Ingang Witte Kruislaan eg Ingang Voetgangers Hit radio and hit programmes for RTL Nederland RTL Group and John de Mol Agree on Asset Deal News Croatia Christoph Mainusch: “We invest more in local entertainment and fiction” Germany Super RTL: Aktion Fairplay awarded Vox surges into the top league France M6 helps kids in hospital with music People Germany Beate Schaaf, Category Manager at Super RTL United Kingdom David Kermode, Editor of Five News the RTL Group intranet week 26 Newsletter
Transcript
Ingang
Witte Kruislaan
eg
Inga
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oetg
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Hit radio andhit programmes forRTL NederlandRTL Group andJohn de Mol Agreeon Asset Deal
NewsCroatia
Christoph Mainusch:“We invest more in localentertainment and fiction”Germany
Super RTL:Aktion Fairplay awarded
Vox surges into the top leagueFrance
M6 helps kids in hospitalwith music
People
Germany
Beate Schaaf, Category Manager at Super RTL
United Kingdom
David Kermode,Editor of Five News
the RTL Group intranetweek 26
Newsletter
the RTL Group intranetweek 26
RTL Group and John deMol Agree on Asset Dealin the NetherlandsRadio Station 538 to be integrated – TV assetstransferred – John de Mol becomes shareholderof RTL NederlandThe Netherlands - 26.06.2007
RTL Group and John de Mol’s Talpa MediaHolding today announced that they havesigned an asset deal in the Netherlands. Thecountry’s leading radio station Radio 538 willbe integrated in the country’s leading TV group,RTL Nederland, which will also acquire TVassets from Talpa Media, such as sports rightsand successful Dutch shows and drama series.Talpa Media will receive a 26.3 percent stake inRTL Nederland.
In addition, RTL Nederland will obtain a firstlook in the Netherlands of all formats develo-ped by John de Mol’s Creative Unit in thecontext of a volume deal. RTL Nederland willshare in the worldwide profits of the formatsthat have been shown on one of RTL’s DutchTV stations. The agreement has been signed byGerhard Zeiler, Chief Executive Officer of RTLGroup, John de Mol, majority shareholder ofTalpa Media Holding and Fons van Westerloo,Chief Executive Officer of RTL Nederland.
Gerhard Zeiler, Chief Executive Officer of RTLGroup, said: “Under the leadership of Fons vanWesterloo our profit centre in the Netherlandshas made fantastic progress since 2003. Withthis transaction, we partner with John de Mol,an outstanding entrepreneur and one of themost creative minds in our business. RTLNederland will become a fully integrated audio-visual compa-ny, combiningRTL’s com-p lemen ta r yfamily of TVchannels andthe country’sleading radiostation.”
John de Mol’s view on the deal: “This is a greatday for Talpa Media. The connection to the RTLnetwork in the Netherlands opens up theopportunity for Talpa to develop creativecontent for several platforms in this countryand to exploit the content for the internatio-nal market.”
Fons van Westerloo, Chief ExecutiveOfficer of RTL Nederland, said about thepartnership: “We started negotiationswith Talpa in December and have reachedan excellent agreement. A radio stationwith the target group and the reach ofRadio 538 perfectly fits in with the existingactivities of RTL Nederland. We also preservethe successful programmes of Talpa Media. Weare proud that a man of John de Mol’s statureis joining our ranks as an important sharehol-der.”
For the time being, the television channel Tienwill continue broadcasting in its current form.The deal is subject to approval of the RTLGroup Board of Directors. Also, the agreementwill be presented for approval to theNetherlandsCompetitionAuthorit ies(NMa).
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welkombij RTL Group
Fons van WesterlooGerhard Zeiler John de Mol
the RTL Group intranetweek 26
Christoph Mainusch:“We invest more in localentertainment and fiction”In an interview with the Croatian newspaperVecernji list Christoph Mainusch, CEO of RTLTelevizija, talked about the channel’s ratingssuccess and explained its programming strategy. Croatia - 27.06.2007
Looking back on the first three years of RTLTelevizija, Christoph Mainusch said: “In our fullsecond year, we achieve financial break-even,which is the unique example in Europe.”
Mainusch strongly believes that there is enoughroom for two public as well as two commercialchannels in Croatia, however, only if the marketwill be differently regulated in the future. HRT 1and HRT 2 are the two Croatian public channels.
“We believe it is necessary to define what kind ofprogramming HRT must produce in order to jus-tify the monthly subscription fee they receive,” hesaid. “Moreover, we believe that HRT’s adverti-sing needs to be regulated.”
RTL Televizija is set to entertain, but Mainuschsaid, as the market leader, he wants to be best inall programme genres: “Therefore, we invest a lotto even increase the quality of our news pro-gramme. For next year, we plan to make lunch-time and midnight news longer.”
