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12th Radio Assembly in San Marino
Interview with Raina Konstantinova, Director, EBU Radio Department 

12th Radio Assembly in San Marino, 6 and 7 April 2006 

Patrick Jaquin: The 12th Radio Assembly is being held in San Marino at the invitation of SMRTV (sanmarinortv.sm/) and RAI (radio.rai.it/) . . .   

Raina Konstantinova: Yes, and this is the first time that two members in two different countries have joined forces to hold a Radio Assembly. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in organizing it.

What are the main topics this year? 

Any Radio Assembly is a well expected event for the EBU Radio community and in San Marino we have drawn up an agenda that will be of interest to all the 100 radio delegates attending the assembly and conducive to a good debate on topical issues facing radio today and tomorrow.

Delegates always welcome the country reports, presented by Chairman Nicholas Kenyon, as they provide a concrete picture of how different radio organizations tackle their specific problems. 

Radio Discoveries, a relatively new feature on the Assembly agenda brings forward experiences of members in various fields. This year we have invited San Marino Radio, as a small public service broadcaster, to present its programmes and funding.

Judy McAlpine, director of International Relations / Strategic Projects at CBC Canada will talk about her research into i-Pods and Miha Lampreht, director-general of RTVSLO (Slovenia) will talk about the everyday necessity to keep up the independence of public broadcasting.

The professional discussion, prepared by the Radio Committee, centres on two vital issues for public service radio: music and sport in the digital world, with a strong accent on copyright and radio sport rights, and a reality check – Are you ready for the future? We have invited high-profile speakers from among our members and the media world and we are really looking forward to a good discussion. During the discussion “Music and sport in the digital age”, the section A broadcaster’s guide to the world of copyright  will be chaired by Heinz Sommer from ARD/HR. Werner Rumphorst, the director of the EBU Legal Department, and Sarah Faulder, a project manager at CISAC, will be the keynote speakers.

For the section The world of sport on the radio: content and coverage, Eduardo Hernaiz from RNE will chair the presentations on the situation in the UK, France and Italy. The speakers will be Mike Lewis, controller Radio Sports Rights at the BBC, Alexandra de la Martinière, director of Legal Affairs at Radio France, and Maria Cristina Sandor, head of TV sports rights acquisition and relations with the EBU at RAI.

Music in the digital age: content and copyright, chaired by Nicholas Kenyon of the BBC, will contain presentations from Gerd Leonhard, a music futurist, Are Nundal, head of New Media at NRK, Walter Couvreur, channel director at Radio Klara, VRT, and Didier Gervais, head of Pool Son, Radio France.

Leif Lønsmann, DR, will oversee the topic “Reality check: are you ready for the digital future?” with the speakers José Maria Huerta, technical director at RNE, and Helwin Lesch, head of distribution at ARD/BR.

Do you expect something special to come out of this assembly?   

The EBU Radio Department has put a lot of effort into organizing the Assembly and we hope to come back with more ideas about how to work better for our members’ interests in a decisive moment for European public radio.

At the end of the Assembly there will be by-elections for two members of the Radio Committee and I believe that the committee will be ready to lead the Radio members to the inspiring aims we have set ourselves. 

Moreover I know that our hosts SMRTV and RAI have prepared an interesting social programme and I am sure that the Radio Assembly will provide the delegates with the atmosphere, the ideas and the friendliness they need to discuss, to learn and to share experiences. 

pj / ep