Are Radio Nova and Suomipop in danger?

The power relations of the Finnish radio field changed irreversibly today at eight in the morning, when the new radio channel Popfm started operations. New channels have started in the country before, and there is nothing wonderful in itself.

However, this channel is not anything, as the new channel has received the former Yle Speech Radio Network, which brings it one of the largest areas of the country, which even brings its listener potential to the same category with market leader Radio Nova.

But at least as much upheaval is also who owns the new channel.

Goodbye to the dupeto

For a decade, the Finnish Commercial Radio field has been a dupeto managed by two gigantic players. Those two giant, Bauer Media and Nelonen, have grown to their current dimensions with acquisitions.

Nelonen’s most significant deal was seen in 2012, when it bought Metroradio and with it, including Radio Suomipop, moved to Nelonen’s audio stable. Bauer Media’s answer and the previous major upheaval of the commercial radio field were seen three years later in 2015, when it bought Radio Nova from MTV.

Channel shops always require a blessing of the Government. The concentration of channels on two players was long seen as the benefit of the audience and the market. The basic idea was that when individual actors have multiple channels, it promotes diversity of channels. It is a good idea for the radio house to make its channels as different as possible so that they do not compete with each other.

In the internal portfolio of the houses, that has worked. But at the same time, some of the products have been named or conceptualized quite directly to imitate the competitor. Nelonen has Radio Rock and Suomipop, Bauer Media founded Radio Suomirock. Bauer Media has Iskelmä, Nelonen founded a genuine Iskel. Bauer Media’s Radio Nova has a retro Friday, Nelonen’s Hitmix has retro radio. Both retro programs are still at the same time on Friday night.

The radio world struck last year when the Government announced that the frequency complex that previously belonged to Yle Speech would be applied for. All radio players were interested in the enormous area of ​​coverage and the insane audience potential of that network. At the same time, it was also known to be so high that few players can afford to take the challenge. There must be either a thick wallet in the background, or at least a credit to get promotional sales quickly to roll and cover costs.

In the end, only three players applied for that frequency. Bauer Media, Radio 55 designed by artificial intelligence -based speech and Mad Men Media from Sweden.

Many were surprised when the Government’s decision in November came. The frequency was made by Mad Men Media. By its decision, the Government gave the message that the two actor’s duopol was over and a whole new gambler was allowed on the market.

The secrets were revealed

Since November, the biggest topic on the Finnish radio field has been what the channel is coming to Finland and who will do it. There have been rumors in the radio circles who may be about to leave the newcomer bread.

However, rumors have repeatedly proved to be false. Months have been spent and there have been no resignation of the country’s leaders. Mad Men has also been quiet and has further increased speculation.

POPFM’s operational director Cia -awake Has followed, amused, the discussion around the canal. In their expectations, many made the mistake of expected the new player to recruit the first known presenters from other channels.

The wake says that Mad Men was clear from the start that PopFM wants to bring something completely new to the radio field. It’s easier if the presenters are also new acquaintances.

– Popfm will be a music -focused good -minded channel. We have done a really extensive and comprehensive market research. It has made decisions about music choices and learned what listeners want on the radio.

– We’re going to make the radio with a new kind of twist. And since our host trio are new acquaintances for listeners, they bring a new kind of grip on the broadcast. I, too, look forward to them, Heritty says.

As a channel presenter, they start Essi Unkuri, Matti Roth and Lassi Hurskainen. The general public is known as the former Miss Finland of Unkur, but he is not a beginner in the radio, as he has graduated from the Radio Linja of Laajasalo College and was a presenter in Radio Vaasa. Roth is known for the Blokess sketch group and Hurskainen rose to international known as he played as a football goal goalkeeper and began publishing his trick videos on YouTube.

Challenging market

Mad Men is coming to the Finnish radio market at a time when the entire commercial radio is already wrestling in a challenging environment. Although audio consumption increases, this growth occurs in audiobooks, podcasts and listening to music. Radio’s listeners have long been declining.

The chart above shows how in 2015 3.7 million Finns listened to the radio daily. At the end of 2024, the same figure had fallen to well over three million, which has lost about 700,000 daily tutors in ten years.

