The Croatian Radio Forum Association (HRF) and the AER organised the conference “Radio the most trusted medium: why people turn to radio and why it remains the most trusted source over time” in Zagreb, bringing together radio advertisers and professionals from across Europe.
The event was kicked-off by the Director General of the HRF and Vice-President AER Luka Đurić, followed by the keynote speech AER President Stefan Möller, both stressing how radio has been and still is an irreplaceable, quick and emotion-charged medium that has been the most trusted for years, with a renewed upsurge in the numbers of listeners and users.
MEP Sunčana Glavak, speaking on behalf of the Croatian Parliament, pointed out the continuing importance of radio, evident also from the first Media Industry Outlook recently published by the European Commission.
Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Šuica, then addressed the audience via video message, reiterating her support to the commercial radio industry and the work AER and HRF do in helping to ensuring a fair and sustainable economic framework for radio to thrive in.
Closing the conference, a panel discussion on common global opportunities and challenges for the commercial radios – ranging from podcasts and young audiences to generative AI, the future role of radio and audio in the creative industry, and why commercial radios need the help from regulators to ensure the right legislative framework for a future prosperous radio and audio sector.
[Panelists : Silvija Londero Šimleša, President of the Croatian Radio Forum and of the HUP Commercial Radio Stations Coordination (Croatia), Marianne Bugge Zederkof, Deputy Managing Director of Danske Medier, the Association of Danish Media, and AER Secretary General, Corinna Drumm, Managing Director of the Austrian Association of Commercial Broadcasters (VÖP) and AER Vice-President, and Frank Giersberg, Managing Director at the Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Germany (VAUNET).]
MEP Sunčana Glavak – Photo by @Mario Poje
Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Šuica – Photo by @Mario Poje
AER President Stefan Möller – Photo by @Mario Poje
Panel discussion: Silvija Londero Šimleša (HRF), Marianne Bugge Zederkof (Danske Medier), Corinna Drumm (VÖP), Frank Giersberg (VAUNET) – Photo by @Mario Poje
About the HRF
The Croatian Radio Forum Association brings together top radio experts in Croatia and most popular radio stations reaching two million listeners in a country with a population of four million. It was established for the purpose of promoting, developing and advancing both the radio market and the media market and improving radio media services on the territory of through systematic radio education. More at hrf.hr.
About the AER
The Association of European Radios (AER) is the Europe-wide trade body for commercial radio, representing the interests of companies operating over 5,000 commercial radio stations to the EU Institutions. AER promotes the development of commercially funded radio broadcasting in Europe, by ensuring a fair and sustainable economic framework for radio so it can continue to thrive.
More information about AER at http://www.aereurope.org and @AEReurope.