The channel intends to create Croatian program-ming for Croatian viewers. So the channel alsoprepares some new programmes, for example anew telenovela, produced by RTL Televizija itself:“This will be a co-production of Croatia, Serbiaand Bosnia. Generally speaking, we will investeven more in the area of local entertainment andfiction in the future.”
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Christoph Mainusch
Super RTL: Fairplay campaign receivedthe Children's Media AwardSuper RTL together with the Alliance For Children was awarded with the Children’sMedia Award for Fairplay at the film festival in Munich on 24 June.Germany - 27.06.2007
For this event, TOF Intermedia Cologne produ-ced three short films in which the German foot-ball player Philipp Lahm calls out for fair play onthe soccer field as well as outside of the game.These contributions can be seen in Super RTL’sprogramme.
In the three-minute films, youngsters are shownfinding themselves in age-based critical situa-tions in the football environment for which theymediate coping strategies. With that, the youngs-ters render a valuable contribution of fosteringsocial competence of children and adolescents.
“As a favorite channel for children, Super RTL isconscious of its responsibility for its young vie-wers,” explained Claude Schmit, CEO of SuperRTL. “Part of this is to be responsible and to stopchildren – to solve their conflicts peacefully. Toachieve that, we made use of our know-how andtaped the spots with Philipp Lahm.”
The special prize endowed with 2,000 Euro wasgiven by the Bavarian ministry for employment,social order, family and women. The responsiblestate secretary Christa Stewens is also thepatron of the Children’s Media Award.
the RTL Group intranetweek 26
Vox surges intothe top league“Primetime”, the presentation of new Germanprogramme schedules, will start at the end ofJuly. Vox is counting on growth and a further risein its value.Germany - 25.06.2007
The continuing success of the channel clearlypositioned as a brand is taking Vox out of thesecond division and into the top league. Duringthe first six months of 2007, the audience sharein the target group of 14 to 49-year-olds roseagain sharply to 7.6 per cent (as opposed to 6.8per cent during the first half of 2006).
So far the advertising prices on Vox have been20 per cent lower than those of their biggestrivals, but this is set to change. The first positi-ve feedback came at the June screening lastweek, and the end of July will see the launch of“Primetime IP vor Ort 07/08” (previously knownas “IP on Tour”), in which the channels belon-ging to the group's German family of channelspresent their schedules.
Vox CEO Frank Hoffmann is stressing that heplans to strengthen his channel's schedule withmore cookery shows and gradually reduce thenumber of bought-in licensed productions. Heis banking on further growth and to that end isintent on reinforcing the channel's 'core skills'.
Take cookery for example: starting in theautumn, Steffen Henssler, a star chef fromHamburg will be replacing Tim Mälzer to host anew daily show, broadcast at 18.30 everyweekday. That will be followed at 19.00 by Dasperfekte Dinner (The Perfect Dinner) and at19.45 by a show entitled Unter Volldampf(Pressure Cooking), in which amateur cooksare put through their paces in restaurants. ButTim Mälzer will also continue to serve updelights to Vox viewers, presenting six episo-
des of the evening show Born to Cook in theautumn. Another planned addition to Vox'sevening schedule is the new programme DieKocharena (The Cook-Off), in which RTL sportexperts Florian König and Heiko Wasser 'sendamateur cooks to the lions' in a cook-offagainst professional chefs.
Hoffmann says that Vox's share of homegrownproductions will continue to rise, having goneup from 38 per cent during the first half of 2006to reach 52 per cent during the equivalentperiod in 2007. However, Vox will retain its clearpositioning, continuing to screen successfulprogrammes like documentaries and policeseries. One of its best programmes is Shark, aUS legal drama in which James Woods plays alawyer who, after a murder trial, switches sidesfrom being an artful defence attorney to a mer-ciless prosecutor.
If Vox's success story continues, who knows:maybe the once small channel will one day beable to produce such programmes of its own?For now, though, modesty is still the order ofthe day. As FrankHoffmann put it:“What we lack interms of money, wehave to make up forin terms of creativity,which is often anadvantage” .
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Frank Hoffmann
Tim Mälzer, Born to Cook
the RTL Group intranetweek 26
RTL commemoratesElvis PresleyTo celebrate the 30th anniversary of the deathof the king of rock 'n' roll, RTL Radio in Francewill be honouring this legendary figure. To thisend, the well-known radio presenter GeorgesLang will be spending a month on the trail ofElvis.France - 22.06.2007
From 16 July to 16 August, RTL Radio's MisterRock, Georges Lang, will be presenting nume-rous special programmes on RTL, all honouringthe musical legend that is Elvis Presley.
From 16 July to 6 August a programmecalled The Collection Elvis will bebroadcast between 23.00 and midnight.And each morning between 6 and 16August, RTL Radio's 07.00 news bulle-tin will report on Elvis's life.
Georges Lang's main programme cele-brating the 30th anniversary of Elvis'sdeath will start at 20.00 on 16 Augustand end at midnight. The presenter willbe reporting live from Elvis's famoushome, Graceland, and will play recor-dings of his wife, Priscilla, his fellowmusicians, his tailor and even his body-guards.
