In issue 26 of Werbewoche, Guiseppe Scaglione expressed strong doubts and concerns about radio research using Radiocontrol. However, Manuel Dähler, Head of the SRG Research Service, was unable to comment due to time constraints and promised a reply at a later date. Here is the answer - in the form of an interview conducted in writing with Manuel Dähler.Radiocontrol (RC) is regarded as the radio currency in Switzerland, although it does not record radio listening from the Internet. Shouldn't the SRG research service be fair in pointing out in every RC publication that a growing proportion of radio usage is not recorded? Manuel Dähler: It is clear and undisputed that RC does not yet measure radio listening from the Internet. What is much less clear is how often and for how long radio is used via the Internet today, i.e. how "large" the part of radio usage that is not recorded is. Accumulated "clients" or "visits" over a month are unsuitable for a comparison with the daily reach from RC because they are not based on people and also do not differentiate between domestic and foreign access. In addition, many radios restrict use via the Internet by limiting the number of simultaneous accesses to the stream for cost reasons. We will only get more reliable information from NET-Metrix - the new Internet research - which measures the use of radio (and other) streams on a person-by-person basis. In the reach rankings of MA Strategy 2005 and RC 2005, no station is placed as differently in the young target group as Radio 105. Why is that? MA Strategy does not show reach, but the narrower user group (ENK). They therefore compare survey results ("how often do you listen to ...") with the technical measurement, in different samples. In contrast to measurement, the image of a station or awareness due to advertising campaigns can also play a role in surveys. Looking at the population as a whole, the differences in ranking are not that great; other radio stations are also ranked similarly differently in the MA Strategy than in RC. However, it is difficult to assess Radio 105, as no other target group station or cable radio station is included in the MA Strategy. Despite this, RC reported more listeners during this time than during normal broadcasting operations. This calls the whole RC system into question? as far as I know, the transmitter failure lasted about an hour. Unfortunately, we were not informed of this incident until about a year later, which made the investigation practically impossible: After this long period, we were no longer able to reconstruct what was actually heard on Radio 105's frequencies during the outage. Radio 105 has also been unable to provide us with any recordings to date.In weeks 11 and 12 of this year, Radio 105's listening time in the 35 to 44 target group suddenly shot up from 5 minutes to 307 and 278 minutes per day. How can this be explained? RC shows two types of minutes: Total usage in minutes (total minutes listened to a radio divided by all people including non-users) or usage per listener (total minutes listened to a radio divided by all users of that radio). In 2005, these values for Radio 105 were 0.2 minutes of total usage and a good 25 minutes of usage per listener respectively. It is true that between March 23 and 29, 2006 (weeks 12 and 13), the usage per listener for Radio 105 was significantly above the average (total usage rose to 1.2 minutes on one day). These days were therefore specially monitored. The high values can be attributed to a person between 35 and 44 who listens to Radio 105 for long periods every day. The watch is worn for at least 13 hours a day, the use of Radio 105 is not en bloc but spread throughout the day and the person also listens to other stations (Basilisk, Radio Monte Carlo Suisse, SWR3). There is no reason to consider the data invalid or manipulated. Once again we had a real fan in the measurement, as we had for Radio 105: March 02, April 03, October 03, March 04, December 05 or February 06. That is part of the nature of the sample. Exceptional does not mean wrong by any means! The fact that one watch is given so much weight, even for a station with a regional language distribution, shows that the RC samples are too small, especially for special-interest stations, and that the RC panel is therefore not representative.the sample is larger than ever, which means that the influence of the individual person is lower than ever: in German-speaking Switzerland, we conducted 9,800 media study interviews every year. Today, we conduct 571 interviews every week. So after around 17 weeks, we reach the same number of people as we used to in 52 weeks. However, if we look at individual days, things look different. For specialty channels that only look at a section of the sample, we recommend analyses using quarterly and semester values. With regard to "representativeness", the question should rather be asked whether the busy Radio 105 listener belongs in a sample representative of the population: Yes, of course! But since they exhibit "rare" behavior, not all that often. If the figures are analyzed over a quarter, he is one of thousands. What do you say to the theory that RC primarily reflects the radio use of conservative sections of the population, but hardly that of young, progressive social groups, because of the clock as a measuring instrument and the recruitment of panelists via landline telephone? Although socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, education, income, occupation, etc.) are systematically controlled for, they are poorly suited to depicting progressiveness. Using the EuroSocioStyles, however, we were able to show that the RC panel is significantly more progressive than the Telecontrol panel (TV research). The main difficulty with these comparisons lies in the lack of population-representative data. And in difficult definitions: What criteria characterize a hiphopper, for example? A critical question may also be raised here: Is it actually cooler for a hiphopper to answer MA Strategy questions over the phone? In 2004, something happened that should never have happened: SRG boss Armin Walpen intervened in the research in favor of Radio Grischa. This still arouses suspicion today. Why did you never communicate these events more openly or explain how Grischa's problem was ultimately "solved"? And what was different from those other radios that also showed significantly lower values after the panel was expanded, but were unable to block their data? Armin Walpen never interfered with the research. He demanded that the data be made known to the customers before it was released to the general public. Before the data was released, discussions were therefore held with all radios whose values had undergone major changes. Approval for data release was given by the individual stations. Grischa, which experienced the largest downward corrections due to the error, agreed to release the data in the Reporter much later than the others. However, Grischa's data was always available in the planning tool for radio advertising. Both the User Commission itself and external experts appointed by the User Commission as well as the MWKK were consulted to correct the error and subsequently check the data before it was released again; they all recommended the release. However, the responsibility for the release after the correction ultimately lay with me and I guarantee that the figures from Grischa or other radios were not manipulated. And anyone who analyzes the data will see that nothing was "solved" here. Markus Knöpfli

