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The Tickle File is ftm's daily column of media news, complimenting the feature articles on major media issues. Tickle File items point out media happenings, from the oh-so serious to the not-so serious, that should not escape notice...in a shorter, more informal format.

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Week of April 18, 2016

Government holds firm, no money for public broadcaster
“It has reached the end”

Beleaguered Romanian public broadcaster Televiziunea Romana (TVR) will not participate in this years Eurovision Song Contest. In fact, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) finally “suspended” TVR from all member activities because of an arrears debt of CHF 16 million (about €14.5 million) effectively immediately. The EBU threw in the towel, so to speak, after attempts to collect the debt failed.

“We are disappointed that all our attempts to resolve this matter have received no response from the Romanian government,” said EBU director general Ingrid Deltenre in a statement. The arrears amount has accumulated for nearly a decade. TVR became a full active EBU member in 1993. It is legally owned by the Romanian State. This is the first time the EBU has suspended an active member. (See the EBU statement here)

The Romanian Finance Ministry “summoned” public radio and TV executives to “find a solution to the serious financial situation,” reported paginademedia.ro (April 22) about an hour after the EBU presser arrived. That meeting ended where it began, the government’s position unchanged: there will be no money to pay the EBU or, it seems, anybody else. All parties are calling for a new legal mandate for TVR. More meetings next week were hinted. (See more about media in Romania here)

“There is no money for gas for the car to go to film for news,” said TVR acting director Irina Radu on Europa FM (April 22). “It has reached the end. If Romania does not want a public television they should announce this.” TVR also, it appears, loses broadcast rights to the Summer 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

There’s a reason broadcast owners hate the ratings: they can drop like a rock
“illogical variations” or too many comedians?

The release of January-March Mediamétrie French national audience estimates achieved the near-impossible in this digital age: newspaper headlines about radio. Radio listeners deserted two big national news/talk channels - Europe 1 and RMC - and surged for all-music channels, notably NRJ and Fun Radio. “Are the French tired of anxiety-laden news?” asked Le Monde (April 20).

Europe 1, owned by Lagardère Active, sank to its lowest market share in more than a decade, 6.8% and 4th in the national rankings from 7.5% and 3rd one year on. NextRadioTV’s RMC dropped to 5.9% market share and 7th place from 6.5%. Other national channels significantly invested in news output gained: market leader RTL bumped up to 11.9% market share, 2nd place public radio channel France Inter rose to 10.3% from 9.8% and all-news France Info was up slightly to 3.4% market share. (See France national radio market share trend chart here)

This pushed hit music channel NRJ to 3rd place, up slightly to 7.2% market share. But it was the huge increase by dance music channel Fun Radio, RTL Group, that confirmed that “news anxiety” had set-in; a record-setting 6.1% market share put it in 6th place. Pop rock Virgin Radio, Lagardère Active, gained a half point year on year to 2.7% market share.

Predictably, Europe 1 general director Fabien Namias was a pains to explain that the channel has “a particularly elastic audience.” He also said certain adjustments would be made for the seasonal change in September. “We need more music and intelligent entertainment.”

Two days before the Mediamétrie results became common knowledge, Lagardère Active CEO Arnaud Lagardère paid an unexpected visit to the Europe 1 offices to have a little chat with the staff, reported La Parisian (April 18). His message, according to those within earshot, was direct: the measurement system must be “modernized” because of “illogical variations.” He said he’d be phoning all the other owners.

Measurement systems the world over comply with two basic rules. First and foremost is to provide an acceptable level of scientific rigor. Next is to never frighten the customers; media buyers, principally, and media owners who underwrite the measurement services. There are no other rules.

Outrage over unflattering news coverage leads to more unflattering news coverage
a little bad news goes a long way

Algerian media expressed displeasure bordering on outrage after French media republished rather unflatering photos of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika meeting recently with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls. Newspaper Liberté Algérie (April 15) called the publication “unspeakable treachery.” President Bouteflika has been partially incapacitated since suffering a stroke in 2014. He is 79 years old.

Setting up a tense situation, French reporters for Le Monde and Canal+ were denied visas to cover PM Valls trip to Algeria. That came about in response to publication of unflattering revelations from the Panama Papers exposing certain Algerian government officials. The Algerian government called that publication “hostile.” Several French news outlets boycotted PM Valls trip to Algeria, including newspapers Libération and Le Figaro as well as public radio channel France Inter. (See more about Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region media here)

A few days later Algerian Communications Minister Hamid Grine spoke to media managers and others at Adrar University about media literacy, in his own terms. He referred to journalists and their employers as "incompetent, immature, deconstructed and manipulated,” quoted by algerie-focus.com (April 18). He also said “ninety percent of the presidents of great nations do not read newspapers.”

