week 37 / 11 September 2014 German Radio Awards! German Radio triumphs with #RTLOnTheMove Arno und die Morgencrew How RTL Radio in France is banking on its new season Germany Germany Dmexco 2014: European Qualifiers: Anke Schäferkordt up to 12.34 million viewers on the future of watched the opening match online video week 37 / 11 September 2014 German Radio Awards! German Radio triumphs with #RTLOnTheMove Arno und die Morgencrew How RTL Radio in France is banking on its new season Germany Germany Dmexco 2014: European Qualifiers: Anke Schäferkordt up to 12.34 million viewers on the future of watched the opening match online video Cover Traditional group photo on rue Bayard for the RTL Radio new season ©Abaca Press pour RTL Publisher RTL Group 45, Bd Pierre Frieden L-1543 Luxembourg Editor, Design, Production RTL Group Corporate Communications & Marketing k before y hin ou T p r in t backstage.rtlgroup.com backstage.rtlgroup.fr backstage.rtlgroup.de QUICK VIEW Arno und die Morgencrew win German Radio Award RTL Radio Deutschland p.8–9 “Standing still is dangerous” RTL Radio “Online video is our p.4–7 biggest growth segment” RTL Group p.10–11 European Qualifi ers: Up to 12.34 million viewers watched the opening match RTL Television p.12 Big Picture p.13 SHORT NEWS p.14–15 On 4 September 2014, RTL Radio in France unveiled the new features of its 2014/15 schedule in the form of a radio show – in this case, Les Grosses Têtes – on which the radio station is banking on this “STANDING season. By giving its key timeslots programmes a major facelift, the French STILL IS radio station is aspiring to “open a fresh chapter in RTL Radio’s history”. DANGEROUS” France – 11 September 2014 RTL Radio ©Abaca Press pour RTL Christopher Baldelli (centre), Jacques Expert (left) and Jacques Esnous (right) 4 In front of a crowd of journalists specially convened This new chapter in RTL Radio’s history could not at RTL Radio’s ‘Grand Studio’ on rue Bayard in be complete without the arrival of TV and radio Paris, Christopher Baldelli, CEO of RTL Radio in presenter Laurent Ruquier, who left the studios France, cut to the chase: “RTL is making changes of neighbouring Europe 1, to take the helm of because the world is changing too (…) standing Les Grosses Têtes from Philippe Bouvard (who still is dangerous”. The evidence of this statement will continue to feature on the weekend show is there for all to see, as Baldelli further explained: Allô Bouvard). In the traditional end-of-season “Over the past fi ve years we’ve already changed exchange of presenters, Laurent Ruquier is the radio 90 per cent of our programme schedule” – a bold station’s biggest catch of the past couple of years, move for a medium once thought to be dependent and his arrival at rue Bayard helps the station rise on listeners’ habits and loyalty. to a major challenge: Bouvard’s previous departure at the end of 2000 triggered a signifi cant drop in “OVER THE PAST FIVE RTL Radio’s audience fi gures, forcing the station to YEARS WE’VE ALREADY swiftly recall its emblematic presenter. CHANGED 90 PER CENT OF OUR PROGRAMME SCHEDULE” Christopher Baldelli Amidst an ongoing digital revolution, competition ©Abaca Press pour RTL in the French radio sector has never been fi ercer. RTL Radio, the leading general-interest radio station in France, and the top-ranking station in terms of audience share, commanding no less than 11.1 per cent1 (the only radio broadcaster to have crossed the 10-point threshold), is currently second in terms of its cumulative audience2, behind NRJ (editor’s note: RTL Radio also ended last season with the highest ratings for its morning and evening Christopher Baldelli (right) and Laurent Ruquier shows, across all audience criteria). The morning show, weekday evenings and “THESE CHANGES Laurent Ruquier in the place of honour ARE POSITIVE Despite this scenario, a confi dent and buoyant STRUCTURAL CHOICES Christopher Baldelli also spoke about the new DESIGNED TO YIELD meticulously crafted programme schedule put LONG-TERM BENEFITS” together by News Director Jacques Esnous and Christopher Baldelli Programme Director Jacques Expert. For starters, Yves Calvi’s arrival to present the morning show RTL Matin – the prime time slot for radio – It was understandable, then, that Christopher Baldelli replacing former host Laurent Bazin, and the chose to remain cautious about his expectations of substitution of the football coverage on weekday the renewal of the fl agship programme: “We are evenings with the discovery programme not expecting the programme to do as well in the La curiosité est un vilain défaut, constitute short term as it did under Philippe Bouvard’s tenure, major