Varican Radio is set to start airing commercials for the first time since it began broadcasting almost 80 years ago, officials said today. The station will run a series of “spots” advertising the services of Italian state-controlled energy provider, Enel, beginning on 6 July, the station’s director Father Federico Lombardi said.
“We are proud to have been chosen as the first advertiser on one of the world’s most widely broadcast radio stations,” Enel’s chairman Piero Gnudi, said speaking at Vatican newsconference.
Established in 1931, Vatican Radio currently broadcasts in some 47 languages, also through its website at www.vaticanradio.org.
Enel produces and sells electricity mostly in Europe, North and Latin America and it also a major distributor and vendor of natural gas in Italy.
(Source: Earth Times)
on May 27th, 2009 at 18:46
Makes one wonder why no other public service broadcaster has tried this. There would appear to be a potential marketing plan in concept at least.
on Jul 6th, 2009 at 06:27
As I understand it from media reports in Germany, the ads will only run on Vatican Radio\’s station in Rome and the ads will not interrupt programmes per se, but will be aired between language blocks. From an interview with the head of the German lanugage service, it didn\’t sound like they expect to make much money by airing such ads, but more that they want to make a gesture to covering part of the costs. Seemingly Vatican Radio costs more than 25mln € per year. (Which sounds quite cheap, given that they broadcast in a ton of languages.)