Day, ITU, AER, Internews, VPRT, radio in the UK, radio audience, digital radio, RAJAR, BBC, Radio 2, Radio 1, 6Music, commercial radio, Heart

Radio Page week ending February 6, 2015
podcasts, Serial, WBEZ, theater of the mind, radio in Switzerland, audience measurement, digital radio, MediaPulse, SSR-SRG, SFR, RTR, Rete, Radio 3i, Radio Swiss Pop, Radio in France, Radio France, Le Mouv', FIP

Recently added radio audience figures and resources

• Germany - Radio Audience (March 2015)
  leading stations, audience trend, daily reach
• Italy - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (February 2015)
  public and private broadcasting companies, channels, audience reach/share, management
• UK - National Radio Audience (February 2015)
  market share, trend, sectors
• UK - London Radio Audience (February 2015)
  market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (February 2015)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• Switzerland - Radio listening by region (February 2015)
  public and private sectors, penetration, time spent listening
• Switzerland - French region Radio Audience (February 2015)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Swiss-German region Radio Audience (February 2015)
  share, trend
• Switzerland - Italian region Radio Audience (February 2015)
  share, trend
• Bosnia/Herzegovina - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (January 2015)
  public and private broadcasters, management, descriptions, regulator, broadcaster association
• Albania - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (January 2015)
  public and private radio channels, national, regional, religious and community stations
• France - Greater Paris Radio Audience (January 2015)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
• France - National Radio Audience (January 2015)
  national channels, sectors, market share, reach/TSL
• Turkey - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (January 2015)
  ownership, management, program formats, platforms, audience estimates

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