Pool of millions of conflicts
The new radio pool capitalizes on disputes within the radio industry
The new radio pool is based on disputes in the radio industryBy Markus KnöpfliThe new pool of eight private radio stations worth millions is primarily politically motivated; the fathers of the new patchwork family are various conflicts within the industry. The extent to which the new pool will benefit the advertising industry remains to be seen.
It is still unclear when the new pool of millions comprising the eight stations Hitradio Z, Top, Argovia, Sunshine, Grischa/Piz, Central, Ri and 32 will actually go on sale. "We have never communicated a start date of July 1, 2002, but it is correct that the market should decide on the start of sales," says Argovia Managing Director and pool spokesman Roland Baumgartner. "However, if we have to start on July 1, 2002 due to high demand, we will look for an amicable solution with Pool 2000, which will remain in existence until the end of 2002," he adds.
However, the market will only demand the product once it knows the rates. So far, Baumgartner has only revealed this much: depending on the hourly window, a second in the pool costs between 100 and 135 francs (Monday to Friday). The total pool comes to a CPM of 45 centimes, for the Zurich module (Hitradio Z, Top, Argovia, Sunshine) it is
48 centimes, for all other modules 50 centimes.
Media agencies only have preliminary opinions on the new service, but are generally skeptical about it. The reason: holes in Basel and Bern as well as weak points in St. Gallen and Lucerne. "The new pool is certainly not the yellow of the egg, we still don't have a way to cover the whole of German-speaking Switzerland with radio," says André Funk, Managing Director Mediaedge/CIA Switzerland.
"I have the feeling that the stations involved have not done their best," says Karin Steiner from Drei Media Team. However, she primarily criticizes the radio scene: "The stations should not be constantly competing against each other, but should be grouped together on the basis of sensible constellations." The new pool basically only reveals the "original rivalry between 24 and Hitradio Z". According to Steiner, however, the opposite would make sense, a Zurich pool consisting of Hitradio Z and 24, "as I can't imagine a major campaign without the two."
Conflicts were the fathers of the new radio pool
Steiner's analysis is spot on, except that the new pool is based not just on one, but on several industry conflicts. Firstly, there is the conflict between the intermediaries Radiotele and IP Multimedia. While Radiotele accuses IP of using unfair methods to take customers away from it, Hitradio Z, which belongs to the Goldbach Group, is criticized for no longer being brokered by Radiotele. Felix Kilchsperger, radio manager at Radiotele, admits this openly. This boycott of Radiotele has also been felt by Argovia and Sunshine, which together with Hitradio Z form the Zurich module of Pool 2000. Their loss of income was further accentuated when the Powerpool (24 and Zürisee) came onto the market at the beginning of the year.
There are also rumors that Radiotele gave the impetus for the Powerpool - in order to weaken Hitradio Z. Kilchsperger rejects this, but admits: "The Powerpool, which in terms of numbers is an alternative to the Pool 2000 module in Zurich, makes it easier for us to push our dispute with IP into the background."
On the other hand, Radiotele's approach welded Hitradio Z, Argovia and Sunshine together and probably also drove the latter into the arms of IP. In any case, the three stations are among the driving forces behind the million-euro pool, which is actually rooted in the idea of strengthening the existing Pool 2000 module Zurich with Top compared to the Powerpool. Of course, the only three Radiotele leases BE1, BeO and Canal 3 are not part of the new pool (see also page 5).
However, the founding of the Powerpool led to another conflict, as Zürisee, which had previously been a member of the Leader Pool, went rogue and offended its previous partners Top and Grischa. No wonder that they now also turned to the pool of millions.
Two other conflicts in eastern Switzerland were also the fathers of the new pool: The old rivalry between Aktuell, which is looking to join a larger pool, and Top. The result: Aktuell continues to stand on the sidelines, even though it would make sense in a pool of millions. This is cemented by a more recent conflict between Aktuell and Ri, which are (still) united in the Aktuell plus pool. However, Ri no longer agrees with the distribution formula for pool income, which is why it recently loosened its programming ties to Aktuell. Incidentally, the small Ri is probably only allowed to participate in the pool of millions because IP has a 35 percent stake in Ri.
