Europe’s public service radio community has gathered in Warsaw to explore the challenges broadcasters face against a shifting media landscape.

The two day 21st Euroradio Assembly hosted by EBU Member Polskie Radio, has attracted 80 radio executives.
 
Welcoming participants, EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre provided a snapshot of public service radio, which she said remained strong, despite unprecedented disruption from global digital giants.
 
“Public service broadcasters attract more than 400 million listeners across Europe, which represents almost 83 per cent of the population who listen on average for three hours daily," said Ms Deltenre. "Yes, we must be creative and imaginative to attract young audiences. But these figures highlight that radio is more than music. Radio is the theatre of the mind, a connection to the outside world. As a community we operate 854 radio services in 96 languages. As a community, radio is strong."

Ms Deltenre urged Members to be creative and imaginative, and to adapt their offering to attract young audiences.
 
"We need to acquire the most attractive rights, to produce the most ambitious European content and to recruit the best and brightest talent," she said. "We need to ensure access and findability on all relevant platforms and know our audiences inside-out."

Morning panel discussion

Some  key takeaways from the panel discussion led by Cilla Benkö, Director General Swedish Radio,  Ovidiu Miculescu, President Director General, Radio Romania, Els van de Sijpe, Media Mananager Radio, VRT Belgium, and Arthur Landwehr, Editor-in-chief, SWR Germany:  

Smart phone penetration represents a 'great opportunity' for broadcasters.

• In the age group up to 45, more people are using social media than listening to the radio.
• Harness that interest by knowing your environment and your competition.
• Discover 'what' your audience wants, and 'when' they want it.
• Accept that you can't be the 'best' at everything and set new priorities.
• Create innovation teams and be better at selling yourself.
• Good content is useless if it doesn't reach the right audience at the right time.
• Learn from competition; don't copy them.
• Communicate what the loss of PSM would mean  not only the loss of high quality radio TV and digital media, but loss of jobs, loss of regional income and small business, loss of tax revenue, loss of attractive events.

Afternoon panel discussion

The afternoon session focused on changing habits in media consumption. Dr David Fernandez from the EBU’s Media Intelligence Service told event goers that music streaming is growing, but not at the expense of radio.

"Radio continues to capture 70 per cent of the weekly hours people spend listening to radio," he said. "In the UK, for every minute that someone listens to Spotify and other streaming services, they also listen to around 17 minutes of traditional live radio. Internet radio has been around for some years, but is hardly a new competitor, reaching daily 6.2 per cent of the daily audience in Germany, a market with a huge Internet radio offer. This is well below traditional radio figures, which is close to 80 per cent. Mobile phones are everywhere, which demonstrates the importance of reaching our traditional audiences and new audiences through smart phones."

Radio versus TV

In a keynote speech, Tony Lavender, a consultant with expertise in telecoms strategy, technology and regulation, posed the question, 'will radio outlive television?'

In a wide-ranging speech, Mr Lavender addressed changes in technology and consumption habits, concluding that 'although there is a future for both linear and non-linear audio and audio visual content delivery,' politics will have its say. 

"Questions relating to big policy issues like spectrum like in the hands of politicians," he said. "But ultimately audiences are led by 'content innovation' and the relative economics of different platforms. It's about the attractiveness of the content, about how easy it is to access. One thing this current generation gets, is personalization. We need to acknowledge that and give them what they want."

The battle for the connected car

Digital radio coverage levels are now approaching equivalent FM levels, reaching 99 per cent of the population in Norway and Switzerland, more than 95 per cent in Denmark, the UK and Netherlands, 91 per cent in Germany and 68 per cent in Italy.

Stephen Longden from UK based automotive telematics and navigation consultancy SBD told Assembly goers consumer expectations of in-car entertainment has grown.

"In 2011, 15 per cent of people thought that vehicle connectivity was a motoring 'must have,' he said. "Now, 50 per cent of people say that connectivity affects their choice of vehicle brand. Consumers, who for the last few years have lived with their smart phones, believe that their in-car experience should be the same."

Mr Longden said that vehicle manufacturers were seeking to combine FM with internet radio to create hybrid systems that combine the best of both worlds. "There are issues that need to be addressed. Connectivity can be slow. At worst, it can take 98 seconds to connect. There are also big questions about who pays for the data, the manufacturer or the SIM card holder, or perhaps we split the bill."

The discussion also included a presentation from Andrew Nash from Mediamobile – a subsidiary of the TDF Group – one of the leading providers of real-time traffic and mobility information services in France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Poland.

Mr Nash said the automotive industry was being driven by a desire to deliver the expectations of future consumers.
 
"Teenagers are driving 'connectivity,' a desire to communicate every 30 seconds," he said, "but the average car buyer is 47. It's not today's buyers that necessarily need connectivity. But the buyers in 10 or 15 years will."

Mr Nash urged the broadcasting community to engage in greater dialogue with the industry, and highlight the clear benefits radio offers.

"Unlike music subscription services, radio is anonymous," he said. "You don't need to register to be entertained, to download a podcast or access highly accurate or reliable traffic information that facilitates route planning. A key argument to the automotive industry is the delivery of safety information to the motorist."

The BBC's Mark Friend, who is responsible for developing and delivering the digital media strategy for BBC Radio across online, digital radio, said that the past decade had seen live radio build its dominance as the preferred form of in-car entertainment.

"In the UK, more than 60 per cent of people listen to radio in their car, compared with 73 per cent in the house," he said. "Reach has increased in cars by 10 per cent since 2004. Content is perfectly adapted to in-car entertainment. People want company, to escape, to be informed. Live radio dominates car listening, 80 per cent of people listen to the radio, en per cent podcasts, seven per cent digital music.

 At an automotive event this week in Brussels, broadcasters across Europe have called for digital radio to be fitted as standard in all cars to give drivers access to the benefits of digital radio services.

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