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Minority language broadcasts authorized
“should have been given years ago”
Turkey’s media regulator RTüK granted permission for minority language broadcasts to 14 radio and TV stations, according to bianet (February 24). In recent years the Turkish government has relaxed rules on non-Turkish language broadcasting. The 14 stations are now allowed to present programs in Arabic, Zazaki and Kirmanji. Zazaki and Kirmanji are Kurdish dialects.
“This right, which was given to private radio stations in recent years, should have bee given years ago,” said Cemre FM CEO Mahmut Sarhan. “Everyone should be able to listen to the music they want in their own language.” Cemre FM broadcasts from Mardin, southeastern Turkey, where Kurdish is widely spoken. (See more on media in Turkey here)
Totally unrelated, we presume, both the current and a former head of RTUK were sentenced to 2 and a half years in prison (February 24) for administrative misconduct, according to Today’s Zaman. In all, 9 former or current RTUK board members were given jail sentences. Five were acquitted. According to Hürriyet (February 24), the convictions were for “malpractice by not following judicial decisions.” Other details are sketchy. (JMH)
Good Grief!
You know just how bad things must be in the newspaper world when E.W. Scripps says it is “exploring strategic options” on what to do with its United Media licensing business that includes Peanuts and Dilbert.
Peanuts, and later Dilbert have brought in a fortune to Scripps over the years and even if the brands are not what they once used to be – if the young don’t read newspapers then they’re not looking regularly at comic strip characters – they are still very well known and demanded by the older readers. But a 15% downturn in Q4 licensing and syndication revenue could signal the end is near.
ftm partner Phil Stone early in his journalism career was a United Press International (UPI) executive in Europe when Scripps then owned the news agency and so it was natural and cost effective for UPI to be United Media’s overseas agent. Indeed a large portion of UPI’s European revenue at that time came from licensing Peanuts.
Thus a major role for any UPI manager was to be on the lookout for unlicensed Peanuts usage – Charlie Brown or Snoopy’s image on a tea mug or T-shirt, for instance. Stone recalls during a visit to Aarhus in Denmark, he was amazed to see many city busses plastered with huge Charlie Brown images. He immediately phoned London headquarters sure he had found a flagrant violation only to told that in fact there was such a commercial licensing deal in place. Such was the international popularity of the character.
If Scripps really does dump Charlie Brown, just as it did UPI, then that really tells us how bad things are in newspaperland.
Web and Mobile Usage Way Up For NBC’s Olympics Coverage
NBC has released some fascinating viewing figures for its multi-platform approach to showing the Olympics, bearing in mind its number one goal is to protect the primetime show. TV remains by far the dominant platform with 93% of all viewing, but the numbers for the web and mobile are considerable, too, when compared to the Beijing Games just 18 months ago.
The network says for Vancouver its web site and I Tunes app have generated 58.2 million page views, already a 68% increase over all of Beijing. Around 32 million viewers have watched some programming online – that’s already more than double those who watched some of Beijing online. And mobile is showing some remarkable usage -- through 11 days users have streamed more than 1.4 million videos, already more than four times the number for all of Beijing (301,000).
And NBC has protected the primetime show – its viewing numbers have won gold almost every night.
Milestones in irony
“Today it’s boobs, tomorrow something else”
There are days when the head just spins. Wednesday (February 24) was that. And we’re weeks away from spring!
First was the Italian court decision against Google employees. This long-running case was a test of the legal distinction between the privacy requirements of internet portals and ISPs. Under Italian law, it seems, a portal – Google in this case – is responsible for the content users upload.
Italian President Silvio Berlusconi has lodged complaints against YouTube, which Google owns, for videos of his bimbo eruptions. A Google spokesperson said an appeal is likely.
Later it was the German newspaper publishers association (VDZ) whinging about Apple removing certain apps from its App Store. Without an announcement, it seems, Apple removed about 5,000 risque apps this week (February 22). That didn’t set well with the VDZ.
“Axel Springer should be worried about recent developments,” said a VDZ statement, quoted by AFP (February 24). Axel Springer publishes the tabloid Bild, which regularly prints a ‘boob-shot’. “Today’s its boobs, tomorrow it’s something else.” Bild’s iPhone App includes, well, everything. It’s been downloaded more than 100,000 times.
It was Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner who howled when German public television began offering an iPhone app for its main news program. (JMH)
One Year Bankruptcy Anniversary For Philadelphia Newspapers
When a Chapter 11 bankruptcy has everyone on board before it is filed the procedure goes relatively quickly and smoothly (think Media News, Morris Communications), but when there is a whole lot of in-fighting between various creditors let alone with those still running the business then smooth and quick are the last words to describe the litigation. And so it goes in Philadelphia with the Daily News and The Inquirer marking their one-year bankruptcy anniversary by their parent Philadelphia Media Holdings. And the legal battle-royal continues.
CEO Brian Tierney said in a Daily News interview marking the anniversary that the fight basically was between local ownership that wanted to keep ownership local, and those big nasty Wall Street hedge funds and the international banks. It’s really more complicated than that, but the animosity between the two sides cannot be over-emphasized.
A couple of interesting tidbits from the interview -- if you think a long bankruptcy is expensive then you’re right. Tierney said it’s costing in various fees about $2 million a month. He also noted that in 2009 the company had an operating profit of some $15 million, but that and more was wiped out in the legal fees. So there is some good news – the newspapers are already at the point that without worrying about pre-bankruptcy debt and bills they are actually making a go of it, so the newspapers are salvageable.