Private radio stations in Bern, Basel and Zurich are in no hurry
But how will the other radios react? Radio 24 is not under pressure to make a move, as it has already existed well on its own. And together with Zürisee in the Powerpool, for which the Competition Commission has yet to give the go-ahead, it forms an alternative to the extensive Zurich module of the Millionen-Pool. However, a combination of Powerpool, City-Pool and Radio Aktuell would also be conceivable, which would contrast the more rural Millionen-Pool with something more urban.
A merger between the Powerpool and the Pool 2000 modules in Basel and Berne would also be possible. Be that as it may, Belcom boss Stärkle is not letting anyone look at his cards at the moment. This is understandable, as his own multi-million pool project consisting of 24, Zürisee, Top, Aktuell/Ri, 32, Piz/Grischa and BE1 has failed due to the conflicts mentioned above and probably also due to the personal rivalry between him and Top boss Heuberger.
Is the city pool also falling apart?
The Bern and Basel modules of Pool 2000 also have time. If you want to cover the golden triangle of Zurich-Bern-Basel, you can book them as a kind of joker, whether you want to continue with the Zurich module of Pool 2000, the Powerpool or the Million Pool. They can therefore wait and see how the advertising industry reacts to the new million pool. However, BeO broadcasting manager Martin Muerner at least does not feel drawn to the million pool (see page 5).
Even the city pool needs to be kept in mind. In any case, the triumvirate is no longer as united and intent on going it alone as it was at the beginning of the year. In recent weeks, there have been clear signs of opening up, including from the weakened ExtraBern.
Radio pool scene in German-speaking Switzerland
It is still unclear when the new pool of millions comprising the eight stations Hitradio Z, Top, Argovia, Sunshine, Grischa/Piz, Central, Ri and 32 will actually go on sale. "We have never communicated a start date of July 1, 2002, but it is correct that the market should decide on the start of sales," says Argovia Managing Director and pool spokesman Roland Baumgartner. "However, if we have to start on July 1, 2002 due to high demand, we will look for an amicable solution with Pool 2000, which will remain in existence until the end of 2002," he adds.
However, the market will only demand the product once it knows the rates. So far, Baumgartner has only revealed this much: depending on the hourly window, a second in the pool costs between 100 and 135 francs (Monday to Friday). The total pool comes to a CPM of 45 centimes, for the Zurich module (Hitradio Z, Top, Argovia, Sunshine) it is
48 centimes, for all other modules 50 centimes.
Media agencies only have preliminary opinions on the new service, but are generally skeptical about it. The reason: holes in Basel and Bern as well as weak points in St. Gallen and Lucerne. "The new pool is certainly not the yellow of the egg, we still don't have a way to cover the whole of German-speaking Switzerland with radio," says André Funk, Managing Director Mediaedge/CIA Switzerland.
"I have the feeling that the stations involved have not done their best," says Karin Steiner from Drei Media Team. However, she primarily criticizes the radio scene: "The stations should not be constantly competing against each other, but should be grouped together on the basis of sensible constellations." The new pool basically only reveals the "original rivalry between 24 and Hitradio Z". According to Steiner, however, the opposite would make sense, a Zurich pool consisting of Hitradio Z and 24, "as I can't imagine a major campaign without the two."
Conflicts were the fathers of the new radio pool
Steiner's analysis is spot on, except that the new pool is based not just on one, but on several industry conflicts. Firstly, there is the conflict between the intermediaries Radiotele and IP Multimedia. While Radiotele accuses IP of using unfair methods to take customers away from it, Hitradio Z, which belongs to the Goldbach Group, is criticized for no longer being brokered by Radiotele. Felix Kilchsperger, radio manager at Radiotele, admits this openly. This boycott of Radiotele has also been felt by Argovia and Sunshine, which together with Hitradio Z form the Zurich module of Pool 2000. Their loss of income was further accentuated when the Powerpool (24 and Zürisee) came onto the market at the beginning of the year.
