Slovenia
Public radio accounts for over a quarter of the Slovenian audience
Slovenia, a country with a population of about 2 million people, features a vibrant public broadcaster and a growing private radio sector. By 2009, the number of radio stations in Slovenia had risen to 98, up from 81 stations in 2005, the majority of which are broadcast on analogue frequencies. The two most popular stations belong to the public broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTV SLO); Radio Slovenija 1 registered an audience share of 14,6 % and Val 202 the Second Channel of RTV SLO registered an audience share of 13,1 % in first quarter in 2010. RTV SLO’s First Channel, initially known as Radio Ljubljana, started operating in 1928 and offers a more traditional programme of content, including music of all genres, news and information. RTV SLO broadcasts eight stations: the First, Second and Third (Ars) stations are broadcast nationally, whilst the stations Radio Koper, Radio Capodistria (for the Italian minority), Radio Maribor and Muravidéki Magyar Rádió (MMR, for the Hungarian minority) are broadcast regionally. Radio Slovenia International (RDi, a station broadcast in English and German for expatriates, tourists, English-speaking Slovenians and foreigners) can be heard in various parts of the country, as well as in south-eastern Austria.
The majority of RTV SLO’s funding – 68% of operating revenues in 2007 – derives from the annual licence fee of €132, or €39 for radio services only. Advertising revenues contribute a further 19% of the public broadcaster’s funding.
Little foreign investment in Slovenian radio
The number of private radio stations in Slovenia has increased considerably over the past few years as the country has become one of the most prosperous in Central Europe. The most popular private stations are Radio 1 with 6,7 % of the audience share in first quarter of 2010 (owned by Infonet Media), Radio City at 6.3% (owned by the editor Miroslav Hölbl) and Radio Center at 3,4% (owned by Kolmar).
Foreign owners are not active in commercial radio in Slovenia, in contrast to the important role they play in commercial television.
Radio advertising expenditure rose from €20.4 million in 2007 to €23.1 million in 2008, and the sector represents 4% of the total advertising market. Radio is behind TV, daily newspapers, magazine and outdoor advertising, and the share taken by Internet in the country is expected to grow strongly from the 3.6 registered in 2008. Recession has impacted advertising revenues in Slovenia, with an expected contraction of over 5% across the sector as a whole. Private radio stations carry out some events to promote themselves, and there is also advertising of the medium in the outdoor, online and newspaper sectors.
The legal framework governing broadcast media in Slovenia is the Mass Media Act of 2001, which was last changed in 2006. Under the legislation, owners can be involved in either radio or television broadcasting, but not both. There is, however, no restriction on cross-ownership for magazines and radio stations. In addition, advertising agencies can only control or own up to 20% of a radio or television channel, and telecommunications companies cannot own either radio or television channels. The regulatory bodies for broadcasting are the Ministry of Culture, the Agency for Post and Electronic Communication (APEK) and the Broadcasting Council (SRDF).
Radio stable, however young people turning to other sources for music
The media landscape of Slovenia is undergoing a number of changes, driven by technological advances and changing patterns of preference for particular media. From being the 4th most important medium for receiving information in 2001, radio had become the 2nd most important medium by 2007. Radio listening is generally stable, with a higher amount of listening during the week (19%) than at the weekend (15%). TV, by contrast, is less heavily consumed than radio during the week (17%), but surpasses radio at the weekend (23%). Music, news, weather and traffic information are popular forms of content, as radio is used primarily for relaxing, disconnecting from surroundings and entertainment, making spoken broadcasts less popular than in the past. Audience monitoring in Slovakia is presently done by Computer Aided Telephone Interview (CATI), however the Internet is increasingly used to facilitate measurement alongside telephone interviews, as was the case for the most recent measurement in June.
Listening amongst young target groups is becoming characterised by a preference for music with shorter, local news, traffic and weather reports. Broadcast radio via traditional sets is no longer the primary source of music in this age group, due to increasing usage of MP3 players, mobile phones or Internet radio.
Digitalisation firmly established, Internet radio increasingly popular
The process of digitalisation started in Slovenia in 1986, and DAB was tested for the first time in 1997. Digital radio was introduced in 1998 (DALET), and broadcasting of RTV SLO began via the Hot Bird 3 satellite during the same year. The desire to create more stations and the saturation of the FM frequencies is driving demand for digital radio, and other stations are expected to be available within the next two years. A new law was recently introduced covering the migration of services from analogue to digital. Internet radio is becoming increasingly important in the country, with most stations having their own web pages showing live video broadcast and allowing Internet audio streaming.
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