Draft submission to the Czech Broadcasting Council to amend the licence and music format of Radio One, Prague, Czech Republic, written by Grant Goddard in February 1997 for Metromedia International Incorporated.

1. RADIO ONE, PRAGUE, CZECH
REPUBLIC: DRAFT SUBMISSION
TO THE CZECH BROADCASTING
COUNCIL
by
GRANT GODDARD
www.grantgoddard.co.uk
February 1997

2. Radio 1 has existed since 1991, when it started its distinctive policy of
promoting non-commercially orientated arts in Prague and exposing new
cultural trends to the city’s citizens. Since then, Radio 1 has pursued these
policies relentlessly, providing a platform for artistic endeavours untouched
elsewhere in the local media, and thus has proven itself to be a very distinctive
radio station, complementing the others in the Prague market.
During the last six years, Radio 1 has offered every available opportunity to
local musicians to expose their talents to the people of Prague. Radio 1’s
knowledgeable staff of music enthusiasts have broadcast detailed information
about artists’ concert performances in the city, interviewed the artist on the air,
promoted the recordings of the artist, and played these recordings within the
station’s programmes. These artists, their promoters, their managers and their
publishing companies have all regularly acknowledged the immensely
important role that Radio 1 has played in the success of their endeavours, in
bringing new art forms to the attention of the public.
At the same time as exposing the creative talents of artists within the Czech
Republic, Radio 1 has simultaneously been instrumental in bringing the best
examples of international culture to the citizens of Prague. Artists from all parts
of the world have been invited to the studios of Radio 1 whenever they visit
Prague. They have been provided with every opportunity to display their
talents on the air, explain their artistic philosophy and to promote their
performances. Radio 1 has customarily extended these courtesies to every
artist, regardless of their stature or the popularity of their works. A young,
unknown punk band from Belgium is given the same warm greeting at Radio 1
as a best-selling rock band from England.
The success of Radio 1 as a promoter of the non-commercial arts should not
be underestimated. The station’s important role as a catalyst is now
acknowledged throughout the Czech Republic, so that newly emerging artists
almost automatically beat a direct path to the station’s door, Radio 1’s
reputation and philosophy having already preceded it. Even more surprising is
the international reputation that the station has built. Several international
publications have commented upon the unique qualities of Radio 1 in the
whole of the European radio market. So positive is the station’s reputation that
Radio 1 is regularly the only broadcaster in the entire Republic to regularly
receive news, information and samples directly from the European
headquarters of the major international music publishing companies.
All this time, Radio 1 has sought to maintain intimate contact with its audience
of loyal listeners in Prague. The station has maintained a presence at all the
most important live music events in the city, and has always encouraged
listeners to offer their opinions, comments, suggestions and feedback on the
station’s programming. One of the most popular programmes within Radio 1’s
schedule is the weekly 'Hitparada', where a chart of songs is compiled solely
from the votes cast by the listeners themselves. Every week, Radio 1 is
inundated with a flood of phone calls and letters from its listeners, many
expressing their appreciation of the station’s programmes, and others
suggesting improvements and new topics that could be instituted. The
Radio One, Prague, Czech Republic: Draft Submission To The Czech Broadcasting Council
©1997 Grant Goddard
page 2

