Hot topics click link for more
Canadian radio gets NRJ
First for NRJ in North America
Astral Media is bringing the NRJ brand to Canada. The licensing agreement was announced this week (July 8). (See NRJ presser here)
Astral Media is a multi-media company with interests ranging from radio and television to film production. The company owns 82 radio stations in Canada. It has been operating the Energie network in Quebec, which will now be known as the NRJ network.
NRJ Group chairman Jean-Paul Baudecroux has longed for entry into North America. Current strategy for NRJ International is toward licensing rather than ownership. (JMH)
Newspapers As Supermarket Loss Leaders?
Apart from hotels and the like giving away newspapers very seldom does one find the newsstand price discounted. But it seems the Dollar Tree stores in Troy-Albany, New York have figured that offering the local Sunday and daily newspaper at a steep discount is one way to bring in the shoppers.
Apparently the stores are not getting bulk rates from the newspaper so they are taking a loss on each copy sold. The Sunday newspaper, for instance, that regularly sells for $2 can be had for $1, meaning a 75-cent loss per newspaper.
And apparently the marketing ploy works, with stores reporting early sell-outs. As the reporter for the Albany Coupon Examiner implored her readers, “Please remember they do it to get you in the store to purchase from their inventory. If we all come and grab a newspaper and leave, they will stop selling at such a low price. So while you’re there, pick up a few of those necessary yet inexpensive items.”
An idea that could be tried elsewhere?
Brussels posturing
“Will she stay or will she go”
European Commission politics aren’t terribly complicated, certainly not like, say, Poland. Every Member State – the EU27 – gets a Commissioner, it seems, appointed by each respective government and assigned to lead one of the executive branches by the EC President. Expected to return in that job is José Manuel Barroso.
Running up to the recent European Parliament elections the make up of the EC Executive, and impending changes thereof, rose in the chatter. For those watching the media side of life – and European politics – there are four Commissioners involved, one way or another, in important stuff. Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes is one; beloved by public broadcasters (not!). She’s not returning. Also not returning are Internal Markets Commissioner Charlie McCreevy and Communications Commissioner Margot Wallström.
At the top of the list, media-wise, is Info Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. Fueled, in part, by a report in the Financial Times (July 6) Commissioner Reding’s future has drawn some attention. Quoting all sorts of unnamed sources attending a meeting of telecom operators, the FT story suggested that Commissioner Reding “knows” she’s leaving DG InfoS&M. Big, incumbent telecoms have not been pleased by Commissioner Reding’s success at forcing rate caps, for example.
Nobody was absolutely positive – though 80% certain – that Commissioner Reding would be reappointed by Luxembourg to serve as a Commissioner. That part was put to rest (July 8) as she was reappointed by Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker for a third term. This will make Commissioner Reding a very senior executive at the Commission, which would, logically, mean she’d get to choose her dossier.
It’s possible that Commissioner Reding would jump to Internal Markets. It’s more likely – so say the less idol in Brussels – that her portfolio at DG InfoS&M will be expanded to include cable and satellite TV, from DG Internal Markets, and State aid, from DG Competition. The new Commission will be formed in November. Fun, eh? (JMH)
Were You One Of The 1 Billion?
It probably never will be known how many people in the world watched live video of the Michael Jackson memorial in Los Angeles Tuesday, but initial estimates have about 1 billion around the world watching it on TV
But TV is only part of the story these days. This could well have been the mobile TV event that brings that medium into its own. And just how many people were watching live streaming on the Internet? CNN reported, for instance, that at the beginning of the memorial some 6 million people were receiving its live streaming on cnn.com.
In the US 16 TV networks broadcast the memorial live. Across the world many TV stations cleared their schedules although some chose just to show it on their web sites.
So how does the estimated 1 billion compare to other major TV events? It is claimed that some 2.5 billion people watched the Princess Diana funeral 11 years ago but then mobile TV was just a gleam in someone’s eyes and the Internet was not nearly so prevalent. More recently the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was watched by some 2 billion people.
The first moon walk in 1969 by the Apollo 11 crew drew some 500 million viewers at a time when there were far few TVs around in the world, let alone no Internet. That today’s master of the modern moon walk doubled that viewership 40 years later is a sign of the times.
Less Copy editors, More Mistakes
Our main feature today about the Washington Post details just one of the problems that august newspaper is going through. According to its ombudsman there could well be a correlation between the fact that more and more errors are getting into the newspaper as the newspaper has continually reduced its copy editing staff over the past five years.
“Between early 2005 and mid-2008, the number of full-time copy editors dropped from about 75 to 43 through buyouts or voluntary departures,” wrote reader ombudsman Andrew Alexander. “It has declined further since then, but Post managers won't provide precise figures beyond saying that six took a recent buyout offer.”
