advertisement M&M SPOTLIGHT: Dutch Rock Fighting For Survival... see page 20 hanne boel NOVEMBER 9, 199 VOLUME 13, Is -404 #9*6,...i 0)1 A\ _51 £2.95DM8 FFR25 US$5 D Europe's Radio -Active Newsweekly the new single out nowl from the jorMockof allxim s' Kaczkowski's Golden Mike French Stations Unite Against NRJ Plans by Emmanuel Legrand radio) licence holders to be recently indicated that some of able to broadcast substantial its nine members are starting PARIS -SRGP, the group rep- amounts of networked pro- to be sympathetic to a soften- resenting national full -service gramming. At present, only ing of the current regulation. networks RTL, Europe 1 and Category C local stations are Independentradiogroup RMC, is fiercely opposing a permitted to be part of net- SIRTI welcomed SRGP's deci- campaign by NRJ for changes works. sion to oppose changes to the in French radio regulation. The motive behind NRJ's currentregulatorysystem, SRGP has called for an request is a desire to establish arguing that "the whole batch urgent meeting withradio a third national radionet- of frequencies used by inde- Polskie Radio Program 3 presenter Piotr Kaczkowski receives the regulators CSA to oppose any work-Rire et Chansons-to pendentstationswould be AKG Golden Microphone after being voted the greatest "All Time change to the current licence supplement its existing NRJ under threat" if the category Radio Personality" during the fourth Music & Media Polish Radio category system, and is being and Cherie FM nets. Given system was changed. In a clear Conference. Kaczkowski (centre) received the award from Piotr Wojcicki, managing director of Audiofan (left) and Hendrik supported inits moves by that all category C local sta- reference to NRJ, SIRTI notes Homan, managing director of AKG Austria. Further coverage of SIRTI, which represents tions are already part of exist- that,"Allradiooperators, this year's conference can be found on page 8. Francesindependentradio ingnationalnetworks,an whatever their category, agree operators, and SRN (repre- effective ending of the distinc- that the current regulatory senting most of the country's tion between the B and C cate- system should be preserved, INSIDE Sodergreen FM networks). gories is the only way NRJ will and that it should not be sacri- NRJ is lobbying for Categ- be able to launch a new net- ficed for the benefit of the Polish Radio Quits 'TV ory B (independentlocal work. Signals from the CSA developmentofonesingle Conference 8 group." Bias' KOMM continues on page 34 SPOTLIGHT Classical Music 13 by Charles Ferro Privates, Publics COPENHAGEN -The vice chair- Link For DAB Plan Follow That: SPOTLIGHT French Talent Wave 17 man of the Danish commercial broadcasters' trade body by Howell Llewellyn currently no timetable or The Task KOMM, Steen Sodergreen, has financing details, is for six Facing Los NUMBER ONE resigned because he feels the MADRID -Spain's private national nets, six regional association is not adequately andpublicradiosectors and12localstationsto Del Rio European Hit Radio representing the interests of have pledged to work broadcast on the DAB mul- its radio operators. together with the new con- tiplexes in each area. DONNA LEWIS Matters came to a head at a servativegovernmentto Eugenio Fontan, director MADRID -Their catchy tune I Love You Always Forever crucial meeting of the broad- create a single digital radio of Cadena Iberica, suggest- Macarena (Serdisco/RCA) con- (Atlantic) casters' common council FEM, platform. ed that there was a danger quered the world with an which features representatives This was the main con- ofsupplynotmeeting astonishingspeed;Antonio Eurochart Hot 100 Singles from all commercial broadcast- clusion of the second Radio demand. Cadena COPE Romero and Rafael Ruiz even SPICE GIRLS ing sectors. The meeting was Forum held in Madrid on director general Silvio Gon- got Hillary Clinton dancing to Wannabe called to send ideas to the October24,whichwas zalez asked, "Who is going it. It proved to be one of the (Virgin) Danish government, which is attended by senior execu- to guarantee that existing longest reigning number 1 sin- in the process of fine-tuning its tives of all the major radio nets will survive the arrival gles ever in the US, and it has European Top 100 Albums broadcasting bill. networks as well as govern- of digital radio? The change soldwellover two million PHIL COLLINS However, Sodergreen ment spokesmen. will be neither neutral nor copies in Europe. But as the Dance Into The Light claims that delegates at the The government's outline peaceful." year nears its end, the ques- meetingdidnoteffectively DAB plan, for which there is (WEA) continues on page 34 tion arises: what next for Los continues on page 34 Del Rio? See page 10 AmericanRadioHistory.Com I