Commercial radio reaches 12.4 million weekly listeners in Australia
ATHENS — Radiodays Europe, the annual multiday event uniting professionals from the radio and audio industries, took place in Athens, March 9 to 11, for its 2025 edition. Organizers reported over 1,500 attendees from nearly 50 countries.
Although “radio” remains in its name, in recent years, RDE has broadened its focus to the entire audio entertainment industry, reflecting a constantly evolving market. This broader scope was summed up in this year’s motto: “Designing the Future of Audio.”
Sunday, March 9, traditionally dedicated to parallel summits, tackled seven key topics, including AI, programming, nonlinear content and sales. Over the following two days, about 50 sessions took place across four parallel tracks, with panels and networking events.
From the start, speakers and hosts drew on Athens’ historical roots — the birthplace of philosophy and democracy — as a common thread to frame industry challenges.
Radio is the heartbeat of our society, it is democracy in motion.
Pavlos Marinakis, Greece’s deputy minister to the prime minister
Konstantinos Fotopoulos, CEO of Audiomax Investments and chairman of the Association of Private Radio Station Owners of Attica, urged delegates to take two essential steps. First, he cited “know thyself” to call for honest introspection on “our industry and our business, to identify challenges and find solutions.” Then, he invoked the religious quo vadis, “Where are you going?” to emphasize the need to “explore the future and prepare to adapt to it.”
A critical moment
Pavlos Marinakis, Greece’s deputy minister to the prime minister, reminded the audience that radio has been with us through revolutions and celebrations. “When distance separates us, radio brings us together,” he said, adding, “When uncertainty comes, radio has been a beacon of clarity. Radio is democracy in action.” Marinakis also reviewed Greece’s implementation of EU legislation on radio and supported calls to ensure radio’s visibility on car dashboards.
Giannis Papadopoulos, president of Greece’s public broadcaster Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT), stressed that despite technological advances, radio remains a “radically transparent channel to people.” Yet, he warned that radio is at a critical moment. “We already lost the battle of mobile phones, where FM is no longer readily accessible,” he said, adding, “Will we also lose the battle for in-car radio?” He stressed that ensuring radio’s presence in vehicles is vital, adding, “Pressure on governments and the automotive industry to guarantee what we call ‘one-button reach’ must be stronger than ever.” Papadopoulos also recalled how battery-powered radios quickly sold out when the Ukrainian crisis broke out, proving the essential role of radio for citizens in times of crisis.
A call for unity came from Cilla Benkö, CEO and director general of Sveriges Radio and vice president of the European Broadcasting Union. She emphasized that all media companies share an obligation: “To give people hope, entertainment and music so that they don’t turn us off. Because if we have a world where some people turn us off, then we have a divided society — and that’s absolutely not good for democracy.” Her final appeal was: “Don’t let yourself be fooled — you are not part of a dying media.”
Radio in vehicles
Speakers, including Edita Kudlacova, head of radio, European Broadcasting Union; Stefan Möller, president of the Association of European Radios; and Aled Haydn-Jones, head of BBC Radio 1, called for public service and commercial broadcasters to join forces when speaking to regulators and car manufacturers, to protect radio’s clear visibility in vehicles.
In support of that view, Tomas Granryd, head of digital partnerships at Sveriges Radio, highlighted that there is no standard logo or icon to identify radio in cars, while other technologies like Bluetooth use a consistent symbol worldwide.
Another shared view was the necessity for radio broadcasters to create dedicated teams for automotive distribution. Jade-Sophia Valtat, product manager for strategic partnerships and distribution at Radio France, described the continuous contacts and meetings her team holds with car manufacturers.
A recent agreement between Renault and Radio France will see the Radio France app preinstalled on Renault cars in France running the Android Automotive operating system. Valtat stressed the need for car-specific apps — not simple repurposed versions — saying, “We wanted our automotive app to be more than a radio button.”
Opposing the fear of AI
AI was another major focus, taking center stage in several sessions. Philippe Generali, president of RCS, moderated a panel on how AI can support radio workflows.
Opposing the common fear that AI will replace humans, speakers argued that productivity isn’t the only goal. AI should help improve quality and enhance users’ abilities. “AI can help people deliver better radio and become a better version of themselves,” Generali said.
In another session, Joe D’Angelo, senior vice president of broadcast radio and digital audio at Xperi, led a discussion where Christian Schalt, chief digital officer at RTL Radio Deutschland, said AI is already used for drafting content, but its biggest potential lies in metadata generation to improve broadcast information. Tobias Nielsen, senior vice president of digital at Bauer Media Audio, confirmed that Bauer uses AI for content production and sees vast opportunities for future applications.
Finally, Jason Bryant, founder of Nation Broadcasting, explored data and analytics, emphasizing the value of data collected via Xperi’s DTS AutoStage system, now in over 10 million cars. This data allows Nation to map its audience in real-time, understand listening habits and analyze responses to songs, ads and announcements.
After receiving a Master of Science in Engineering, the author worked for Telecom Italia and Italian public broadcaster Rai. Based in Bergamo, Italy, he now works as a broadcast consultant for radio stations and equipment manufacturers, specializing in project management, network design and field measurement.
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2025 edition of RedTech Magazine
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