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New season – new ad campaign
And new news
Poland’s Radio Zet launched its new ad campaign this week with TV spots and a cash competition. The spots feature listener endorsements and are supported by print and internet placements.
The station’s news and information position is also getting a boost. In addition to hearing new people in the news department, some swiped from other stations, listeners will notice a change in contact points. The Radio Zet Infotelefon, where listeners can call in with news tips, replaces the “Red Phone.” The difference? Now calling in with a news tip is a free call. (JMH)
New Translations
Russian Reset?
Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta is hooking up with the New York Times, reported Interfax (September 17). Translations of NYT articles, “a first in Russian,” said chief editor Dmitry Muratov, will appear in a 16 to 18 page section beginning September 18. Muratov added that Russian businesses will be able to buy ads in the special section.
Is this a warming between Russian and American media? News agency Bloomberg reported (September 16) it will open a Russian-language news service, though its statement was vague about opening offices in Russia.
“For us this is an exciting first step in demonstrating the interest of Bloomberg in the important and fast growing economy of Russia,” said a Bloomberg spokesperson to RAI Novosti.
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev will attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. (JMH)
It’s Heating Up Between News Corp. and Mediaset
The “war” between Italy’s Mediaset (Berlusconi) and Sky Italia (Murdoch) just ratcheted up a notch with News Corp suing Mediaset for allegedly violating EU antitrust rules by not allowing Sky to buy the advertising time it wants on Mediaset TV stations, although Mediaset claims it ran more than 3,000 Sky ads since the beginning of the year.
Sky Italia basically had the pay-TV market to itself for years, but Mediaset has been moving quickly into the terrestrial pay market, too, and the bad blood between Italy’s prime minister, who also happens to the country’s richest man, and with Murdoch has boiled over (For details see here).
Tempers started to really flare last fall when Berlusconi’s government issued a decree doubling to 20% the VAT on satellite television subscriptions while Mediaset’s three terrestrial channels had no VAT charges. Murdoch personally went to Rome to complain, but to no avail. This year Berlusconi has been involved in personal scandals, his wife wants a divorce, and Murdoch’s Times of London has been carrying stories frequently embarrassing to Berlusconi.
Up, Up. Up Go Newspaper Shares
There’s buzz that if advertising levels are not getting any better at least they’re not getting any worse and so newspaper shares that got really battered until just a few weeks back, are seeing some considerable daily gains.
On Wednesday’s close, for instance, the New York Times Company was up 11.93% compared to the Dow Jones Industrial gain of 1.02%. E.W. Scripps was up 11.07%, and Gannett rose 10.26%. McClatchy rose just 1.92% with its shares at $2.61 which is not too shabby considering they hit a low March 3 of 35 cents.
Wall Street likes to bet on the future rather than the past and so at the very least it looks like the shorts have taken their leave – for now.
Media in Europe 20 years on
voice and picture to language and culture
The annual Prix Europa event is always impressive. Bringing together media producers, largely from public broadcasting, it gives extra voice to media professionals. Prix Europa takes place in Berlin October 17 through 24. (See Prix Europa release here)
One theme running through the event marks 20 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Many broadcasters are tackling this subject, some celebrating, some critical. The Prix Europa awards will be very interesting. (JMH)
First digital step from space
missionary
A package of free-to-air satellite TV channels has launched from Polish public television (TVP). It’s part of a four-part strategy of platform upgrades. TVP President Piotr Farfal called the day historic, “the beginning of the revolution in the Polish market.”
We assume he was referring to a digital revolution. Commercial competitors might not be so pleased. TVP has asked the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) for licenses to distribute a wider package of programs. (See more about media in Poland here)
“Subscribers expect primarily free offers from the public service broadcaster,” said Farfal. “Therefore, at the beginning our project aims just about 20 free channels and as many low-fee (channels) at people. We are not an obvious competitor for the commercial platforms. In any event, we will not compete for the viewer who wants to have 100-200 programs and are willing to pay PLN 150 (€36) a month for them.”