changes for the radio station. None the less, but we do expect this to happen eventually”. The RTL Radio’s team are very careful when objective is to “remain the leader in this slot”, Baldelli implementing changes which, rather than stressed. To achieve this, RTL Radio is going to constituting a knee-jerk reaction to lower ratings great lengths to not alter the spirit of the programme, attributable to economic factors, “instead and is also banking on the magnetic personality and embody RTL’s identity and enterprise”, Baldelli talents of its new presenter, which made Europe 1 stressed. Moreover, they “are positive structural so successful in this slot over the past 15 years. choices designed to yield long-term benefi ts”, he added. Next > 1 According to the audience ratings published by Médiamétrie, covering the period April to June 2014. 2 The cumulative audience of a radio station is the number or proportion of different listeners tuning in to a given radio station for at least one second during a set period of time. 5 ©Abaca Press pour RTL The press conference in RTL Radio’s ‘Grand Studio’ “THE OBJECTIVE ©Abaca Press pour RTL IS TO Laurent Ruquier REMAIN THE LAURENT RUQUIER’S CAREER • 1991 Rien à Cirer (France Inter) LEADER IN • 1999 On va s’gêner (Europe 1) • 2006 On n’est pas couché (France 2) THIS SLOT” • 2014 Les Grosses Têtes (RTL Radio) Christopher Baldelli When asked how strongly he desires to close the gap with NRJ in terms of RTL Radio’s cumulative THE PRESS’S REACTION TO audience, Baldelli picked his words carefully: RUQUIER’S SWITCH TO RTL RADIO “I’m not making any forecasts. Our main criterion is audience share, which takes into account • “A fine coup for RTL”, Le Monde the listening duration, which in our view has (20 March 2014) greater signifi cance in the market owing to its • “Sending shockwaves through economic value”. He then concluded: “The new the radio sector”, Les Echos schedule is about more than merely changing our (19 March 2014) programmes. It is an attempt to capture the essence • “A major move by a major radio of the present-day and future spirit of RTL”. presenter”, Le Figaro (20 March 2014) Next > 6 ©Elodie Grégoire Yves Calvi (RTL Matin), Laurent Ruquier (Les Grosses Têtes) and Thomas Hugues with Sidonie Bonnec (La curiosité est un vilain défaut) An increasingly digital RTL Radio During the press conference the radio station NEW SEASON HIGHLIGHTS also communicated that it was also very happy with its efforts to step up its digital activities and • RTL Matin (7:00-9:30), that its ‘Renaissance’ project, geared towards Monday to Friday, Y. Calvi reorganising all of RTL Radio’s digital productions, had yielded such promising and fruitful results. • Ça peut vous arriver (9:30-11:00), RTL.fr is France’s most popular radio website, Monday to Friday, J. Courbet among the top 20 news websites and, during last spring’s municipal elections, its audience propelled • A la bonne heure (11:00-12:30), it into a thirteenth place. Monday to Friday, S. Bern The end of September 2014 will also see another • RTL Midi (12:30-14:00), landmark development: the launch of RTL Radio’s ‘Direct Radio’ online platform, produced in a Monday to Friday, V. Parizot & C. Rebière collaborative effort with Radio France, NextRadioTV, NRJ Group and Lagardère, aiming to ensure a tighter • L’heure du crime (14:00-15:00), control of their distribution, following the emergence Monday to Friday, J. Pradel of global platforms developed in the USA. • On est fait pour s’entendre (15:00-16:00), Monday to Friday, F. Flament • Les Grosses Têtes (16:00-18:00), Monday to Sunday, L. Ruquier • RTL Soir (18:00-20:00), Monday to Thursday, M-O. Fogiel • La Curiosité est un vilain défaut Watch the new RTL Radio (20:00-22:00), Monday to Thursday, trailer T. Hugues/S. Bonnec 7 ARNO UND DIE MORGENCREW WIN GERMAN RADIO AWARD RTL Radio Deutschland The German Radio Award for the ‘Best morning show’ category went to Arno und die Morgencrew (Arno And The Morning Crew) on 104.6 RTL. Germany – 8 September 2014 German comedian Wolfgang Trepper presented the Grimme-Jury’s award to the show’s two presenters Katja Desens and Arno Müller at the gala event in Hamburg The Grimme Institute’s panel of judges considered that the morning show was outstanding. On 104.6 RTL, Katja Desens and Arno Müller provide everything to make a successful morning show. And they have been doing so for over 20 years at the highest professional level. Arno und die Morgencrew which is broadcast every weekday morning has become an institution in Berlin. It is seen as the mother of all German morning shows and has been setting innovative benchmarks for the whole industry for many years.