3. introduction of our own Radio 1 'homepage' on the World Wide Web of the
Internet [www.ecn.cz/radio1] has enabled the station to communicate globally
with an even greater number of enthusiasts who, though they may not be able
to hear the station’s output, support its philosophy and programming.
Radio 1 is always seeking to provide exposure for the continual stream of
brand new musical genres that emerge each year in the field of alternative
arts. In order to maintain its important, cutting-edge position in radio
broadcasting, Radio 1 needs to retain the flexibility to re-arrange the
programming elements within its broadcasting schedule to accurately reflect
the contemporary interests of its audience. A new, exciting art form can
emerge within the space of a short few months, requiring Radio 1 to allocate
specific airtime to bring this art form to its audience at the earliest opportunity.
At the same time, a different art form that may have existed for several years
suddenly experiences an unpredicted, drastic decline in its popularity. Thus, a
programme devoted to the 'old' art form now needs to be replaced by a
programme devoted to the 'new' art form, though such a change could never
have been anticipated, even a few months previously.
In order that Radio 1 can serve its audience with comprehensive and
appropriate programmes that cover the entire spectrum of alternative arts, it is
important that Radio 1 be able to schedule programmes of a suitable length
and at a suitable time that will expose each individual art to the greatest
possible audience. At the present moment in time [February 1997], Radio 1’s
research leads it to believe that its audience will best by served by a selection
of programmes that include the following genres of alternative, musical art:
DANCE
etc
REGGAE
etc
WORLD
etc
ROCK
etc
Additionally, Radio 1 is committed to including in its programming any further
genres of alternative art that may develop from time to time in the future. All
the above genres shall be allotted an amount of time within the broadcasting
schedule that is consistent with: their individual popularity at the time; the
amount of material in that genre available for broadcast; and the significance
of the particular genre within the entire field of alternative art. The specific time
of the day and time of the week when a particular programme is broadcast will
depend upon the availability of a suitable audience to listen to a programme
devoted to that musical genre, and upon the availability of a suitably
knowledgeable radio presenter who can produce such a programme.
In general, the radio audience statistics for Prague show that Radio 1’s most
significant audience is attracted to the station during the evening and night
time hours [Radio 1 has a 10.7% share of radio listening between 1900 and
0300, compared to 3.8% between 0600 and 1900]. It is after 1900 that Radio 1
enjoys both its largest absolute audience and the highest proportion of radio
listening. Therefore, it is after the hour of 1900 that Radio 1 will continue to
schedule a mosaic of programmes that pay very careful, specific attention to
the entire spectrum of alternative arts, including those music genres listed
Radio One, Prague, Czech Republic: Draft Submission To The Czech Broadcasting Council
©1997 Grant Goddard
page 3

4. above. Such scheduling will ensure that these programmes reach the
maximum possible number of available listeners in the Prague region.
Radio 1 will further develop its already successful policy of showcasing these
musical styles by further extending the hours it commits to these genres from
1900 to 0500 every night of the week. Each programme in this part of the day
will be carefully promoted, both on-air and off-air, to the specific section of the
audience at which it is targeted. By improving the marketing of its
programming, Radio 1 hopes to increase even further its audience during
these hours, and to encourage these listeners to spend even more hours
listening to the station.
At the same time as extending the scope and audience for its evening and
night time programmes, Radio 1 will develop its daytime programming with the
aim of attracting as substantial an audience as already exists at the end of the
day. Every day between 0500 and 1900, Radio 1 will expose the best and
most noteworthy examples from each of the musical genres that are scheduled
at night. But whereas the evening and night time programmes explore each
musical style in considerable depth and at great length in individual
programmes, the daytime output of Radio 1 will 'mix' all the different musical
styles into a musical 'melting pot'. The best example of one musical genre will
be played alongside the best example of another, different musical genre,
creating a stream of quality programming that will bring all these alternative
arts to an even wider audience.
The daytime programming from 0500 and 1900 will be 'the best of Radio 1',
combining the best contemporary examples of different musical genres,
alongside songs and artists that may have been played in the night time
programming in the past, and who have more recently been rewarded with
much greater popularity amongst the general public. In this way, the daytime
programming will bring the philosophy and artistic achievements of the leading
proponents of alternative art to a much wider audience. It will also assist in
putting the best current examples of different musical genres in a historical
context that the wider audience can appreciate and understand. These policies
are intended to increase the number of listeners for Radio 1’s programming
between 0500 and 1900, and to bring to these hours the same high level of
listening that the evening and night time programmes already enjoy.
Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of
experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy
roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at
http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk
Radio One, Prague, Czech Republic: Draft Submission To The Czech Broadcasting Council
©1997 Grant Goddard
page 4