With its new "Scroggin - Swiss Student Pack" service, the consultancy agency Go Uni-Werbung is offering companies the opportunity to promote their products to students. The first mailing will take place in November 2006 and should reach 10,000 students who have registered on the website. "With Scroggin, we have found an alternative to sampling at universities," Erik Streller-Shen, Managing Director of Go Uni-Werbung, explains the idea to Werbewoche. As sampling produces a lot of waste, it is often difficult to obtain permits for distribution campaigns. This hurdle can now be avoided with the student package. The contents of the advertising mailing can be samples, promotional gifts and information brochures. Scroggin - the word comes from New Zealand and means student food - can reach an attractive target group between the ages of 18 and 26, according to a press release. From November, companies will also be able to provide information about other products, services and career opportunities on the website. The range of offers is completed by short entries in the newsletter and banner impressions. Go Uni-Werbung is a consultancy specializing in advertising at universities and universities of applied sciences in Europe. It was launched in Switzerland in 1989. The agency now carries out university advertising at most of the more than 3600 European universities and universities of applied sciences.

The Bern-based agency Contexta is expanding its creative team with Daniel Müller. The copywriter/concept developer brings 15 years of experience to the Mattequartier - particularly in the conception of campaigns for print media, consumer goods and referendums. The graduate Germanist and art historian has worked at Strahm Müller Werbung for the Avanti No Committee, Greenpeace and NZZ Ticket over the last two years. He previously worked for GGK Zurich and Basel, Wirz and Guye Benker.

The judging of the ADC of Europe (ADC*E) will take place next weekend in Barcelona. Switzerland will be represented by four jurors: Martin Spillmann as ADC*E Board Member and President-designate of the ADC*E, Lukas Frei, Mark Stahel and Pius Walker. The results of Europe's largest non-commercial advertising judging will be announced next Monday.

In 2005, the US advertising industry invested 26.7 billion dollars in TV advertising by traditional television companies. This represents an increase of 1.9 percent compared to 2004 and a 9.9 percent share of the overall market, writes Horizont.at. This is followed by daily newspapers and newspapers with a total share of 25.16 billion dollars (9.4%) and magazines with 23.22 billion (8.6%). This media category achieved an increase of 7.3 percent compared to the previous year. Spot TV accounted for USD 17.12 billion, followed by cable TV networks with USD 16.45 billion and the Internet with USD 8.3 billion. Advertising investments for local radio stations amounted to 7.4 billion dollars and those for the trade press to 5 billion dollars. At the bottom of the list are syndicated TV (4.22 billion), outdoor (3.53 billion) and national newspapers (3.47 billion).

The internet station and favorite for the Zurich youth radio station DJ Radio wants to renew its license application in order to resubmit it to the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom). DJ Radio would like to be able to be received not only online, but also via FM.
"Everyone in the team wants to get this license again. Many people cannot understand why we are not yet on air. We are looking to a strong radio future and want to finally get started," Managing Director Egon Blatter is quoted as saying in a press release. The team is working hard to once again demonstrate its strengths to Bakom in the license application.
Jürgen Maier is a new member of the DJ Radio team. The holder of an Executive MBA complements the team with his many years of experience as a product and project manager at leading Swiss companies. The previous Head of Marketing, Oliver Flückiger, is leaving DJ Radio to devote himself to his studies.
DJ Radio also announces that the station is strongly committed to training young talent. Together with training partners, a contribution is to be made to the professionalization of radio journalism in Switzerland. The license application has been amended accordingly.