RTL's Elvis campaign will support an exhibitionby the Cartier Foundation entitled Rock 'n' Roll39-59 and devoted to the birth of rock 'n' rollmusic in the USA.
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Elvis Presley
Georges Lang
the RTL Group intranetweek 26
M6 helps kids inhospital with musicTo celebrate the French Festival of Music,M6 organised a concert in the Hôpital Necker,a children's hospital in Paris.France - 22.06.2007
Music can have healing properties, so M6 deci-ded to take some music to the kids being trea-ted in the hospital, who are unable to go toconcerts.
It was the 14th time that M6 had brought musicto the bedsides of girls and boys. Once againits representatives were accompanied by someof the kids' favourite popstars, includingChristophe Maé, Vitaa, Christophe Willem,Amel Bent, Shy’m, Emmanuel Moire, NZH,Faf Larage, Les Déesses, Clara Morganeand the finalists of the casting showNouvelle Star, including its winner, Julien.
The hospital also opened its doors to fansaged under 14. In its courtyard a stage withroom for around 3,000 guests, patients and
visitors was set up. Boys and girls unable toleave their beds were visited by the artistsbefore and after their performances, giving thekids a chance to speak to their stars or simplysee them up close.
The event, called Neck’airs de musique, wasorganised for the children's hospital by the pre-senters Nicolas Deuil and Jérôme Anthony.
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the RTL Group intranetweek 26
The Spanish late-night-show Buenafuente airsits last episodeAntena 3 airs the last show of Buenafuenteon 28 June. The show's presenter, AndreuBuenafuente, and production company El Terratare working together with Antena 3 to preparenew projects.Spain - 26.06.2007
Buenafuente, which aired 303 times in the late-night slots on Tuesdays, Wednesdays andThursdays, has been a television benchmarksince its debut thanks to a formula combiningintelligent humour with entertainment.
Andreu Buenafuente consolidated his positionas one of the country's best com-municators. The programme hadan average audience share of 20.9per cent (1,144,000 viewers) in itsthree seasons. The presenter hea-ded up the programme and a teamof more than 140 people.
During the three years run of theshow, Buenafuente welcomedmany national and internationalguests from the worlds of society,culture, music and sport, includingBono (U2), Juan Manuel Serrat andRobbie Williams.
The success of the late-night show wentbeyond the television screen. The show's web-site has had more than 90 million hits, and theprogramme has been the basis for the creationof magazines (BF), series for mobile phones(Las leyendas del Neng) and even video-games(Action Neng).
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Andreu Buenafuente
Robbie Williams, Andreu Buenafuente
Andreu Buenafuente during his timeat the radio station Cadena Ser
the RTL Group intranetweek 26
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HDTV on M6 all summerStarting on 30 June, M6 will be broadcasting 15 hours of high-definition programmesa day, including seven hours during prime time.France - 25.06.2007
Deutschland sucht den Superstar moves to the next roundGermany is seeking its fifth superstar. The casting for the 2008 series ofDeutschland sucht den Superstar will get under way in early August. Germany - 22.06.2007
Concert for Diana to be presented exclusively by RTL IIOn 1 July 2007, RTL II will be the only German channel broadcasting the concertorganised to honour the memory of the late Princess Diana.Germany - 21.06.2007
RTL Nord team wins charity golf tournament23 teams from the Hamburg media scene participated in the fourth edition of theannual Hamburg Media Cup golf tournament. Proceeds from the tournament go tothe Stern Foundation (Stiftung Stern - Hilfe für Menschen e.V.).Germany - 21.06.2007
Five renews Suburban ShootoutFive has commissioned Feelgood Fiction to produce a second season of the award-winning series Suburban Shootout, centered on two competing gun-toting gangs ofvigilante housewives.United Kingdom - 27.06.2007
the RTL Group intranetweek 26
People
Beate Schaaf to beCategory Managerat Super RTLGermany – 26.06.2007
Beate Schaaf
David Kermode
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As a category manager, Schaaf will be respon-sible for the categories apparel, accessories,stationary & party and promotions.
Schaaf gathered during her study in businessadministration experiences in licensing affairs
and was lastly working as project manager inthe marketing unit of Super RTL. She reports toAndreas Niedergesäss, Senior Sales ManagerLicensing.
People
David Kermode hasbeen appointed asEditor of Five NewsUnited Kingdom – 21.06.2007
Kermode has edited the morning televisionnews programme BBC Breakfast since October2004, leading a team of 60 and producing morethan three hours of daily output for BBC One,seven days a week.
David Kermode said of the move: “I'm reallyexcited about leading the Five News team. FiveNews burst on the scene 10 years ago as a real
innovator and I know I'm joining a really talen-ted team. Sky News is an innovator too, andhas real muscle as a news organisation, so Ican't wait to get going”.
