The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) announced earlier this week a call for applications for 30 nationwide and one international radio licenses due to the expiration of all long-term radio licenses in Estonia on November 16.

Duo Media, whose stations include Kuku, MyHits, Elmar and Duo, plans to continue largely as before. Duo Media's radio manager, Priit Vare, told ERR that it's too early to discuss detailed plans as the conditions were just released and meetings on this topic are still ongoing.

"We have started with the idea that all existing stations would continue, and then we'll look at whether there are any additional options," he said.

Vare noted that the most interesting aspect of the new radio license competition is what will happen to the Russian-language Jumor FM. He believes that a Ukrainian-language project might emerge in its place, as the conditions have changed significantly.

"As far as I have heard, various people are planning to apply. It's not certain that we will, but of course, we're considering everything," he remarked.

Vare believes that the main problem in the radio landscape is the challenging economic situation. There was the COVID-19 crisis that impacted the advertising market, followed by difficult times, leaving no bright year in recent memory.

"This will eventually strangle everyone," he stated. "I think the large radio groups are more or less okay, but budgets are being reviewed very seriously to see what is and isn't possible."

Vare did not rule out the possibility that some smaller radio stations might have to cease operations, as some projects that seemed reasonable seven or eight years ago might not make sense anymore.

He sees no signs of improvement in the advertising market, which remains stagnant. However, a positive change is that radio licenses are now being renewed every seven years instead of every five.

"The longer this interval, the more you dare to invest. If you only get a license for five years, you don't dare do anything big. Luckily, it's now seven," he explained.

Vare believes that well-established radio stations with a large listenership can feel relatively secure in Estonia and that their licenses are unlikely to be revoked.

Applications for the radio license competition can be submitted until May 14, and the minister of culture has established specific conditions for all licenses issued through the competition, such as the proportion of talk shows in the programming, the language of the talk shows, the primary target audience and the proportion of music composed by Estonian authors.

The new licenses will take effect on November 17 of this year and will be valid until November 16, 2031.

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