In the quarter of a century that Avtoradio (part of Gazprom-Media Holding) has been on air, it has won leadership positions on radio airwaves and is consistently among the top 3 main federal radio stations. Avtoradio annually expands its presence and today it broadcasts in 1,824 Russian cities and towns, as well as in Latvia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and the United Arab Emirates.
For eight years Avtoradio remains the most popular radio station among Moscow residents. According to Mediascope data, Avtoradio held on to this leadership position in 2017 in terms of audience volume in Moscow: 28.6% of the capital’s residents aged 12 years and over tuned in to the Avtoradio frequency on a weekly basis. This amounts to 3.1 million Muscovites. The daily audience of Avtoradio in the country exceeds 9.7 million people.
Avtoradio remains popular in the digital sphere where it is the leader among Russian radio stations in terms of the quantity of subscribers and the number of views on YouTube. The radio station’s YouTube channel has more than 381,000 subscribers and the total number of video views adds up to about 285 million.
The president of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin congratulated the staff of the radio station with the anniversary in a telegram that was posted on his official website.
“I congratulate you on the significant date - 25th anniversary of Avtoradio. Over the past quarter of a century, the radio station has achieved great success, gained loyal fans and today is rightfully one of the leaders of domestic radio waves, a recognized innovator in mastering groundbreaking technologies. When they tune in to the frequency of their favourite radio, millions of people in our country and abroad are learning about relevant, interesting news, listening to great music, and getting a charge of energy and a good mood. Such impressive achievements became possible thanks to Avtoradio employees, their high level of professionalism, inexhaustible energy and unique creative potential. And of course, I will make a special mention of the active contribution of the team in carrying out in-demand, educational and charitable initiatives, providing informational support to socially significant projects to preserve the memory of the glorious pages in our history, promoting healthy lifestyle values, and improving road safety. I wish you new achievements, good luck and all the best,” the president’s congratulatory telegram said.
“For 25 years Avtoradio has been moving the radio industry forward, creating unusual, innovative projects. Relevant information for car owners, live concerts in the studio, the support for socially significant topics and of course, the festival Diskoteka 80x - all this reflects the exceptional style of the radio brand, which is known and loved by millions of listeners. It is to the merit of its creative team that the station holds the attention of the audience each day not only on the airwaves, but also in the digital environment, and we are proud of their successes,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko, CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding.
“Avtoradio enters the new quarter of a century of its existence renewed, technically perfect, and strong due to the cohesion and professionalism of a team that is aimed at success. We managed to maintain our unique DNA, at the basis of which is perfectionism and a relentless pursuit of new team victories, love and respect for the audience, our partners and colleagues in the industry,” said Yuri Kostin, general manager of Gazprom-Media Radio.
The station is marking its anniversary with a large-scale nine-hour radio marathon. The hosts of the show Murzilki Live, together with the hosts of the driving show Poekhali (Let’s Go!), will receive congratulations from famous Russian artists. Avtoradio will also host a big anniversary concert in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall on April 14.
New radio formats
From the first day of broadcasting, Avtoradio chose a unique format, becoming the first radio aimed at car drivers in the early 1990s. Since then, the station’s signature offering has been information about traffic jams and the situation on the roads, which was promptly received from listeners. Avtoradio was the first to get access to the cameras of the traffic police and launched a unique project Avtomonitor, which allows it to check the situation on the roads in real time.
Avtoradio was also the first to put live music on air when it launched the show Murzilki Live, whose hosts are known by millions of listeners.
The radio station held the first international festival Diskoteka 80x in 2002 at Luzhniki Stadium. The festival brought cult singers of foreign and domestic music together on one stage. The station has successfully continued to hold this concert for 16 years. In 2017 Avtoradio organized a big dance flash mob in Olimpiysky to accompany the festival. Today Diskoteka 80x is held in Moscow and St. Petersburg and gathers about 40,000 viewers each year. Federal channels show the television version of the concert on New Year’s night.
Modern broadcasting technologies
The radio station is constantly developing and upgrading its broadcasting technologies. Avtoradio was the first in the domestic radio industry to implement a system of signal delivery that corresponded to the Russian time zones. During the Olympic Games, the radio station did broadcasts from Vancouver, London and Sochi. In 2015, radio hosts did live broadcasts from the Avtoradio Yacht, which cruised the Moscow River. On top of that, for the first time in the radio station’s history, the team of the show Murzilki Live worked from an open studio in the Ostankino TV tower, at an altitude of 147 meters.
Today the radio station broadcasts from a new multimedia studio. The multifunctional platform makes it possible to carry out full-scale live broadcasts and live concerts. Avtoradio listeners have the ability to come to the performances of their favourite artists every day. The new studio is also equipped for integrating radio content into the digital environment.
Socially significant projects and awards
Avtoradio is associated not only with entertainment programs, but also with large-scale, in-demand social projects. Each year the radio station holds a big concert for Victory Day on Poklonnaya Gora, and regularly carries out the project Vmeste za Bezopasnost (Together for Safety) whose aim is to form a better road culture among drivers. Avtoradio offers broad informational support to charitable foundations, participates in environmental protection projects and supports the country-wide initiative STOPVICHSPID (Stop HIV and AIDS) each year.
Over the past 25 years Avtoradio has been recognized with many prestigious national and international awards. The radio station has 38 “radio Oscars” in its collection - golden microphones of the national Radiomania award. In 2016 Avtoradio was named “Radiostation of the Year” at the IX annual Brand Awards. Avtoradio is also the first Russian radio station to receive official recognition of the world radio community. It won the NAB International Broadcasting Excellence Award in 2005 and was a finalist of the NYF’s International Radio Program awards in 2013 and 2014.