During the annual Asociación de Radiodifusores de Chile conference in April, the organization elected new members to its board for 2017–2019. Eduardo Martinez was named president, while six others were also designated to the board, four of which were re-elected from the previous period. Radio World spoke to Martinez, a journalist and radio broadcaster from Temuco, the capital of the country’s ninth region, about the association’s plans for the next two years.
Eduardo Martínez is the new president of the Asociación de Radiodifusores de Chile.
Radio World: Describe Chile’s current radio landscape.
Eduardo Martínez: The broadcast industry has experienced a turnaround in the last few years with the entry of internet streaming, which has drastically changed advertising agencies’ and clients’ vision toward the media in general. Although radio makes up a relatively small part of the media market here, it continues to enjoy sustained advertising sales growth, despite economic ups and downs. Not everyone is aware of the impact radio has on purchasing habits, however. This is one of the main points that ARCHI needs to address.
RW: What is the status of your organization today and what advantages do you offer your members?
Martínez: ARCHI continues to be well-respected in the country — the organization has been named the most reliable institution in Chile for seven years now by a number of independent surveys, including that of Plaza Pública-Cadem in 2016. We continue to work with our associates to improve licensing renewal procedures and to ensure radio spectrum protection advances. In addition, we make “associative purchases” available to our members. This allows smaller stations to gain access to state-of-the-art equipment at preferential costs.
RW: What are the main objectives of the new ARCHI administration?
Martínez: We aim to expand on the association’s efforts in the areas of training in all aspects of radio broadcasting. We organize courses for our members and provide information about recently passed laws, for example. We serve as a type of information hub, where members can gain and exchange useful knowledge pertinent to the industry.