RADIO ACTIVE Brussels takes the long view reared its unsexy head at a number ofregulatory changes is his call for more and that "re- Europeanradiobroad- this year's sessions. In his addressrelaxedownershiprules,basedsearch holds casters gathered in during the "European Radio in thearound share of "voice" (audience). the key to suc- Brussels last month for the NewMillennium"panel,PeterBacked by US data, he dismissed the cess,butit's Benson, managingdirectorofargument which says that consolida-the correct in- seventh NAB con- -based TV and radiotion equals less diversity of program-terpretation [of ference, organised by the group SBS, claimed ming. "Larger owner-data] which Ralph Bernard US National Association ofthat "regulation is shipgroups meanturns that key." the greatest limita- more diversity," he NRJ's group Broadcasters. Although a tion to the growth of argued. "One ownerprogramme hoped -for delegation from radio [in Europe]." willdistributehis director Taking the ex- stations to minimiseChristophe the European Commission ample of , overlap.SuccessfulSabot sounded failed to materialise, thereRTL RadioGer- stations will supporta controversial was nevertheless an many managing niche formats,note when stat- director Jurgen spreading costs overing his belief impressive list of hot topics Filla called for "one a range of services." that, funda- and powerful executives, single regulator for One of the conse-mentally, [frequency]licens- quences of consolida-NRJ's centrally programmed CHR with a real focus on some ing nationwide," tion, of course, is thatformat could be rolled out successful- of the longer -term issuesinstead of the current 15separatemanaging and programme directors ly all over Europe, irrespective of dif- regional regulatory bodies. suddenly find themselves in charge offerent local cultures. facing radio. several stations rather than just one Andrew Manderstam, a director of Just another product? or two. In a session designed to tacklethe -based EDI radio group, While theEuropeanDuring his presentation on theproblemsof"Programmingcountered that while this may be true radio industry is very"Ownershipand EuropeanReg- Multiple Stations Within a Group,"for the younger audience, where a much ina growthulation," Ralph Bernard, chairman ofKeith Pringle-group programmecommon European "youth culture" phase at the moment,the UK's GWR Group, said that "thedirectorattheUK'sChrysalis clearlyexists,such an approach many experts (partic- decisions of governments and regula-Radio-remindeddelegatesthat,would not be appropriate in program- ularly those looking in from the US)tors will be crucial. If radio is notwhatever the structure and size of anming stations for older listeners in still consider there is a long road toallowed to grow, it risks being swal-individual radio station or grouping, different European countries. travel before the market reaches fulllowed up [by non -radio businesses],it was ultimately "good people which There was some discussion along maturity. losing its cultural distinctiveness andmakes good radio." He revealed thatthe lines of "what does a programme One of the obstacles slowing downbecoming just another product." the Chrysalis group's guiding philoso- director at a local station owned by a that journey is regulation, which At the core of Bernard's desire forphies were "think small to win big," centralisedgroupactuallydo?" THEABBA GENERATION

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