Nice Léman wave

Private radio stations The local radio stations on Lake Geneva have settled their long-standing dispute. Three years ago, the private radio stations One FM and Lausanne FM took their French competitors NRJ and Nostalgie to court: they were said to be profiting from the advertising pie in French-speaking Switzerland without having to enter into the same obligations as Swiss private radio stations. Although the court rejected measures, the dispute continued to smoulder. Last Tuesday, the two parties formally buried the hatchet and intend to work with rather than against each other in future. Francis Rivollet, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NRJ Group, emphasizes that they remain competitors, but that cooperation on a commercial level is conceivable. Rivollet does not want to say any more.
However, the advertising pool situation is likely to change next year. Until then, One FM and Lausanne FM are contractually bound to the Swiss Radio Pool. Owner Antoine de Raemy is likely to have a keen interest in this, as the dispute has left him with virtually no access to advertising pools in French-speaking Switzerland.
(rw)