week 25 the RTL Group intranet Newsletter M6 in concert 20,000 cheer as M6 celebrates its anniversary News Germany RTL's family of channels restructures leading positions People and is setting up its own The Netherlands TV news agency Wim ter Laak to leave Awards for Teamworx RTL Nederland Croatia United Kingdom RTL Televizija's new access Richard Brent named as prime time smashes records Five’s Head of Scheduling Belgium Outlook for a hot summer week 25 the RTL Group intranet M6 Live – The concert of the year in France Tokio Hotel, Christophe Willem and Amel Bent were just some of the stars who celebrated M6's 20th birthday with a huge free concert for all the channel's viewers and friends. Bill Kaulitz from Tokio Hotel France - 20.06.2007 More than 20,000 visitors flocked to the park in channel's fans as a fitting celebration of its 20th Issy-Les-Moulineaux in southwestern Paris to birthday. It also celebrated in March, of course, see the live show, which featured top acts by holding a spectacular private party in the including Nouvelle Star winner Christophe Tuileries Gardens in Paris, where guests dan- Willem, the German band Tokio Hotel, the ced the night away in a massive marquee. The French RnB singer Vitaa, Nouvelle Star disco- guest list for that event included not only M6 very Amel Bent, pop queen Zazie, and the executives, but also former Prime Minister Marseilles-based rapper Faf La Rage and his Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the authors Marc Lévy fellow townsmen, hip-hop group I am. Although and Paulo Coelho and the trainer of the French the rows got thinner after the first rainshower, football team, Raymond Domenech. The month the expectations of the event's organiser, M6, of its milestone anniversary was also full of were vastly exceeded, for the channel had said special programmes shown on M6, such as a before the concert that it expected between special birthday edition of the lifestyle pro- 10,000 and 15,000 visitors. gramme D&CO and special editions of Marc Olivier Fogiel's T’empêches tout le monde de Visitors were wowed in particular by the rock dormir (You're Keeping Everyone Awake) and music of Tokio Hotel, a band that is currently all the motoring programme Turbo. the rage in France, and by the morning of the concert the area in front of the stage had alrea- Up to now, M6 has proved unstoppable, and dy been occupied by hordes of young girls. The today it is the second most avidly watched concert started bang on time at 20.00 and was commercial channel in France. Last year, M6 compered by the well-known M6 presenter programmes were watched by between 3 and Laurent Boyer. 4 million viewers every third evening. At the same time, at the ripe young age of 20, M6 is The headline acts listed above were followed no longer just a TV channel, but a media group. by further highlights, including an appearance Indeed, M6 Group owns special-interest chan- by the finalists from the fifth series of the nels, a digital channel, a mobile phone service French talent show Nouvelle Star. The specta- and a host of other diversification products and cular concert ended officially at 01.00, but services. unofficially the festivities went on for much longer than that. Anyone una- ble to come to the live event will be able to see Tokio Hotel, Zazie and Amel Bent on TV, because M6 will be broadcasting the concert late in the evening on 30 June. M6 went on air for the first time at 11.15 on 1 March 1987, and organi- sed this free concert for all the Laurent Boyer, Zazie Christophe Willem 2 week 25 the RTL Group intranet RTL's German family of channels restructure leading positions and is setting up its own TV news agency Changes in the management of N-TV and RTL Interactive / New structure in the News and Magazines Division / Plans to set up an own news and picture agency Johannes Züll Germany - 19.06.2007 By 1 September 2007, Germany's family of Interactive, stepping into the shoes of channels will have regained their individual lea- Constantin Lange, who is leaving the company ding positions. Johannes Züll (aged 42) will at his own request. Züll took over the top job at take over the management of RTL Interactive a loss-making N-TV in 2003 and has clearly from Dr Constantin Lange and also be in char- boosted its profitability in recent years. This ge of the entire group of channels' corporate year the news channel will turn a profit for the development. Hans Demmel (51) will take over first time. Under Züll's leadership, N-TV conso- from Züll as the new CEO of the news channel lidated its standing among the target group of N-TV. Michael Wulf (48), chief news editor at decision-makers, the online service n-tv.de was RTL Television, will also take charge of the expanded and new digital services and pro- channel's magazines as well as assuming res- ducts like the interactive TV application N-TV ponsibility for building up the channel's own plus were successfully introduced. Züll had company for producing news, magazines and previously run the company that has now beco- digital information services for all channels and me RTL Interactive. In addition to running RTL platforms run by the media group. In addition, Interactive, including the RTL online and RTL this new company will set up its own TV news mobile services, in future he will be responsible agency. for the corporate development of the entire group of channels. This new structure will forge closer links in futu- re between conventional TV business and new Anke Schäferkordt, CEO of RTL's German digital services within RTL's German family of family of channels, said: "Constantin Lange has channels. The group's focus on content and built up RTL's diversification business into a their exploitation on all platforms and channels successful division of our Group, covering a of distribution will be intensified. Anke wide range of activities. Our channels' depen- Schäferkordt, the head of RTL's German family dency on the TV advertising market has decli- of channels, said: "The attractiveness of tailor- ned markedly as a result of those many diffe- made content in the entertainment and news rent activities, such as the expansion of our film segments will continue to determine the suc- and video business. Together with his team, he cess enjoyed by media services. We will offer has made sure that our brands command a our viewers precisely these things, enabling strong presence in the online sector. Today, them to watch them when and where they RTL.de is one of the most used German TV want". portals on the Internet. Under his leadership, key projects such as our video portal Clipfish Here are the changes in detail: Johannes Züll, and the video-on-demand service RTL Now hitherto CEO of the news channel N-TV, will were launched. I would expressly like to thank henceforth head up the management of RTL Constantin Lange for the effort he has put in 3 week 25 the RTL Group intranet over many years and wish him all the best for TV news agency, which will be an independent the future. The appointment of Johannes Züll player on the market for TV news and audiovi- means that an experienced expert will be sual content. taking over the important strategic division of interactive business and the corporate deve- RTL Chief News Editor Peter Kloeppel said: lopment of our entire Group. He has already "For many years now, the information services shown a tremendous understanding for televi- provided by RTL have been a force to be sion, including the associated digital and inter- reckoned with in the German TV sector and the active opportunities. His job will be to develop clear number 1 among young viewers. The new new services and business models". News and Magazine Centre will continue this success story by establishing stronger journa- Hans Demmel, an acknowledged top journalist, listic ties and more prominent networking will be taking over the management of N-TV. between the resources of the channels RTL Demmel, up to now in charge of RTL's magazi- and N-TV. nes division, started his career in 1980 as a reporter for Bavarian TV company Bayerisches However, the respective editorial teams and Fernsehen, working as a member of the edito- channels will retain their autonomy. In addition, rial staff responsible for current affairs, domes- by building up our own TV news agency we will tic and social policy. He then worked for Sat.1 be responding to mounting demand for audio- as deputy news chief and as the channel's visual content on all platforms, both within and American correspondent in Washington. At outside our own group of channels. By embar- RTL he has held various posts associated with king on such organic growth, we will create the establishment of magazine programmes. far and away the most powerful information After a three-year stint as chief editor at Vox he infrastructure in Germany's private television returned to RTL in 2005. sector". Michael Wulf is RTL Television's chief news edi- Anke Schäferkordt added: "The new structure tor and will also take charge of the channel's for our information division and the establish- magazine division. At the same time he will also ment of our own agency for TV news and be responsible for building up the entire group audiovisual content underscores the tremen- of channels' new News and Magazine Centre.