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Two guys carrying cameras were not just tourists
“conflicting information”
Border authorities at the Lennart Meri Tallinn (Estonia) airport turned away two employees of Russian television channel Star (Zvezda) on checking documents. “The men came to Estonia on tourist visas,” said border police spokesperson Ilmar Kahro, quoted by postimees.es (July 25). “When questioned, they could not adequately explain the purpose of their trip and gave conflicting information.”
Press identification cards “in the Ukrainian language” were found in a “review” of their belongings. Within minutes Russian Federation Foreign Affairs Ministry human rights commissioner Konstantin Dolgov issued a statement complaining about the incident. “At this stage there is no reason for their detention. We will continue to strive for their immediate release, not excluding an appeal to the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe).
The men were not detained and, presumably, allowed to return to Russia. TV channel Star is a national network operated by the Russian Ministry of Defense. RAI Novosti indicated the men intended to report on a World War II veteran’s reunion, the tourist visa issue, apparently, incidental.
Ratings: maximize the mood
and be very tasteful
Big change is again the theme for French radio broadcasters. Médiamétrie’s Greater Paris (Il de France – IDF) audience estimates released this week showed some of the same changes seen in the national April-June radio survey (see report here) and a few new ones.
As with the national April-June radio audience estimates legacy general interest national channel plunged in the IDF survey, still ranked number one but falling 11.5% from 13.8% one year on. National news-talk channel Europe 1 moved into second place with 10.9% market share, up from 9.8%. Public general interest channel France Inter fell to 9.8% market share and 3rd place from 9.9%. News-talk channel RMC tumbled to 6.8% market share from 8.6% year on year. All-news public channel France Info dropped to its lowest IDF market share in more than a decade, 3.9% from 5.0%. The statutory national general interest channels on aggregate fell to 40.1% market share from 43.3%.
National music channels were also hurt, dropping to 26.1% aggregated market share in the IDF from 27.1% one year on. NRJ kept 5th place with 5.6% market share, up from 5.1%. Skyrock, which typically scores better in the IDF audience estimates than in the national survey was also up a slice to 4.3% market share and 6th place. (See France IDF audience trend chart here)
Screaming up the chart – figuratively, certainly not literally – was Radio Classique to 7th place and 4.1% market share from 11th. Radio Classique is a national channel owned by luxury goods marketer LVMH broadcasting classical music with quite tasteful brief news. Public classical music and arts channel France Musique was slightly lower at 0.9% market share while mostly speech-based France Culture gained notably, 2.5% market share from 2.1%.
Among the rest of the national music channels RFM and RTL2 were up rather significantly, though still at the back of the list. NRJ Group channels Nostalgie, Cherie FM and Rire & Chansons were all down.
Local stations on aggregate gained very significantly, up to 18.0% market share from 14.8%. Radio Latina, Oui FM, Tropiques FM and TSF Jazz were all up more than a slice.
This holiday season expect fewer selfies
Not going to facebookistan
The holiday season has arrived, for many, or it’s fast approaching. Thoughts turn to family, friends, beaches, mountains… all kinds of fun things. Many Scandinavians are leaving social media at home.
More than two out of five people in Sweden (42%) will not be using social media while on holiday, says a study for online travel portal Momondo, reported dagensmedia.se (July 23). There is, however, a considerable age and gender gap. About two-thirds of 18 to 35 year olds in Sweden and the same proportion of women will, indeed, be checking in with Facebook, Instagram and all the rest.
Interviewed for the survey were people from 12 countries. Danes, those happy people, are least likely to check social media updates while on holiday, three out of five Danes taking a break from Facebook friends. The Spanish and Italians, it seems, are most likely to be on social media this holiday season.
Money flows, money shifts, money never sleeps
Deals-a-go-go
Media watchers of the financial kind roundly predicted, on the 21st Century Fox bid for Time Warner, a veritable rush for big deals. And, so it seems.
Forbes Media, publisher of the euphonious magazine famous for ranking the rich and famous, has sold a controlling stake to Hong Kong investment consortium Integrated Whale. Don’t you just love the name? So 21st Century, yes?
The deal values the company at US$475 million, reported Reuters. Specifics were not exactly forthcoming but VC Elevation Partners, 45% shareholder, exits. Forbes Media top executives, including grandson of founder Steve Forbes, will keep their jobs. Forbes magazine is nearly a century old. Big German media house Axel Springer, which publishes the Russian edition of Forbes, kicked the tires and walked away.
Private equity owners of giant US Spanish-language broadcaster Univision are looking for a cash-out in the vicinity of US$20 billion, reported the Wall Street Journal (July 15). Disney and, of course, Time Warner are expected to bid. Mexican pay-TV operator Grupo Televisa holds a 38% stake in Univision on a waiver of foreign ownership rules capped at 25%.
Morgan Stanley investment bank acquired just under 5% equity in big Spanish media house Prisa, becoming the second biggest shareholder after the founding Polanco family. America Movil principal owner Carlos Slim, the world’s second richest person, holds roughly a 3% stake in Prisa and is a fierce competitor of the aforementioned Grupo Televisa.
UK and Ireland pay-TV operator BSkyB, principally owned by 21st Century Fox, is ready to finalize acquisition of Sky Italia, wholly owned by 21st Century Fox, and Sky Deutschland, mostly owned by 21st Century Fox, reported Reuters (July 21). It will be about US$10 billion shifting from one Fox spreadsheet to another.
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