To Spice up America
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OCOTBER4, 1997 Music VOLUME 14, ISSUE 40 £3.95 DM11 It's a love thing... Eros' FFR35 Amore climbs M&M's USS7 Most Added and Bor- Media® Da11.50 der Breakers charts. BMG sees Logic in Berry's imports ready newFrankfurt moveto Spice up America by Christian Arndt Although the by Christian Lorenz chairman of Virgin labels will con- America and Virgin FRANKFURT - BMG Entertainment tinuetowork LONDON - The Los Angeles HQ of Vir- Music Group Worldwide, GSA is to launch a new BMG Frank- independently, gin Records America has just adopted a effective immediately. furt division incorporating its flagship Starkwill co- distinctly British accent. Nancy Berry will be dance label, Logic Records. ordinate general Virgin Records U.K. will lose keyassisted in the day-to- The creation of BMG Frankfurt,A&R policies to executives in a move which follows theday business of the U.S. announced by BMG Entertainment avoid overlaps of departure of CEO and president Philcompany by the former GSA president Thomas M Stein, is in label profiles. Quartararo after ten years with the Virgin U.K joint manag- line with the company's long-term Dirk Baur, a company. On September 22, U.K-borning directors Ashley Newton and Ray strategy of building creative centres informer assistant Ken Berry, president of EMI Recorded continued on page 20 cities with major music scenes within toThomas M Music and chairman of the Virgin Music the region. The company already oper- Stein, has been Group Worldwide (Music & Media, June ates three such divisions in Munich, continued on page 20 7), named his spouse Nancy as vice Hamburgand-sinceJuly-Berlin (Music & Media, August 9). The new operation will combine the BMG-owned publishing firm Clan and Latino awards show for Spain three BMG-associated labels, namely Logic, MOR imprint MSM (Michael by Howell Llewellyn music industry to be wholly "Latino," Stark Musik) and alternative rock with the active participation of the label tam tam. MSM founder and MADRID - Final details have emerged presidents of the IFPI affiliatesof managing director Michael Stark will of what promises to be Spain's mostevery Latin American country. The 14 take the helm at BMG Frankfurt. prestigiousmusicawards ceremony awards will be split into three groups - ever- described as "the first step toSpain, Latino and International. boost Latino music world-wide." A September 23 press conference to The significanceof the Premios reveal details of the awards ceremony M&M chart toppers this week Amigo awards-to be held Novemberwas attended by the presidents of the 20-lies in the fact that the event is Spain -based majors who have arranged Eur of 100 Singles the first in the history of the Spanish continued on page 20 The U.K's annual Sound City live N JOHN music/radio event takes place in The Way You Loo k .J Oxfordthisyear(October 25 - November 2). Director of BBC Radio Wind1997 Split decision on Virgin Radio Matthew Bannister joined BBC by Mike McGeever doubling the amount of Radio 1 presenters John Peel (right) Europtign Top 100 Albums dedicatedprogramming and Steve Lamacq in Oxford on LONDON - As a govern- on the London service. September 25 to unveil the 1997 --01' OASIS ment hearing into its pro- Partofthestrategy, line-up. Over 220 acts will perform Be Here Now posed takeover by Capital which gets underway on during the city-wide event, broad- (Creation/Sony) Radio opened, U.K. broad- September 29, is to make cast nightly by Radio 1. Sound City caster Virgin Radio this the London105.8 FM '97,organised by Radio1,the European Radio T 50 week unveiled a string of service more local -sound- British Phonographic Industry, the WILL SMI programming changes. ing. According to Virgin's Musicians' Union and Oxford City Men In B In a move aimed at dis- assistant programme Council, also includes daytime sem- (Columbia tinguishing its London FM stationdirector Bobby Hain: "The future for inars. Virgin Megastores is sponsor- from its national AM service, Virgin is continued on page 20 ing a simultaneous "fringe" festival. AmericanRadioHistory.Com The U.S. Hit Single THE IMPRE N TAM a Polyeram company AmericanRadioHistory.Com NEWS yi Radioonthe rise in Czech Republic by Michele Legge Republic. It also brings the CzechCountry, 138,000 more than its clos- istering about 90,000 daily listeners. mediapollingsystemcloserto est rival, Radiozurnal, a nationalIronically, the management of Radio PRAGUE - New ratings figures show a Western European models,sayscommercialbroadcasterwithaCity recently asked for its licence to substantial increase in the number ofZelenka, adding that the MP method-news/talk/ and country format. be revoked, citingdifferences radio listeners in the Czech Republic. ologyis now comparable tothe One of the biggest winners in the between majority owners. The new The official Media Projekt (MP)French (Mediametrie) system. new pollis Radio City (Hot AC),licence holder was scheduled to be ratings survey, covering the first half Zelenka points out that under the which climbed to become fourth most announced by the Czech Broadcast of1997,showsCzechstationsnew methodology, the average daily popular (from ninth a year ago), reg- Council on September 24. achievedanaverage 9 percent reach for all stations has grown signif- increase in listeners over the sameicantly. For instance Radio Faktor, period in 1996. whichremainsSouthBohemia's Top stations in Prague According to the survey, however, biggest regional station, registered the increase is thanks in part to the76,000 in the first half of 1996 and Station Format 1997 Listeners 1996 Listeners rewording of questions relating to 113,000 in the first six months of 1997. Country Radio Country 257,000 167,230 daily media habits, and expansion of Theresultsalsohighlighted CRo 1 Radiozuma News/talk/country 119,000 103,330 the representative audience sample. radio's strength in the workplace, Frekvence 1 full service 98,000 116,410 The broader survey base (now tar- where more than a third of those Radio City Hot AC 92,000 45,010 geting an additional 5,000 peoplepolled listen to the radio. Figures for CRo 2 Praha News/talk/oldies 90,000 95,170 over the course of a year, and widen- Prague reveal some changes in over- Kiss 98 FM AC/gold 79,000 90,210 ing the age range from 14-79 to 12-all popularity in the Czech capital, Radio Zlato Praha Dance/CHR 74,000 43,000 79), makes the data about 50 percent although country music still com- Radio nova Alfa AC 55,000 61,000 more accurate, according to Michalmands the largest number of listen- Evropa 2 Praha AC 48,000 60,730 Zelenka, president of the Associationers. In the first half of 1997 about Radio Bonton Dance/CHR 42,000 64,000 of Private Broadcasters in the Czech257,000 Praguers tuned into Radio Figures based on average daily ttenership. Source: Media Projekt, first half 1997 and first half of 1996, Former Bandit to Political upheaval in Norway muddies industry waters liberate Lappland by Kai Roger Ottesen One of the most likely is Senterpartiet leader Anne Enger Lahnstein-a noted by Keith Foster "People feel they've been left out. The OSLO - The Norwegian radio andopponent of Norwegian entry into the attitudes towards a commercial alter- music industries are waiting anx-EuropeanUnion.Lahnsteinhas STOCKHOLM -Sweden's last-and native are much more positive than I iously to see how the confusing polit- announced she is keen to take on the most northerly-commercial radio found in Stockholm." ical situation in the country following culture portfolio. The new ministerial station is about to hit the airwaves. McAlevey is confident his station, its September 14/15 general election line-up will be announced by incoming Radio Lappland is the name of an which starts broadcasting on October will affect their businesses. KrF prime minister Kjell Magne ambitious new project which is using6, will attract over fifty percent of the Three minority parties will consti- Bondevik on October 13. community radio to dramatically local under -50s audience on a weekly tute the new centrist Norwegian gov- Although the media policies of the extend the boundaries of a tiny local or even daily basis. "We'll be playing ernment. It isstill unclear, however, previous Labour administration and station. Radio Lappland was the win- a wide AC format-the sort of thing who will become the new culture minis- the new government will be broadly ner of the commercial radio licence they haven't been ableto hear ter. The religious Kristelig Folkepartisimilar, there are significant differ- for the small town of Arjeplog in the before here." (KrF), the liberal Ventre party and the ences. KrF political adviser Kari Husoy Arctic circle-the last licence to be McAlevey admits he will need to Senterpartiet will between them hold indicates that long-term changes in put up for sale by the Swedish gov- increase the area covered by Radio the balance of power in the new parlia- cultural policy could be more visible. ernment, some two years ago. Lappland if he is to bring advertisers ment. The current prime minister, "We have, for instance, been more con- Thelicencewasboughtby to his door. He has already signed up Thorbjorn Jagland of the ruling Labour cerned with the conditions of local American Tom McAlevey, who hadhis firstpartnerstation, in party, is set to resign on October 13 radio stations than the Labour party," just left his first radio creation inArvidsjaur, and hopes to include the because of the complex political situa- he points out. The KrF is in favour of Stockholm, the rock station Bandit. Atcity of Kiruna (population: approxi- tion in the country. allocating more radio frequencies in the time McAlevey cheerfully admit- mately 30,000) by the end of the year During the past week, Norwegian many areas.