The bankruptcy judge continues to maneuver between the various minefields but at the end of the day – which hopefully will be sooner rather than later -- he has to decide the best manner under which debt and the like is converted to equity – is it still not possible to come up with a deal similar to what Dean Singleton and his creditors worked out at MediaNews with current management still running the show but the bankers owning some 80% of the shares? The alternative, apparently, is to kick the locals out and let the bankers and hedge funds run the newspapers – they certainly know how to bring in people to squeeze businesses in their best interests, but can that also be done while at the same time meeting the best needs of the community to have vibrant local newspapers that are not cut through the bone?
From a distance it seems what the judge really needs to do is bang some heads together!
Commercials, Yes; Sponsors No for Current Events TV Shows Broadcast In The UK
Ofcom, the UK’s broadcast watchdog, has some pretty strong rules about sponsorship of TV current affairs shows – it’s not allowed -- and it has just nailed, of all people, CNN International. Ofcom’s rules allow commercials but no sponsors to ensure “the important principle that news and current affairs must be reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality. A broadcaster’s editorial control over the content of its news and current affairs programming should not be, or appear to be, compromised."
And yet there was CNN’s Inside Africa program last September sponsored by Zenith Bank and a viewer complained – it just takes one viewer complaint for Ofcom to investigate. And Ofcom ruled CNNI had committed a no-no. The network basically said sorry, that there had been “a recent inadvertent editorial shift” in Inside Africa and the network was taking steps to ensure the team producing the program understood the rules relating to sponsorship. In other words the sponsor remains but the show changes! No doubt it will be more feature oriented at the expense of current affairs that tried to tell what really is going on in Africa. Pity.
All of this makes one wonder also if Ofcom should take a look at Skype’s connection with CNNI’s daily Connect The World program –is that a sponsorship? Have you noticed how many credited interviews via Skype there are in that program? The number of on-air promos during the day that mention Skype’s participation? Not complaining, mind you, because undoubtedly there are now more video interviews than may have been possible before – but seldom has a program gone out of its way to identify on-air how it was done – Skype. Could one say that is product placement? Is it sponsorship? Is it all within Ofcom rules?
Pirate Bay co-founder to wind-up the radio people
Radio and pirates, together
The first RadioDays Europe conference coming up in March will have several interesting speakers although, frankly, most are the ‘usual suspects’. That changed, according to mediawatch.dk (February 22), as Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde was added to the roster.
“In a world increasingly dominated by information overflow, we need help to solve the new, relevant and interesting parts of the content,” said Sunde in a release. “I think radio will be more important in coming years - as an intelligent filter, a reliable guide and a good companion in our daily lives.”
Radio people have, mostly, a certain warmth toward their own pirates. Sunde will be talking about his experiences with the confluence of copyright, music and the law. (See more about Pirate Bay here) (JMH)
Euronews negotiating
Let’s try Spain again
Euronews, the pan-European television news channel, is negotiating to return to Spanish airwaves, reports El Mundo (February 22). Former Spanish public broadcasting (RTVE) chief Luis Fernandez booted Euronews off in 2008. A change in RTVE management – and the Spanish European Union Presidency – gives Euronews CEO Philippe Cayla an opening and last Thursday he met with Spanish government officials. Cayla has also been meeting with regional Spanish public broadcasters.
Euronews claims it reaches 300 million homes with broadcasts in 9 languages. It’s certainly available in every hotel. The channel has ramped up its marketing over the last year or so. French, Italian, Russian and Turkish public broadcasters primarily own Euronews with other public broadcaster holding tiny shares. (JMH)
Radio measurement upgraded
Reports delayed
Radio audience measurement in Hungary is going through a previously unannounced methodology upgrade. From the first of the year, the new IPSOS-GfK Hungaria radio survey will use a merged sample, the telephone interview used previously and a new on-line questionnaire. The on-line sample is expected to boost compliance.
Since the two highest rated national radio channels – Slager Radio and Danubius Radio – left the airwaves last November after license renewals were denied and new stations took their place, listening patterns “in the last two months changed several times,” reports Marketing & Media (February 19), saying the impact was “significant.” (See more on media in Hungary here) Thus, reports are being delayed until results have stabilized. November and December 2009 data will not be released. The abrupt methods change is no coincidence, say media watchers in Hungary, agreed by the advertising association and radio stations when overall listening levels dropped significantly. (JMH)
Public broadcasting, digital decree signed
Moving forward
Ukraine’s outgoing President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree (February 18) forcing the government to move forward on two broadcasting reforms. Of course, he’s leaving office this week. There has been no sign from in-coming President Viktor Yanukovych will lead, follow or get out of the way.
Last September Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), reported a plan to the council of Ministers on restructuring State broadcasting to conform to European public service broadcasting standards, practices and financing. President Yushchenko’s decree now requires Ukraine’s parliament to come up with draft legislation to make that happen. The committee report – and the President’s nod – recommends independent financing for Ukraine’s public radio and television, ultimately without advertising revenue. (More on media in Ukraine here)
Concurrently, the decree pushes legislators to push digital television. The NSDC recommendation included establishing a working group to draft rules on digital licensing “…because uncertainty and opacity of the situation… are serious obstacles to investment.” The NSDC estimated about US$4.3 billion would be needed. (JMH)
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