Phase two, planned for mid-December, will offer free-to-view channels with the purchase of satellite access cards and pay channels by monthly subscription. Later phases involve digital terrestrial multiplexes.
Farfal pointed out that phase one has cost “not one penny,” the technology acquired previously. And other aspects of the plan remain typically vague. SES Astra will provide transponder space under a previous arrangement. Decoder provider is yet to be announced: “We want to work with anyone who meets our requirements.”
“Our goal is not to earn money from this platform,” he said. “It is primarily a missionary project. "
Pay TV operators like Polsat might prefer something else. (JMH)
Would You Pay $199 For A Single CNN Text Story?
CNN has started a service selling individual stories at $199 each, the thinking being that if newspapers are reluctant to take out a subscription then they can pay piecemeal. But at $199 a shot? You think?
Obama Means Business – He’s Going On Letterman
President Obama is holding a media blitz this weekend, probably to boost his health care reforms, appearing on the Sunday morning talk shows on NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN and Univision. Fox is left out – bad blood there!
But the real business will be done Monday when he appears on Letterman, the first such appearance by a sitting US President on that show although Obama appeared five times when he was running for President.
But it’s not his first appearance on late night talk shows – he did Leno a few months back while on a California visit.
…And Talking of Leno
When Jay Leno did late-night he had around 5 million viewers. So move to 10 p.m. and how does he do on his first night – would you believe 17.7 million viewers on Monday night? But of course the success of a show cannot be told from one night but obviously he’s off to a good start.
And since Leno’s five-times-a week show costs about 20% of what an hour of drama costs, the networks and Hollywood are watching the ratings real close. If he continues to do well it could mean less expensive drama hitting the airwaves. Whatever, the NBC peacock can really strut – Leno’s first show gave the network its largest 10 p.m. audience since the 2008 Olympic Games.
Media reviews were not favorable. Time Magazine had previewed the program as “The Future of Television”, but the L.A. Times wrote, “This wasn’t even a good rendition of television past.” The New York Times said, “So much ink has been devoted to describing how Mr. Leno's new show would depart from his old one that it was startling to see how little difference there was."
Hey, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.
It’s not just Turkey, Argentine Tax Officials Raid Newspaper Group
Could it be that governments have figured the best way to bring down media groups that are critical is to set the taxman on them? In Turkey the Dogan Group has just been hit with a $2.5 billion fine (see story here) and now in Argentina more than 150 tax inspectors have raided Groupo Clarin, one of South America’s largest media organizations and publisher of its largest circulation newspaper, Clarin.
And it is probably no coincidence, as in Turkey that the news organization and the government are at odds with one another. President Christina Fernandez is promoting a media reform bill that she says will bring more competition to the media sector whereas opposition lawmakers say it is aimed at directly weakening Clarin’s influence.
Former president Nestor Kirchner, who just happens to be married to the current President, has frequently criticized Clarin's government coverage as biased and he has called the company a "monopoly."
A coincidence the raid comes just as Clarin steps up its criticism of Fernandez’s recent handling of a farmers’ dispute and its criticism of the media reform law? Just as it was a coincidence in Turkey? Where next?
More and More Americans Don’t Trust News Organizations
Only 29% of Americans believe news organizations generally get the facts straight, while 63% say that news stories are often inaccurate, according to a new poll by the respected Pew Research Institute. That’s a big reversal over the past 25 years for in Pew’s initial survey in 1985 just 34% of respondents said they thought news stories were inaccurate.
A lot of it, apparently, has to do with political affiliation. A far greater percentage of Democrats than Republicans think, for instance, that TheNew York Times is great, but a far larger percentage of Republicans think the Wall Street Journal is great whereas far fewer Democrats agree.
