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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 July 20, 2015

Big city audience jumps, news-talk twists and turns
was it the football?

Quite often radio audience estimates for Il-de-France (IDF - Greater Paris) contrast significantly with the national Médiamétrie survey. For the April-June period, results released this week, broadcasters faced a public radio strike, lots of football news and the UberPop taxi strike. Overall radio listening shot up to 78.0% reach from 75.2% year on year.

Once again, national general interest channel RTL was number one, though lower in audience share to 12.4% from 11.4% one year on. News-talk channel RMC shot up to 2nd place with 9.0% audience share from 6.9%. RMC has a strong emphasis on sports-talk and the FIFA controversy was certainly good talk-show fodder. Public news-talk channel France Inter dropped to 3rd place, 8.7% audience share from 9.8%, as most Radio France channels dropped news for music loops for four weeks. News-talk channel - mostly talk - Europe 1 was still being punished for a show host change last year, posting 8.7% audience from 10.9% year on year.

The statutory national general interest channels, on aggregate, gained audience share slightly to 40.3% from 40.1% one year on. The public broadcasting France Bleu network added to that increase with 1.6% audience share, up from 1.0%. Unlike the national survey public radio channels aside from France Inter generally showed increases; all-news France Info up to 4.3% audience share from 3.9% and FIP (France Inter Paris) up to 2.3% audience share from 2.1%. France Musique and France Culture were lower. (See Greater Paris audience trend chart here)

Legacy national hit music channel NRJ held 5th place in the IDF survey, 5.3% audience share from 5.6% year on year. Skyrock, Nostalgie and RTL2 were also lower. Radio Classique, classical music plus business and political news, sank to 2.6% audience share from 4.1% one year on. RFM and Virgin Radio posted gains. Altogether the national music channels were slightly lower at 25.9% aggregated audience share.

Local IDF stations on aggregate rose to 19.7% audience share from 18.0% year on year. Radio Latina remained to top rated local station, down slightly to 2.1% audience share. Urban music format Voltage jumped to 1.8% audience share from 0.8%. Tropiques FM, Generations and Radio FG were also up. Radio Nova, officially a national channel, and Oui FM were lower.

Publisher turns old media icon into cash
“an inflection point”

The killjoys of the publishing world, particularly in the UK, gasp incredulous at Pearson’s sale of the venerable Financial Times (FT) title to Japanese publisher Nikkei this week. Pearson leaders have telegraphed their intention to shed the FT off and on for most of this century. When the Wall Street Journal reported talks with potential buyers gaining momentum, there were predictable nods to the source, owned by Rupert Murdoch, trying to scare people.

The FT is, of course, the icon of business and financial publishing. It’s respected for diligent and clear reporting. Every stock trader carries it to the office. Pearson reported FT paid circulation at nearly three-quarters of a million in the first half 2015, up 9% year on year. Digital subscriptions are a bit over half a million, up 14%. Alas, Pearson’s education business - meaning textbooks - is far more profitable.

“Education and journalism are both very important activities to society, but it comes increasingly hard to ride both horses equally well,” said Pearson CEO John Fallon on BBC Radio 4 (July 24). “If you look around the world, having made the decision that Pearson was no longer the best owner of the Financial Times I would say that Nikkei is one of the very few organisations with whom you would say that you would feel that they would continue in the long and honorable tradition of editorial independence without fear and favour and a completely global perspective on the world.”

The sale price is GBP 844 million (US$1.3 billion) and does not include the London headquarters building. Neither does it include Pearson’s 50% stake in The Economist, clearly next up for bids. German publisher Axel Springer was reportedly (Bloomberg July 24) out-bid at the last minute when Nikkei offered an additional GBP 100 million. Trophy won.