There are also rumors that Radiotele gave the impetus for the Powerpool - in order to weaken Hitradio Z. Kilchsperger rejects this, but admits: "The Powerpool, which in terms of numbers is an alternative to the Pool 2000 module in Zurich, makes it easier for us to push our dispute with IP into the background."
On the other hand, Radiotele's approach welded Hitradio Z, Argovia and Sunshine together and probably also drove the latter into the arms of IP. In any case, the three stations are among the driving forces behind the million-euro pool, which is actually rooted in the idea of strengthening the existing Pool 2000 module Zurich with Top compared to the Powerpool. Of course, the only three Radiotele leases BE1, BeO and Canal 3 are not part of the new pool (see also page 5).
However, the founding of the Powerpool led to another conflict, as Zürisee, which had previously been a member of the Leader Pool, went rogue and offended its previous partners Top and Grischa. No wonder that they now also turned to the pool of millions.
Two other conflicts in eastern Switzerland were also the fathers of the new pool: The old rivalry between Aktuell, which is looking to join a larger pool, and Top. The result: Aktuell continues to stand on the sidelines, even though it would make sense in a pool of millions. This is cemented by a more recent conflict between Aktuell and Ri, which are (still) united in the Aktuell plus pool. However, Ri no longer agrees with the distribution formula for pool income, which is why it recently loosened its programming ties to Aktuell. Incidentally, the small Ri is probably only allowed to participate in the pool of millions because IP has a 35 percent stake in Ri.
Private radio stations in Bern, Basel and Zurich are in no hurry
But how will the other radios react? Radio 24 is not under pressure to make a move, as it has already existed well on its own. And together with Zürisee in the Powerpool, for which the Competition Commission has yet to give the go-ahead, it forms an alternative to the extensive Zurich module of the Millionen-Pool. However, a combination of Powerpool, City-Pool and Radio Aktuell would also be conceivable, which would contrast the more rural Millionen-Pool with something more urban.
A merger between the Powerpool and the Pool 2000 modules in Basel and Berne would also be possible. Be that as it may, Belcom boss Stärkle is not letting anyone look at his cards at the moment. This is understandable, as his own multi-million pool project consisting of 24, Zürisee, Top, Aktuell/Ri, 32, Piz/Grischa and BE1 has failed due to the conflicts mentioned above and probably also due to the personal rivalry between him and Top boss Heuberger.
Is the city pool also falling apart?
The Bern and Basel modules of Pool 2000 also have time. If you want to cover the golden triangle of Zurich-Bern-Basel, you can book them as a kind of joker, whether you want to continue with the Zurich module of Pool 2000, the Powerpool or the Million Pool. They can therefore wait and see how the advertising industry reacts to the new million pool. However, BeO broadcasting manager Martin Muerner at least does not feel drawn to the million pool (see page 5).
Even the city pool needs to be kept in mind. In any case, the triumvirate is no longer as united and intent on going it alone as it was at the beginning of the year. In recent weeks, there have been clear signs of opening up, including from the weakened ExtraBern.
Radio pool scene in German-speaking Switzerland
City pool Leader pool
Basilisk Top
ExtraBern Zürisee
Pilatus Grischa
Powerpool
24
Lake Zurich
Pool 2000 Million Pool Module ZH Module ZH
Hitradio Z Hitradio Z
Argovia Argovia
Sunshine Sunshine
Top
Modul Basel Modul MittellandRegenbogen Argovia
Edelweiss 32
Module Berne Module Eastern Switzerland
BeO Top
BE1 Grischa
Canal 3 Piz
Ri
Central
