Photos Of The Year European Top 100 Albums '93 Programmers Picks Volume 11 . Issue 2 .January 8, 1994 2.95, DM 8, FFr 25, US$ 5 Kinnevik Hard Work Venture Cracks Better Radio AdvertisingAnd Live Shows To Pieces Pay Off For DENMARK Days Ahead, Says IP Eternal by Kai Roger Ottesen EUROPE INTERNATIONAL Scandinavianmediapower- by Emmanuel Legrand worst, which is forecast to drop notes that "in a period of econom- by Jeff Clark -Meads houses Egmont Gruppen and 10.2%toPta26billion(app. ic recession, companies tend to Kinnevik have called off their After a depressed 1992, especial- US$185 million). favourcommunicationoutlets Inan industry that has more planned radio joint venture in ly insouthern Europe (France, IP Group marketing director that can combine powerful and than its share of hype and frip- Denmark because of financial Spain, Italy and Portugal), radio Claude Matricon, who presented quick effects" such as direct mar - pery,thepeople behindthe differencesinmergingtheir advertising expenditures in some hisyearlyadvertisingforecast. (continues on page 20) properties. of Europe's largest markets are In August, the two compa- forecast to increase 4.4% in 1994, nies and The Voice co-owner nearly twice the 2.3% expected RTL 102.5 Hit Radio Otto Reedtz-Thott agreed to for all media, according to Euro- form Radio Holding, which pean ad sales house Information would have been the holding & Publicite (IP). company for Kinnevik's 50% - Leading the pack this year is MD Astorri Quits owned EHR stations The Voice Holland, which isexpected to ITALY transformed the station from a in Copenhagen and Odense and showa 9.3%increaseinad by Mark Dezzani regional to a fully-fledged Egmont's Hot ACE/EHR Radio billings to Dfl 180 million (app. nationalnetworkin1988,is (continues on page 20) is US$94 million).Spain the MD and founder member of reported to have left following a Eternal Bergamo -based national network divergence of opinion over sta- EHR RTL 102.5 Hit Radio has tion policy with owner Lorenzo UK's newestall -singing,all - resigned. Claudio Astorri, who (continues on page 20) dancingsensation, Eternal, Belgium Prepares To believe the band's breakthrough is based on some refreshingly simple concepts:talent, good Regionalise Its Chart songs and hard work. as broadcasting channels target Eternal's debut single Stay BELGIUM specific language groups with dif- (continues on page 20) by Marc Maes ferent purchase behaviour. The discrepancyinsalesbetween No. 1in EUROPE Belgium is on the verge of solv- Flemish and French artists is a ing its fragmented chart system as large disincentive for broadcast- European Hit Radio IFPI prepares to launch a new ers-five titles out of 20 were BRYAN ADAMS regionalised chart based on in- French language in the chart for Please Forgive Me store monitoring. the second week in December. (A&M) The current chart system in AccordingtoBelgian IFPI Belgium, based on shipment fig- honorary chairman and consultant Eurochart Hot 100 Singles ures from the record industry to Charles. Licoppe, a first major CAR CRASHING INTO GOLD - Atomic Swing are pictured at the Hults- MEAT LOAF retailers, has always been 'under change, which has been agreed fred Festival in Sweden this summer. In Sweden their Sonet debut album I'd Do Anything For Love fire from various quarters of the upon by IFPI members, isthe "Car Crash In The Blue" is nominated album of the year by Expressen, the (Virgin) media for the fact that it doesn't introduction of a new sales sur- largest daily in Scandinavia, and reached gold sales in Sweden. Pictured take into account the differences vey system in which some 75-80 (IA are: Michael Lohse (bandmember) Jonas Hoist (Sonet), Niclas Frisk European Top 100 Albums between the Flemish and French selected retailers are being asked (bandmember), Christer Melistrom (Sonet), Henrik Berlund (bandmember), BRYAN ADAMS speaking markets. to join a computerised bar code Peter Gomnez (EMA Telstar) and Petter Dahlstrom (bandmember), Anna - So Far, So Good This is often an obstacle to the system, similar to the one used in Lena Sventelius (band discoverer) and Patrik Sventelius (producer). (A&M) charts being aired on TV or radio, (continues on page 20) I AmericanRadioHistory.Com THE BOYS ARE BACK NEW1TIT HRSINGLE OUT NOW! TAKEN FROM THE FORTHCOMING ALBUM 'FACE THE MUSIC' Sony Music AmericanRadioHistory.Com NOS Frontman De Jong Calls EUROPE AT A GLANCE Dutch Public Monopoly History SPAIN: New Habits Take Hold Of Album Charts For the first time ever in Europe the number one in the Spanish album HOLLAND backed bypolitical and special changed rapidly,he warns, the charts has been taken by a group of monks. Released in November, by Marlene Edmunds interest groups for some 40 years. public stations could lose market Coro De Monjes Del Monasterio Benedictino De Santo Domingo De Jong's call for broadcasters share irretrievably to the private De Silos' double album