Another example that readers do notice deterioration of the editorial product. And when they have an ombudsman to complain to they do make their views known. Publishers may think they are getting away with staff cuts; they are not. The cuts may be necessary to keep the financial numbers in the black but don’t think for one moment the reading public doesn’t notice.
Michael Jackson Memorials
"Don't stop 'til you get enough"
For millions tonight will be one of those rare shared television experiences. National and international channels will be devoting serious prime time to coverage of the Michael Jackson memorials from California. CNN, for example, is starting wall-to-wall coverage from 1800 CET. (See CNN presser here)
Expect slower internet service, too. Live streaming through dozens, maybe hundreds of portals will be eating up the bandwidth. (JMH)
Even Vatican Radio Feels The Pinch
The Roman Catholic Church, looked at strictly as a business venture, has been running in the red for the past couple of years as the economic crisis hits Sunday worshippers let alone the big donations, and some €20 million ($30 million, £17 million) of those losses comes from Vatican Radio. So in true entrepreneurial spirit Vatican Radio is now accepting advertising. First to the plate is the Italian energy company ENEL that has ads in English, Italian, Spanish, French and German and it is thought to be paying around €170,000 ($250,000, £150,000) for the campaign scheduled to end September 27. (See earlier announcement here)
The Vatican says it is keeping its ears to the ground, listening for public opinion and if the advertising goes okay then it will go further along that route. The Vatican says it will ensure the advertising is of a high moral level – doubtful that alcohol, cigarettes and other vices will ever make it!
Vatican Radio broadcasts in 47 languages to the world. It was established back in 1931 by one of the world’s original Mr. Wi-Fi’s – Gugliuelmo Marconi.
Federer Is Number 1 In Swiss Press, Too
If Andy Murray had actually played to the level of all the hype and gone on to win Wimbledon can you imagine what the British Monday national newspapers would have been like? Well, the Swiss press outdid itself Monday with Federer banner headlines that he won his 15th Grand Slam, beating Pete Sampras’ record, that he is now number 1, and, oh yes, he has now won Wimbledon six times. Can he equal Sampras’ Wimbledon record of seven next year?
Since the Swiss are big in watch-making it was only logical that the Basler Zeitung, in Federer’s home town of Basel, compared the town’s hero to a finely-made Swiss watch. “Federer is a perfectionist who is in control of everything and like a watchmaker ensures that every wheel locks into the next and no springs come loose.”
Among the superlatives used by the Swiss newspapers were “passionate fighter”, “masterly”, “one of Switzerland’s most important exports”, “One king, 15 crowns”, “there are no words left to describe the heights reached by Roger Federer”, and last, but not least, ftm’s hometown Tribune de Geneve summed it up, “Phenomenal, incredible, historic, which adjective best describes the abnormal performances of Roger Federer”.
Americans, Brits, the French and other nationalities who are used to hitting the world stage with sporting victories probably cannot understand how, to a small country like Switzerland, having one of its own do as he has fills the country with the pride it seldom gets to experience from winning on the world stage.
Free VJ workshop
Learn new skills
New skills are a good thing to learn. Sometimes free workshops pop up to help with training and re-training. Circom Regional is accepting applications for its video journalist workshop October 19-31 in Budapest. Only ten applicants will be accepted for the free training. (See details here)
Circom Regional is a cooperative association of regional public television broadcasters. (JMH)
Bonnier exits Latvia
Former CEO buys newspapers
Scandinavian publisher Bonnier has sold the major Lativian daily newspaper Diena and daily business newspaper Dienas Bizness to former Diena CEO Aleksandrs Tralmaks. Terms we’re not specified.
Tralmaks is managing partner of Catella Corporate Finance. His new company Nedela will own both papers. Former Bonnier executive John Hedberg will join the Nedela board.
“Nedela came up with a good proposal which we have accepted,” said Bonnier Business Press CEO Casten Almqvist in a statement (July 3). Bonnier has no other interests in Latvia.
Between November 2008 and April 2009, Dienas’ circulation has dropped about 10%, according to the Latvian Press Publishers Association. (JMH)
Internet radio grows
podcast hook for radio
UK radio measurement service RAJAR released data (July 3) showing continued growth of internet listening. (See RAJAR release here)
The 4th MIDAS report shows "steady" growth of internet radio listening, about one-third of UK adults have tried it out.
The report offers a profile of podcast users, a small but growing segment. They seem to subscribe to about 5 podcasts, get most from iTunes and about three-quarters listen to podcasts more than a week old. A shade more than one-third of podcast users say they have become listeners to a station after hearing a podcast.
Considerable attention, complete with whinging, was paid to digital radio at the annual UK radio broadcasters Radio Festival this week. Far less notice was given to internet radio and its variations.
The MIDAS report on internet listening has been released semi-annually since October 2007. (JMH)
|