Television remains the dominant news source with 71% saying that’s where they get most of their national and international news. But 42% said they got most of that news from the internet, compared with 33% who cite newspapers. When it comes to local news 64% say TV is their main source (yes, that all adds up to more than 100%, apparently because of multiple responses, according to Pew). Good news for newspapers is that 41% turn there while only 17% go to the Internet for that fix.
Green shoots in gizmo land
Things change
The world of broadcast technology (aka: the gizmo people) gathered in Amsterdam for the annual International Broadcasting Conference (September 11-14), affectionately known as the IBC. It is always light on conference, as in dreary speakers, and high (obviously) on selling the new, the bold, the flashing and the expensive. Opening day foot-traffic was noticeably light but organizers expect totals to exceed last years’ 50,000.
DIS Consulting CEO Douglas Sheer told the annual Analysts Breakfast (Oh, my, Sunday morning) that 2010 will be a better year for broadcast equipment sales. "All of the signs are coming up as positive towards a recovery next year,” he said predicting just short of 5% increase in gizmo sales in 2010. This year sales are down 14%. Sheer also said non-broadcast sales of video and mobile equipment will grow about 7%.
US based Harris Broadcast, one of the biggest manufacturers and sellers, took the biggest floor space in the exhibition hall. Company president Tim talked about shifting sales focus from the US market – 60% of its business in recent years – to 75% from outside the US and non-broadcast buyers. “It's a big transition for us, and we're going to be shifting resources from the U.S. market to elsewhere,” he observed. (JMH)
iPlayer for all
Share, and share alike
Since its launch just short of two years ago the BBC’s iPlayer has turned a corner with on demand video access. It’s also ruffled other UK TV broadcasters, Mr. Murdoch included. Success breeds contempt, yes?
The BBC’s Director of Future Media Erik Huggers took the platform war to a whole different level announcing the possibility of sharing the iPlayer with commercial rivals. Third parties would be allowed to use an ‘Open iPlayer’ version to offer their own content. The BBC offers only BBC content on its iPlayer.
“It is about making sure each of the broadcasters around the world can continue to have a direct relationship with their users,” said Huggers at the IBC broadcast gizmo show in Amsterdam. He also made a point of saying the BBC isn’t interested in becoming a content aggregator. The BBC Trust must approve the project. (JMH)
Radio Wave Lost
Return to FM shelved
The prospect of Czech public radio (Ceské Rozhlas – CR) youth channel Radio Wave returning to the FM band dimmed as politicians shelved (September 9) an amendment to the Public Broadcasting Act. “The House has refused to consider amendments to the Act, although it was recommended by several Members,” said Czech Minister of Education and Youth Ondrej Liska to IDNES.cz. (See background on Radio Wave here)
Radio Wave was remanded to DAB broadcasting in July after media regulator Council for Radio and TV broadcasting (RRTV) ruled the station was illegally occupying FM frequencies. Supporters had sought to overturn the decisions. Liska was pushing for FM coverage “at least to university towns.”
CR Interim Director General Richard Medek has suggested an hour of the Radio Wave program might be offered on the Radiozurnál FM frequencies. (JMH)
Microphone throwing contest
Food fight
Journalists in Kyiv invited deputies of Ukraine’s VerkhovnaRada (Parliament) to heave microphones (September 11), reported korrespondent.net. The target seems to have been other deputies. About fifty journalists participated and a few deputies.
The Kyiv Independent Media Trade Union organized the event to commemorate Communist Party MP Oleksandr Tkachenko grabbing a microphone from a news crew and tossing it down a flight of stairs (September 1). Mr. Tkachenko was distressed by a question from STB TV parliament correspondent Olga Chervakova about banning journalists from the parliament cafeteria. Journalists are forbidden from photographing Mps chowing down.
The journalists union are pressing prosecutors to charge Tkachenko with obstructing lawful activities of journalists. Rada leaders have also pressed Mr. Tkachenko to apologize. (JMH)
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