of Gregorian chant entered the charts in the The outgoing chairman of the to divorce themselves from their sector. second week of December and immediately climbed to the top. The Dutch public broadcasting system political "roots" is nothing short of The change De Jong wants is album, out on EMI/Odeon is a compilation of songs taken from a live the NOS has told Holland's pub - revolutionaryinHolland,says directly at cross purposes with a performance in a church in Burgos in 1973 and has already earned a casters they need to depoliticise NOS head of communications and draft measure now being debated gold disc. Francesca Plowright themselves quickly or they will not internationalrelations Juliane in parliament which could give 10 - survive in the country's new com- Straatman. Currently, says Straat- year concessions to the broadcast- HOLLAND: Happy Birthday 538! mercial marketplace. man, each broadcaster must report ers' parent organisations. The popular Dutch commercial cable station Radio 538 celebrated its Max de Jong, as the driving back on all programming decisions De Jong also called for sweep- first birthday in December having racked up a total overal market force behind a massive restructure to a parent organisation, often a ing changes in management at share as high as 3% in its first year. Started up by ex -Veronica Radio of the public system, has been the political party. individualbroadcasters,blasting director Lex Harding, 538 is one of the hot and heavy contenders for target of both praise and derision Such a process is cumbersome the monopoly of the Dutch public Holland's first permanent commercial terrestrial frequency licences, from the country's largest broad- and doesn't make good business broadcasters as "history"and expected to be dished out by the Ministry of Culture later this month. casters, most of whom have been sense, says De Jong. Unless it is charging that the leadership that Marlene Edmunds came out of that system couldn't possibly understand the new com- GERMANY: BMG Ariola Expands Interests In Logic mercial marketplace. BMG Ariola Musik has expanded its interests in joint venture dance The fiery chairman has set a company Logic Records, acquiring more shares in the company. two-year limit on completing the BMG has taken over the shares of Logic producers Michael Miinzing restructure of the public broadcast- and Luca Anzilotti. Logic MD Matthias Martinsohn retains his ers, a plan that calls for the dis- shares in the company. Miranda Watson missal of up to one third of the sys- tem's 3.000 employees. Although GERMANY:MDR Radio Plays Hunt The Saint Nicholas his resignation is effective at year MDR Life Radio ran a festive Saint Nicholas competition for its lis- end, De Jong's recommendations teners on December 5-6. Saint Nicholas figures were hidden in various are expected to be carried out. locations in Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thuringen, Brandenburg, Hes- sen and Niedersachsen, each with an address pinned to them. Anyone finding an MDR Nicholas had to go immediately to the address on him to collect a prize-anything from a lebkuchen heart to cassettes, PREMIOS ONDAS AWARDS -In issue 49 M&M printed the name of the New Features videos and electronic goods. The competition was run in conjunction wrong radio station in the headline of an article about the yearly Premios with Japanese electronics company Akai. MW Ondas ceremony in Spain.It was the 40th anniversary of the Premios In M&M Ondas, organised by PRISA. This audio-visual holding company controls, SPAIN: Radio Barcelona Donates Records To Catalan Gov't among others, Cadena SER Radio. Pictured here is Francisco Herrera (I), The first issue of the new year Radio Barcelona, founded in 1921 and the oldest in Spain, has donat- director of Spanish music network Cadena Dial, who received the radio includes a few new features and ed its entire record library of more than 250.000 items to the Catalan award from Spanish singer Manolo Tena. columns. Due to popular regional government. The accord was signed in Barcelona on Novem- demand, M&M has re -instigat- ber 23, the same day of the 40th Premios Ondas awards, which recog- edtheA/Zindexestoits nise the best in Spanish and foreign radio, television, film and music. Faze FM Replaces Sunset Radio Eurocharts. M&M chart editor The donation doubles the number of entries in the Catalan record Mark Sperwer will be hosting library, and it includes of thousands of pre -1924 recordings, as well as UNITED KINGDOM of 17 applications for the Manch- a new column called "Breakin' some with their artists signature on them. Howell Llewellyn by Jeff Clark -Meads ester services. The licences cover & Entering."highlighting the the majority of the greater Manch- major new entries and moves in DENMARK: Steenberg Steps Down At KOMM Manchester is to have new dance ester area and some neighbouring the Eurocharts (see page 10).