Euranet
Encyclopedia
Euranet, the European Radio Network, is an amalgamation of 18 international, national, regional and local European broadcasters, making up a pan-European media consortium. It is a platform which deals with news and information about all the states and institutions of the EU, built upon two complementary foundations: a network of professional radio stations and a network of campus radios.
The project provides information about events in Europe no longer just from a national perspective but rather from a trans-national point of view. By providing high quality pan-European news, Euranet aims to meet the following goals:
In short, while Europe is shaping up and strengthening its ties politically, and economically, Euranet intends to fill the missing link in the European radio broadcasting arena by "sharing the sounds of Europe".
The official presentation of the European media consortium Euranet by Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission, took place on the 26th February 2008 in Brussels. As the commissioner responsible for institutional relations and communication strategy, Margot Wallström announced that Euranet would receive 5.8 million Euros in financial support from the European Commission over the first five years. Despite this support, the Commission guaranteed the broadcasters full editorial independence.
In the first year, Euranet programmes were broadcast in the five main languages – German, English, French, Polish and Spanish, as well as five further languages – Bulgarian, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian and Hungarian.
As of June 2011, Euranet brings together 18 professional radio stations, supplemented by 8 campus radios. All of these partnerships allow coverage to be delivered in 16 countries, in 15 languages over the air and 18 on the web.
Euranet aims to be broadcasting in all 23 official EU languages by 2012.
The governance of Euranet is aligned with its editorial strategy and its networked partnership model. Euranet operates according to two major principles of editorial policy, which are unanimously endorsed by its partners: “non-interference in the programme schedules of partners” and “management by editorial consensus.” Governance is structured around three main bodies (editorial committee, editorial coordination and language groups). Euranet’s legal structure was converted in 2009 to facilitate the development of its model, evolving from a simple contractual arrangement as a consortium to a fully integrated legal structure as a “Groupement Européen d’Intérêt Economique” (GEIE).
Euranet is fully independent of any instruction, pressure or request emanating from an EU institution, a member state of the EU or of any other state or institution, concerning the content of its broadcasts and programmes on topics relating to the EU.
The Euranet audience is estimated at 13.2 million listeners on the European continent as of June 2011
Web radios are available in each language – the most recent network productions in each language are assembled and accessible via continuous web streaming. This is an “on-demand” service where all productions are available in their original language and are easily accessible through a search engine. It is also possible for the user to build a custom feed by aggregating stories of particular interest for continuous listening. All of the content can be heard in “streaming” or “podcast” format for listening on mobile devices.
The multi-lingual "Euranet Specials" are developed in a collaborative manner between all partner news teams. Each piece in a "Euranet Special" is presented with an English teaser text The result translates into an area of selected topics, organized the same way in all the different languages, in a text format illustrated with photos, and with a very strong graphical unity from one language to another.
Moreover, the Euranet brand has a presence on the major social networks Facebook and Twitter and provides channels on YouTube, Vimeo and Flickr.
In addition to the participating radio stations, Euranet programmes are also re-broadcast by several campus radio stations. The local partner stations are associated members of the consortium. The partner broadcasters are:
Launched in early 2011, the first fruit of the initiative was a live debate held in Brussels in April 2011 on the
subject of “Employment of young people in Europe".
The project provides information about events in Europe no longer just from a national perspective but rather from a trans-national point of view. By providing high quality pan-European news, Euranet aims to meet the following goals:
- Promoting mutual understanding among European citizens
- Increasing awareness and comprehension of European affairs and institutions
- Bridging the gap between local, national, and pan-European concerns
In short, while Europe is shaping up and strengthening its ties politically, and economically, Euranet intends to fill the missing link in the European radio broadcasting arena by "sharing the sounds of Europe".
History
On the initiative of Deutsche Welle (DW) and Radio France Internationale (RFI), 16 international, national, regional and local European broadcasters from 13 EU countries joined forces to create a pan-European media consortium on 25 July 2007. This comprises both public and private broadcasters. The aim of the co-operation is to improve the quality of reporting on and from Europe, and to stimulate discussion about togetherness in Europe in order to promote a European general public.The official presentation of the European media consortium Euranet by Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission, took place on the 26th February 2008 in Brussels. As the commissioner responsible for institutional relations and communication strategy, Margot Wallström announced that Euranet would receive 5.8 million Euros in financial support from the European Commission over the first five years. Despite this support, the Commission guaranteed the broadcasters full editorial independence.
In the first year, Euranet programmes were broadcast in the five main languages – German, English, French, Polish and Spanish, as well as five further languages – Bulgarian, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian and Hungarian.
As of June 2011, Euranet brings together 18 professional radio stations, supplemented by 8 campus radios. All of these partnerships allow coverage to be delivered in 16 countries, in 15 languages over the air and 18 on the web.
Euranet aims to be broadcasting in all 23 official EU languages by 2012.
