From the Hollywood Reporter
Exporting Radio Dis Not Kid Stuff
(Hollywood Reporter) -- As Radio Disney looks to duplicate its rapid US expansion in overseas markets, the Walt Disney Co. network targeting kids 6-14 with boy bands, Britney Spears and "Kid of the Month" contests is finding that the format needs some tweaking to translate abroad. The broadcaster's first station outside the United States went on the air a year ago in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has delivered strong results by cater-ing to an audience ages 12-19, but also to listeners up to their mid-30s, as a fairly standard big-market FM pop station. The Argentina market also tested a different business model -- one where local-ownership restrictions mean that Disney must partner with regional producers and station owners, as they did with radio group RGB in the Argentine capital. "International radio is a very local product," Radio Disney president and general man-ager Jean-Paul Colaco said. "We definitely have to adjust our format to fit the culture and environment that we are faced with in each country. We manage the brand but use their local radio expertise." After three years of supervising the network, which launched in 1996, Colaco was promoted to president this month to accelerate its expansion throughout South America, Central America, Europe and Asia. The U.S. build-out will also con-tinue, driven principally by the regular acquisition of AM stations. Together, these parallel strategies reflect Disney's committment to two corporate priorities -- tapping international growth and accretive acquisitions, even as other units falter. In the industry, Radio Disney is known as an efficient operator that technically up-grades its new stations and then "goes guns drawn and ready to play," said Chriss Scherer, editor of BE Radio magazine. Internationally it is a different story, laden with potential pitfalls from language issues to cultural, political and religious sensitivities, Scherer said. "Mickey Mouse is certainly an identifable brand that they can take just about anywhere, but I wouldn't want to introduce a product into a foreign country without someone there to be my guide," Schere said. "You have to go with the people who know what's going on."
Exporting Radio Dis Not Kid Stuff
(Hollywood Reporter) -- As Radio Disney looks to duplicate its rapid US expansion in overseas markets, the Walt Disney Co. network targeting kids 6-14 with boy bands, Britney Spears and "Kid of the Month" contests is finding that the format needs some tweaking to translate abroad. The broadcaster's first station outside the United States went on the air a year ago in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has delivered strong results by cater-ing to an audience ages 12-19, but also to listeners up to their mid-30s, as a fairly standard big-market FM pop station. The Argentina market also tested a different business model -- one where local-ownership restrictions mean that Disney must partner with regional producers and station owners, as they did with radio group RGB in the Argentine capital. "International radio is a very local product," Radio Disney president and general man-ager Jean-Paul Colaco said. "We definitely have to adjust our format to fit the culture and environment that we are faced with in each country. We manage the brand but use their local radio expertise." After three years of supervising the network, which launched in 1996, Colaco was promoted to president this month to accelerate its expansion throughout South America, Central America, Europe and Asia. The U.S. build-out will also con-tinue, driven principally by the regular acquisition of AM stations. Together, these parallel strategies reflect Disney's committment to two corporate priorities -- tapping international growth and accretive acquisitions, even as other units falter. In the industry, Radio Disney is known as an efficient operator that technically up-grades its new stations and then "goes guns drawn and ready to play," said Chriss Scherer, editor of BE Radio magazine. Internationally it is a different story, laden with potential pitfalls from language issues to cultural, political and religious sensitivities, Scherer said. "Mickey Mouse is certainly an identifable brand that they can take just about anywhere, but I wouldn't want to introduce a product into a foreign country without someone there to be my guide," Schere said. "You have to go with the people who know what's going on."