The collaboration between Advico Young
& Rubicam (AY&R) and the Association of Swiss Milk Producers
(SMP) is coming to an end. And with it, Lovely - the cow that
dances, plays football and jumps over ski jumps. At SMP, they want to
"sound out the market for other ideas", according to a press release.
To this end, the association is inviting people to pitch. According to AY&R, this will take place without
reason, the creativity of the agency had been too limited.
never given cause to do so. Therefore, the Gockhausner
for a pitch participation. Lovely has been captivating audiences for 14 years
and numerous international and national prizes
including gold at Cannes, the ADC Switzerland and Effie
Switzerland. Thanks to the "Milk gives strong bones" print campaign
today 93% of the Swiss that milk is an important source of calcium.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, 15 to 24-year-olds do by far the least voluntary work. To change this, Migros Culture Percentage is launching the x-high-heart competition for school classes. The Zurich agency Weber Harbeke has designed the website and is now supporting the competition with advertising materials such as flyers, postcards and information brochures. We are looking for projects from 1st to 9th grade with a social, ecological or charitable character that benefit individuals, communities or non-profit organizations. The closing date for entries is February 16, 2007. x-hoch-herz is intended by Migros Culture Percentage to encourage school projects in the field of volunteering and at the same time to draw attention to the educational program Service Learning, according to the website. The learning and teaching concept is based on the conviction that voluntary work in the community is indispensable for social development.

On September 24, Baselland will vote on a ban on tobacco and alcohol advertising. If the people of Basel say yes, a wave of bans will sweep through Switzerland, predicts the business newspaper "Cash" in its current issue. Two thirds of the cantons are currently discussing a ban bill - if they have not already implemented one. Meanwhile, business associations and the advertising industry describe the bans as a restriction on freedom of expression and fear that a yes vote could lead to further measures such as a ban on advertising for fast food. In Basel, the "Alliance against advertising bans" is currently active with a referendum campaign. The billboard company APG, which generates an annual turnover of CHF 20 million from tobacco advertising, is also involved. Advertisers such as Frank Bodin, Martin Spillmann and Bernhard Abegglen, who see orders for poster campaigns, cinema spots and sponsorship appearances at risk, are not at all enthusiastic about any advertising bans. But even without bans, alcohol and tobacco advertising is on the decline. In 2000, the tobacco industry spent CHF 70.8 million on advertising in Switzerland. In 2005 it was just 49.9 million. In 2002, 57.7 million francs were spent on alcohol advertising, but in 2005 the figure fell to 31.2 million francs. However, as Abegglen from the Bern agency Contexta explains, there are "sneaky ways" of advertising on the Internet that can be used to circumvent any advertising bans: For example, online games that are sponsored without mentioning a brand name - which is certainly noticeable.  
Meanwhile, the umbrella organization for Swiss advertising proclaims the slogan "Abgewürgt! Off tour! Abgeblasen!" and is targeting events in sport and music, which could hardly exist without tobacco and alcohol advertising. In some cantons, however, politicians are aware of the problem, writes "Cash". In the canton of Bern, advertising for alcohol with less than 15 percent by volume should still be possible at cultural and sporting events in the future. In the canton of Graubünden, alcohol advertising is only prohibited above 20 percent by volume - out of consideration for local brewers and winegrowers.
According to a study by the Federal Office of Public Health, the majority of 14- to 65-year-olds in Switzerland (67%) currently welcome a ban on tobacco advertising. In 1993, the people rejected advertising bans for alcohol and tobacco as part of the twin initiative with a "no" vote of over 75% in each case.

As the Zurich publishing house announced on Thursday, Franziaka Hügli, Head of Human Resources Management and Corporate Communications, will be leaving Tamedia in the fall. The reason: after 14 years of uninterrupted work in the media industry, Hügli has decided to complete an apprenticeship abroad in the fall. The publisher will announce the successors for the two vacant positions in due course.

Thanks to the soccer World Cup, Swiss Television (SF) achieved a market share of 42.5 percent in June 2006, an increase of 10.5 percent compared to the previous year. SF zwei even achieved its highest figures in June since the introduction of the second channel.
As announced by Swiss Television in a press release, SF achieved an annual average of 36.5 percentage points from January to June 2006, which corresponds to an increase of 3.1 percentage points compared to the 2005 annual average. While SF achieved a market share of 33.4 percent last year, the figure for January to June 2006 is 36.5 percent. Here too, SF is up in all time periods. The biggest increase is in the evening before (plus 7.6 percent compared to the 2006 annual average).

SF zwei in particular benefited from the major sporting event, the Football World Cup. However, Swiss television was generally able to gain additional viewers in June. All SF channels taken together (SF 1, SF zwei, SF info) increased significantly in all time periods compared to the same month last year. The increase was most pronounced in the early evening with 16.9 percentage points, in the late evening with 14.1 percentage points and in the main evening with 8.8 percentage points.
Looking at SF two alone, market shares have never been so high since the introduction of the second. The all-day average was no less than 22.7 percent (up 15 percent on the same month last year). In June 2006, SF zwei also achieved highs on the previous evening (26.9 percent), on the main evening (25.1 percent) and on the late evening (27.4 percent).

Martin Frommelt is the new Editor-in-Chief of Radio Liechtenstein. Frommelt will take up his new role at the beginning of September and will also assume the vacant position of Deputy Director General. As the Board of Directors announced on Thursday, the aim is to optimize the programme. The new editor-in-chief will play a leading role in shaping the realignment. Frommelt is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Liechtensteiner Volksblatt and has proven qualifications in the media sector and experience as a radio journalist.