Members
The following radio stations are members of Euranet:| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Belgium | RTBF |
| Bulgaria | Bulgarian National Radio |
| Czech Republic | Radio Prague |
| Danmark | Radio Mælkebøtten |
| France | Radio France Internationale |
| Germany | AMS-NET |
| Great Britain | CMA |
| Greece | Skai Radio |
| Italy | Radio24 - Ilsole24Ore |
| Latvia | Latvijas Radio |
| The Netherlands | Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep |
| Poland | Polskie Radio SA Polskie Radio Szczecin |
| Portugal | Europa Lisboa |
| Romania | Radio Romania International RFI Romania |
| Slovenia | Radio Slovenia International |
| Spain | Punto Radio Castilla y León |
Consortium
Euranet was launched as a consortium between radio enterprises from different countries of Europe and its activity is governed by a contract of service with the European Commission, which is its only source of funding.The governance of Euranet is aligned with its editorial strategy and its networked partnership model. Euranet operates according to two major principles of editorial policy, which are unanimously endorsed by its partners: “non-interference in the programme schedules of partners” and “management by editorial consensus.” Governance is structured around three main bodies (editorial committee, editorial coordination and language groups). Euranet’s legal structure was converted in 2009 to facilitate the development of its model, evolving from a simple contractual arrangement as a consortium to a fully integrated legal structure as a “Groupement Européen d’Intérêt Economique” (GEIE).
Euranet is fully independent of any instruction, pressure or request emanating from an EU institution, a member state of the EU or of any other state or institution, concerning the content of its broadcasts and programmes on topics relating to the EU.
Audio Formats
Euranet reports on cultural, social, economic and political events in the EU from a pan-European perspective. The programmes made by Europeans for Europeans enjoy a daily air-time of between 30 and 60 minutes. These are broadcast at prime-time and are re-broadcast several times.- News: Important daily information about newsworthy events in Europe.
- Current Affairs: Daily reports about politics, economics and society.
- Magazines: Daily in-depth background features from a pan-European perspective on cultural, social, economic and political events across Europe.
- Dossiers: Devoted coverage appearing several times a year in all languages focussing on topics ranging from immigration to energy and the environment through to lifestyle.
- Live: Live coverage of special events in Europe 3 to 4 times a year.
The Euranet audience is estimated at 13.2 million listeners on the European continent as of June 2011
Web Portal
The Euranet web portal at www.euranet.eu is made up of several services and is a showcase for the content and the spirit of Euranet. The Euranet web site tries aims to bring to life in a visible and attractive way to Euranet’s pan-European “cross-vision”.Web radios are available in each language – the most recent network productions in each language are assembled and accessible via continuous web streaming. This is an “on-demand” service where all productions are available in their original language and are easily accessible through a search engine. It is also possible for the user to build a custom feed by aggregating stories of particular interest for continuous listening. All of the content can be heard in “streaming” or “podcast” format for listening on mobile devices.
The multi-lingual "Euranet Specials" are developed in a collaborative manner between all partner news teams. Each piece in a "Euranet Special" is presented with an English teaser text The result translates into an area of selected topics, organized the same way in all the different languages, in a text format illustrated with photos, and with a very strong graphical unity from one language to another.
Moreover, the Euranet brand has a presence on the major social networks Facebook and Twitter and provides channels on YouTube, Vimeo and Flickr.
Euranet University Circle
The Euranet University Circle was created in order to support innovative radio and internet content. Within this project, journalism and/or foreign language students have the opportunity to use Euranet programmes as learning material. Additionally, students from participating universities provide the programme-makers with feedback and suggestions concerning Euranet broadcasts.In addition to the participating radio stations, Euranet programmes are also re-broadcast by several campus radio stations. The local partner stations are associated members of the consortium. The partner broadcasters are:
- Ireland: Trinity FM (Trinity College Dublin)
- Germany: bonncampus 96,8 (University of Bonn)
- Poland: Academic Radio Kampus (University of Warsaw)
- Romania: UBB Radio (Babeş-Bolyai University)
- Spain: Radio Universidad de Salamanca (University of Salamanca), UAB, UNED Radio (UNED - Spanish National University of Distance Education)
- Sweden: Radio Campus Örebro (Örebro University)
Connecting U and the EU
As an extension of the University Circle, the "Connecting U and the EU" initiative aims to foster the debate between youth from the different European countries and European policy makers. Around a given theme, students fuel the discussion with questions, opinions and content. All of this material is then used by a team of Euranet journalists to construct a debate with the various stakeholders and in particular with the members of the European institutions (experts, parliamentarians, members of the European Commission, etc.). The main thrust of the initiative is a “live” debate which brings together the protagonists to exchange their points of view.Launched in early 2011, the first fruit of the initiative was a live debate held in Brussels in April 2011 on the
subject of “Employment of young people in Europe".
External links
- http://www.euranet.eu
- http://www.rfi.fr/pressefr/articles/099/article_534.asp
- http://www.ekathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_civ_2_27/02/2008_260753
- http://www.wereldomroep.nl/actua/europa/080226-euranet
- http://www.polskieradio.pl/euranet/more.aspx
- http://www.euranet.dk