For commercial radio, the number of listeners alone is not the only important measure. Another important thing is how long the radio is listened to. A listener who listens to the radio for 5 minutes a day is not as valuable to the channel as the listener who listens to 120 minutes. Long listening times mean larger advertising products, because then every ad reaches more audience.

The second concern of the radio is that in addition to the number of listeners, listening times have fallen. The most recent published Finnpanel’s KRT measurement says that in October-December 2024, Finns listened to commercial radio channels on average 60 minutes per day. October-December 2015 The same number was 91 minutes.

According to the falls of the fall listeners and at the same time a shorter listening time, the radio’s commercial market has shrunk at a rapid pace, which has made it difficult for the radio field. This development is known by Mad Men, but they still are eager to come to the Finnish radio market. Why?

– After all, that development is completely true. Radio’s consumption has been fragmented in recent years like any other media. Consumers also fight more and more media. However, in recent years, the effectiveness of the audio has been granted more generally, whereas in the past it may not have been taken as an equally viable way of influence, Heritty says.

– If I think of the radio, it is still almost the only one you can spend all the time with everything else. Podcasts also require concentration, but you can listen to the radio while working, driving a car and so on.

The wake -up reminds us that the radio’s killer has been predicted when music television, minidisc or spotify, but the radio has always been survived.

– And even though there have been podcasts, audiobooks and other ways to consume audio, still 70 % of audio consumption is specifically listening to radio. The radio will remain strong and over 50 % more at least for the next ten years.

Who must be afraid?

CEO of Mad Men Media in Sweden Mattias Gustafsson It has recently been in Finland to launch a fresh channel. Although he has launched several radio channels over the decades, starting this size channel from scratch is such a special experience that he cannot cover his enthusiasm.

“This is an awesome radio market because the radio is so close to people in people in Finland, and because listeners have high expectations,” says Gustafsson.

Getting to the Finnish market is a long -term dream for him.

– For the first time in 2006, I was applying for license applications here, but I was not successful.

The licenses granted at that time went to Nelonen and they gave rise to Radio Rock and Radio Aalto.

“I’ve been looking at Finland since then,” says Gustafsson.

Occasionally, there have been smaller frequency entities, which could be used to try to assemble a semi -power network by combining several.

– It would have been difficult. Existing players have also done a really good job in how they have filled the market. There are no obvious gaps here that should be filled, Gustafsson praises his main competitors from Bauer and Nelo.

When there is no ready -made opening, the newcomer must clear their own living space in the market. This means that listeners must be able to be taken from competitors. And once PopFM has a network with 98 percent of Finns living in the coverage area, the channel also has to seek the aim of those large masses.

Then the gaze will inevitably turn to the two giants of the commercial radio: Radio Nova and Suomipop. Both channels have been hoped for fingers that the newcomer would come more to its main competitor’s territory.

However, it seems that Popfm is trying to hit those two channels.

– We position ourselves so that we are a music -oriented good -minded channel. We play music from the 90s to the present day, it will be a researched blend of both domestic and foreign.

So Radio Nova’s newcomer is united by the fact that there is foreign music in the play, and in addition to the novelties, there is also retro from the 90s.

The connection to Suomipop already comes from the name of the channel. POPFM hosts 26-38 year olds and thus an age profile of Suomipop’s channel personality as Nova over 50 years old.

However, the awakening emphasizes that they are also trying to find completely new listeners and not just take the audience from competitors.

– When looking for new ones, there is talk of younger target groups who may not be so used to the radio today. We try to invest in different platforms and hope that they will find the miracle of the radio and the fact that radio can be a guy.

Radio is Tapamedia and changes in audience habits are slowly occurring. Indeed, both wake -up and Gustafsson emphasize perseverance.

– Listeners find the frequency at their own pace and it does not happen overnight. However, our goal in the next few years is to be one of the three largest, Heritty says.

Gustafsson thinks for a moment what to say about the goals.

– I don’t know what I can say. Perhaps the easiest way to say is that our goal is to be one of three big ones. But this is like a marathon run and we really have come to Finland to commit to here in the long term.

Does that mean that after entering the market, Mad Men is interested in applying for more licenses?