Joan Warner addresses European Radio & TV Symposium

The 2004 European Radio & Television Symposium, featuring a presentation by CRA chief, Joan Warner, is on from today in Berlin.

The theme of today’s radio symposium day is ‘Where are we Going?’. How are consumers and broadcasters responding to the opportunities provided by digital radio? The symposium will look at two very different approaches to the rollout of digital radio.

One of the potential benefits for the advertiser is the increased functionality digital technology allows. How will these enhancements increase the effectiveness of the medium?

What approach should be adopted by the public service broadcaster to the range of potential services on offer? What contribution does radio make in the mix of media?

What are the problems associated with adapting radio reach and freqency models to different markets?

For the first time, the conference brings together an account of what has happened, and what is happening, in relation to the testing of personal meters.

The 2004 Radio Symposium, sponsored by TNS and Arbitron, features sessions including:
· Radio 2010 – where are we going – with Paul Brown, Chief Executive of CRCA
· Developing digital radio, the Australian model – Joan Warner, CEO, Commercial Radio Australia
· Cutting edge or mainstream, why not both – Colin Crawford, VP, Product Marketing, PURE Digital
· The future of public broadcasting in radio – Jo Hamilton, Head of Research, BBC Radio
· Radio’s real vigour in the media mix: new perspectives on cross media measurement from PPM – Roberta McConachie, Director, PPM Client Relations, Arbitron
· Listeners to private and public radio are different – Uwe Domke, Head of Market and Media Research, Radio Marketing Service, and Andre Petras, Senior Research Consultant, TNS Emnid

The symposium will also review tests, trials and comparative studies of people meters in various countries.

The development of digital radio is proceeding at different rates in various countries. Like television, the opportunities to listen to radio in different places and in different ways are increasing. The same radio station can sometimes be sourced from radio, digital television or the internet. Again, as with television, there is also the opportunity to record and play back programs at any time.

This presents some different and difficult problems for commercial and public service broadcasters.

One result of the expanding number of stations and platforms available is to tax the diary (or recall) audience measurement technique still further. There is, thus, a demand for electronic measurement and, so far, there are two personal meter techniques on the market.

The main concerns with new techniques is whether they work and how they work.

The conference has gathered together information about tests and trials that have been conducted around the world and will look at how two very different approaches to the rollout of digital radio are progressing and how personal meter data has provided some valuable insights into radio’s contribution to the media mix.

There was a welcoming drinks reception yesterday for delegates.

The Television Symposium is themed ‘MANAGING CHANGE’ and will be held tomorrow and Friday, also in Berlin.

For further details, click on the link below.