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ftm Radio Page - week ending June 26, 2020

Pop-up radio is good for sales
"take a chance on me"

Merchandising is alive and well on the radio waves despite coronavirus lockdowns. Those pop-up digital radio channels can be potent revenue building tools. Some broadcasters are always thinking.

Bauer Media UK announced a new pop-up radio channel as an extension of its Magic radio brand. Magic Eurosong will appear until July 5th, featuring all the famous Eurovision Song Contest hits. The pop-up coincides with the Netflix streaming release of Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Bauer Media has mastered the art of non-traditional revenue (NTR) through pop-up channels in the UK and elsewhere. "Magic Eurosong was the perfect next step; we know that Eurovision is a yearly highlight for our listeners and audiences are looking for more joyful, entertaining and nostalgic content during this time,” said Magic Radio spokesperson Tony Moorey in a statement (June 24). (See more about media in the UK here) (See more about the Eurovision Song Contest here)

Streaming video service Netflix originally planned to release The Story of Fire Saga in May to sit side by side with the real Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). Alas, the scheduled Rotterdam ESC performance was cancelled, to the horror of hardcore fans. But the film, as they say, was already in the can. Netflix, seeing a coronavirus subscription surge, reschedule release of the costume and music comedy for June 26. The merchandising people took over from there.

Not just bots in the newsroom, they are the newsroom
"alternative solutions"

We knew this would happen. Just like money, technology never sleeps. Bot are everywhere in the media world. We await their next command.

Hungarian radio station Budapest 87.6, which seems to be something of a public access channel, has distinguished itself by being the first to offer a news program entirely read, if that is the appropriate term, by a bot. State news agency MTI copy is fed through an AI-based bot and out pops a synthesized female voice, which, then, is broadcast. This advance in technology appeared in a special broadcast Monday, reported media news portal media1.hu (June 19), which may have had a hand in the development. (See more about digital transitions here)

This experiment was not simply having a robot read the news. Alexa, Siri and others can do that. This robot, thankfully without a human-like name, assembled the 4 minute newscast from available MTI copy. "The goal of the project was to show how, as a leading media company, different technologies can be easily integrated into our industry and what alternative solutions robotics offers us," said hirstart.hu chief technology officer Attila Virág. Publisher Central Media Group launched news aggregator hirstart.hu in 2002. (See more about media in Hungary here)

The special debut program also included the views of National Association of Hungarian Journalists president Miklós Hargitai.

Remember what happened to HAL 9000.

Broadcaster allowed to cut speech content
the most expensive part

Radio broadcasting concessions often include certain content provisions. Language quotas are often included, rising and falling with pubic sentiment. Regulators also count advertising minutes. Sometimes broadcasters are required to offer a certain percentage of speech.

Czech broadcaster Media Bohemia this week obtained from regulator RRTV a relaxation in the speech content rules for its Hit Radio franchise. While requirements for individual stations vary somewhat, the RRTV has allowed the 5:00 to 22:00 speech content imperative lowered to between 6% and 10% per hour from 7% to 13%, noted Czech media news portal mediar.cz (June 22). The speech content requirement for all-night programming remains at 5%. (See more about media in the Czech Republic here)

Commercial and private-sector broadcasters are generally averse to content regulation. "The main reason for this change is our efforts to prioritize the quality of the spoken message,” said the Media Bohemia application to the RRTV. “As a result of the general gradual development of communication, listeners increasingly expect brevity, preparedness, aptness and a style of expression (that) they can easily navigate" The company drafted a similar application for Hit Radio in 2017.

In May the RRTV refused to grant a similar application by regional station Radio Palava to reduce spoken word “and news” content, said the official proceedings (May 26). The regulator said such a reduction would void the station’s license. Speech content license provisions vary across Czech radio stations.


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Radio Page week ending June 12, 2020
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Radio Page week ending October 4, 2019
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Radio Page week ending July 26, 2019
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