IAN- Y4:1) LT Falling Into You 12 million albums worldwide (and counting ). Featuring the worldwide smash hits "Failing Into You", "Because You Loved Me", "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" and now:`Jul By Myself". A FANTASTIC 45 dates SOLD OUT European tour in front of enthusiastic crowds. Live A. Paris The amazing experience of Celine Dion in concert! On CD and Home Video. Available NOW! Celine, you're the greatest! Sony Music AmericanRadioHistory.Com AmericanRadioHistory.Com M M NEWS TH K Germany'sChart Revolution It's only a small mention on page 3 of BBC Edges Ahead In Between this week's issue, but one which has far- The Linesreaching consequences. As of January 1 next year, the German charts will be Latest RAJAR Survey entirely based on electronically regis- teredcross -countersales(Music & by Mike McGeever tors by no more than 1%. roots in the capital. The ACE Media, June 29). Nothing new for the Senior executives from both outletregistered a 1.0% British here -they are used in operating LONDON - The BBC has nosed sides of the industry concur increase in share of listening, a similar system, but for Europe's largest aheadof commercialradio that this marks a levelling out putting itlevel -pegging with music market, this will be a radical again as the latest RAJAR of listening trends across the its ACE rival Virgin 105.8 FM change. audience figures revealed little country. at 4.0%. Apart from the airplay element of the overall fluctuation in UK lis- In London, where big -bud- The station with most to chart (mixed with singles sales between tening patterns. get marketing wars had been celebrate in London, however, by Machgiel Bakkerpositions 51-100), the German charts The BBC now has a 48.9% waged by many broadcasters was the re -launched commer- have always been based on the principle share of all UK adult radio lis- during the Quarter 3 survey cialnews/talkstation LBC of questionaires which have to be filled out by the retailer. It's hard tening, an increase of 0.3% on period, Capital Radio saw its 1152, which increased its mar- to imagine that the German record market, which is well-known the previous quarter. The com- market -leading position being ketshareto 5.3% from the for its punctual and controlled way of doing business, has been sus- mercial sector's previous mar- chippedawayatbythe 3.0% share it inherited from ceptible to forms of manipulation. But that's still the reality in ket -leading share of 49.3% was increasingcompetition.95.8 its predecessor, Newstalk most European music markets. With the exception of the UK, down 0.5% to 48.8% this quar- Capital FM's market share 1152. It means that, in terms France and now Germany (as well as Holland next year), chart ter. dipped from 17.1% last quar- of share, LBC 1152 has now methodologies are based on either telephone surveys or question- In the past few RAJAR sur- ter to 15.6% this, while 1548 overtaken Capital Gold the aires (I dare not mention charts based on shipment figures sup- veys the lead in overall share AM Capital Gold dropped from second most -listened -to com- plied by the labels). Apart from the hype and subjectivity that goes oflisteninghasse -sawed 5.4% to 4.8%. mercialstationinLondon with such procedures, it also gives the retailer too much influence between the commercial and Chrysalis -owned Heart after Capital FM, and is the and power. It drives up the marketing costs and decreases the per- public (BBC) broadcasting sec- 106.2/London had good reason fifth most popular station in ceived influence of radio programmers (who are being monitored). to celebrate its first birthday London once BBC services are Get this: under the old chart system, retailers in Germany had asitcontinues toestablish taken into account. to fill in a number of their own suggestions for chart newcomers Pantoja Voted the following week. If they tipped right, they won a prize. If that's 'Godmother' Top UK Stations not inviting hype and questionable plugging practices, then I don't know what is. The new chart system should also bring an end to (% share of listening) chart -rigging companies. Although it has never been made public, Station (format) Q2 '96 Q3'96 %chg I know of one company whose services have often been used by Local/regional commercial (various) 38.5 38.3 -0.2 German labels to influence this "tipping behaviour" of retailers. BBC Radio 1 (EHR) 12.8 12.5 -0.3 Asking a percentage of sales in return, good business can be done BBC Radio 2 (MOR) 12.2 12.3 +0.1 by such companies. Those days are now over, although some forms BBC Radio 4 (speech) 10.1 10.5 +0.4 of manipulation can never be ruled out. BBC local/regional 9.4 8.9 -0.5 Label resistance to chart change was very high in the US when Classic FM (classical) 3.1 3.3 +0.2 it first installed Soundscan.