Lots happens in the radio industry each week so here’s a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Here’s what Happened
Coimisiún na Meán are inviting submissions now on changes to the Codes and rules for Broadcasters.
These codes cover lots of things and look to introduce a new complaints procedure among other changes. There’s a lot of simplification in the new draft rules, but one thing isn’t really set to change.
The current level on advertising is set to remain the same, with 10 minutes per hour and 15% of airtime per day being set as the levels of advertising allowed on commercial radio stations. Those numbers are lower on community stations.
Despite the current plan for these rules to stay the same, Coimisiún na Meán are looking for people’s views on the subject.
It’s a tough balancing act, because less ads is generally better for listeners while more ads is better for the broadcasters. How do you balance the need to keep broadcasting sustainable with the desire to ultimately benefit the listener?
Commercial TV broadcasters are able to air up to 12 minutes of ads per hour, which is a bit more than radio, but TV is also a lot more expensive.
What do you think, should we have more ads each hour to keep the money flowing in, or do we give the listener a bit of a break from commercial breaks? Let us know your thoughts now.
Get more details on the rules here
RTÉ isn’t probably who you think of when somebody mentions true crime podcasts, but this week they had a fantastic win when they teamed up with Netflix.
The Nobody Zone started life as a production between RTEs Doc on One, and Danish production company Third Ear. The podcast was extremely successful and went on to be produced into a tv docudrama funded and produced in house by RTÉ.
This week that docudrama made its way to Netflix in Ireland and the UK after being licensed to the streaming service by RTÉ Programme Sales. The deal seems to be for non exclusive rights, as RTÉ are also still hosting it on their own RTÉ Player streaming service.
It’s not clear how much Netflix are paying RTÉ for the show, but this can only be a good thing. Any money RTÉ makes ultimately supports public service content for Irish audiences, and the fact that RTÉ still have the show freely available on their own platforms is great for viewers.
Podcasts becoming TV shows is an area RTÉ are looking to really nail down, with another Doc on One podcast The Real Carrie Jade also making its way to TV screens. This Netflix deal makes podcasts and shows like this more sustainable, and is definitely an interesting way of monetising the content.
Read the press release on the Netflix deal here
Finally for now RTÉ are looking for a company to run an audience insights panel, with a cost of around €360,000 each year.
The Panel will be able to provide regular insights on RTÉ content, as well as providing a weekly report on app and website usage in Ireland. The idea here is that they will be able to inform RTÉ on what the audience think, letting RTÉ make better decisions.
RTÉ already have an audience council, but that only meets every couple of months. It seems this panel will be a bit more active. Time will tell.
We often hear radio broadcasters running poles online to hear what audiences think of the music they play, and some stations even bring listeners in to listen to music and provide feedback. It’s always interesting to know how listeners feel about the content stations air, and it looks like RTÉ is really trying to use those insights.
Quick Bits
Conor Halpin is Niall Boylans new producer on Classic Hits
Some of the lineup has been announced for RadioCentres Sounding Out 2024
RTÉ have big plans for Culture Night 2024
Helen Wogan, widow of Terry Wogan passed away this week
Today FM had a win at the Digital Business Ireland Awards
And that’s the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio news📻 and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for more fun from the world of radio.