The audience wants what they know… and who
why reinvent the wheel?

As a new quarter rolled into the Spain’s General Media Study the ever-leading Cadena SER budged but barely, still number one and still with a huge audience share, 35.4%. The big story, though not really news, is Cadena Cope blasting into second place as Onda Cero crashes to fourth. A year ago Onda Cero morning show host Carlos Herrera walked across the street, figuratively, to Cadena Cope taking with him huge numbers.

The brilliance of radio in Spain is its certainty. Show hosts occasionally move from channel to channel but styles remain the same. At a time when radio broadcasters feel trampled by streaming services and other new media, some of it real and some perceived, Spain’s biggest national channels seem unbothered with frustrated reinvention. Nationally, radio reach edged up to 60.4% from 60.1% year on year. The General Media Study (EGM) is updated quarterly. (See more about media in Spain here)

Cadena SER, Cadena Cope and Onda Cero are legacy general interest channels with national reach featuring news, sports (of course) and high-profile talk shows. Emblematic, too, of the consistency of Spain’s big radio channels is hit music Los 40 Principales, third place - again - with 15.4% audience share. In July Los 40 Principales, which began as a chart show on Radio Madrid, will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Latin pop channel Cadena Dial, with Los 40 Principales owned by Prisa, bumped up slightly to 13.4% audience share for 5th place nationally. (See EGM national radio audience trend chart here)

Below the fold - out of double digits - pop/rock EuropaFM and adult-contemporary Cadena 100 slipped a bit, tied for 6th. Public radio main channel RNE was up to 9.5%, best in two years. Among music channels, hot A/C Kiss FM was the biggest winner, 5.0% audience share up from 4.3% year on year and its best showing in three years.

Controversy not welcome at TV channel
“their own policies”

Bulgarian political cartoonist Chavdar Nikolov is unemployed this week. Television channel Nova TV terminated his contract and removed from its website the video cartoons he had produced. Online TV channel VBox7 followed suit. Both are owned by Modern Times Group (MTG).

Very often it’s the cartoonists and satirists who are best able to channel outrage. Those who complain loudest about the sharp pen or turn of phrase fall into a very digital trap. MPEG files have a way of returning at the most inconvenient moments. (See more about press freedom here)

Last week one of Mr.Nikolov’s video cartoons - very short, just 16 seconds - was broadcast on Nova TV’s morning news and talk show Hello, Bulgaria. The first frame depicted 7th Century Bulgarian figures marching ahead of a staff bearing the traditional horsetail. The second, in parody, showed Prime Minister Boyko Borisov carrying a staff to which was attached pig tails, the colloquial Bulgarian term for plastic straps used by police to tie hands. The video cartoon followed a rather notorious video of “volunteer border patrols” binding Afghan refugees with “pig tails.” (See more about media in Bulgaria here)

PM Borisov praised the vigilantes, at first, then changed tune when video of the bound refugees went viral. Distribution of that video was, he said, part of a plot to destabilize the country. To a Nova TV reporter he suggested the removal of Mr.Nikolov’s video cartoon was a part of a plot to discredit him. “I am not guilty,” he said. “Private media makes their own policies.”

“Quite suspicious,” said capital.bg media reporter Vessislava Antonova (April 15).

More smartphones and media buyers chasing every one
just like a video game

Media buyers just keep pouring more of their clients money into digital platforms. The IAB UK and IAB Ireland separately reported vast increases for 2015. IAB UK reported a 16.4% year on year growth rate, biggest since 2008, to GB£ 8.6 billion. For Ireland the year on year growth rate was 29% to €340 million.

Mobile platforms, unsurprisingly, are attracting more every year, probably every minute. In the UK for 2015 that’s GB£ 2.63 billion, just under a third of all digital ad spending. Mobile ad spending in Ireland rose to €131 million, 41% of the total digital ad take. Mobile ad spending in the UK added 78% of year on year growth, in Ireland 81%. (See more on mobile media here)

“Smartphones are the major driving force behind this, as people increasingly use them for activities they used to do on desktop, from searching and shopping to social and watching video,” observed IAB UK chief strategy officer Tim Elkington in a statement (See IAB UK presser here). The average UK household now has 8.3 digital devices including 2.1 smartphones sending digital ad spending into “another gear.”

Totally unconnected (disconnected?), money is quite the discussion point at the annual general meetings of WPP, the world’s biggest advertising holding company. CEO Martin Sorrell is defensive about his pay package, specifically that GB£ 63 million bonus. “If WPP does well, I do well,” he said, quoted by the Guardian (April 18).

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