“Pearson has been a proud proprietor of the FT for nearly 60 years,” said Mr. Fallon. “But we’ve reached an inflection point in media, driven by the explosive growth of mobile and social. In this new environment, the best way to ensure the FT’s journalistic and commercial success is for it to be part of a global, digital news company.” It seems very traditional publisher Pearson would rather not invest the endless sums required to satisfy quintessentially impatient smartphone users.

Nikkei is a multimedia business and financial publisher known outside Japan, mostly, for its euphonious stock market index. Nikkei popped an email to subscribers announcing the news before FT staff, except those negotiating, had any idea.

Another chance for digital radio once frequencies found
the cost-effective solution

There’s a new plan for digital radio in Russia. State broadcast infrastructure provider Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network (RTRS), after appropriate testing, now favors the DAB+ digital radio standard, reported radioportal.ru (July 20). Previously the RTRS “approved” the DRM digital radio standard, then the older DAB standard but not much actually happened.

Test broadcasts from the famous Ostankino Tower in Moscow showed good coverage in residential areas, less so in urban areas because of tall buildings. Reception in automobiles was essentially the same, not so good around big buildings. Undeterred, the RTRS wants to push forward, largely because DAB+ multiplexes are far less expensive to build and operate, nobody wants to upgrade FM systems and DAB+ receivers, transmitters and everything else associated are widely available in Europe. (See more about digital radio here)

The remains something of an issue with spectrum availability for digital radio in the Russian Federation. The 174-320 MHz band has now been approved for digital radio by the Russian spectrum regulator SCRF. Until 2019 analogue TV switch-off in Russia this slice of radio spectrum is already in use. The Russian-invented RAVIS digital radio standard seems to have been abandoned.

Austerity touches another public broadcaster
government looks for the money

Bank accounts for Romanian public TV broadcaster TVR were ordered blocked by tax authorities this week. It seems TVR is in debt to the State for loans covering a budget shortfall and missed the scheduled payment. About 100 employees gathered at TVR’s Bucharest headquarters to protest, reported Europa FM (July 22).

Effectively that action of the National Agency of Fiscal Administration (ANAF) shuts down TVR “including the production of news”, said general director Stelian Tanase, Salary accounts remain unblocked but “not even the bills for water and power can be paid,” he said. According to court documents TVR is about €150 million in debt, two-thirds of which is owed the State. A payment agreement was negotiated in 2012. (See more about media in Romania here)

TVR directors asked Prime Minister Victor Ponta to double the household license fee, currently less than one euro per month. He refused. Mr. Tanase recently compared PM Ponta to former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu for political interference with TVR management. Last week Romania’s anti-corruption agency DNA charged PM Ponta with money laundering and tax evasion. He’s ignored calls to step down.

TVR union members gathered in protest earlier this month as their collective bargaining agreement expired and accused Mr. Tanase of mismanaging the broadcaster’s financial situation. Accounts for the Bucharest regional public transport system (RATB) were also blocked. The ANAF said it would begin an inventory of TVR and RATB assets to determine how the debts due can be recovered.

Where media freedom is strongest, click-bait rejected
irritated by spin doctors, too

Healthy scepticism is an honorable trait. With that in mind, a recent study of attitudes toward news media in Finland shows only one in 20 of those surveyed totally confident in everything reported by the country’s news media. Roughly half (51%) found some news content “implausible.”

Press freedom advocates Reporters sans Frontiers (RSF) and Freedom House have ranked Finland best in the world for the last five years in their respective media freedom indices. Finns do not suffer corruption and institutional transparency is the norm. Professional journalist organisations and unions are strong. Media criticism and literacy are included in basic educational programs and broadband internet access is a legal right.(See more about media in Finland here)

Hence, when Finns are asked about their news media environment, they speak with some authority. Results of the recent survey, commissioned by Finnish media house Alma Media, showed most Finns get their news from newspapers and TV, social media not so much if at all. What they don’t like is “click journalism, in which the importance of news is measured by clicks.” Overall, Finns prefer facts to opinions and are really irritated by political spin doctors

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