Retro FM
Retro FM, established in Moldova in December 2002, is a music radio station specialising in hits from the 1970s-90s, targeting an urban audience aged 25-50. The station mirrors the format and identity of its Russian counterpart, Retro FM, which is part of the Европейская Медиа Группа company. A retransmission agreement was established in 2016. The station's flagship programme "Felicita" allows listeners to make live music dedications, a format also used by Retro FM Russia.
Recent regulatory scrutiny has placed the station under investigation. In April 2024, the Council for the Promotion of Investment Projects of National Importance reviewed Radio Maximum LLC, the station's licence holder, due to suspected links with the Plahotniuc-Shor group. The Council demanded financial documentation for January 2022 - March 2024 and requested an investigation by the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office.
At a subsequent meeting on 7 August 2024, the Council found that owner Emmanuil Grinshpun was allegedly involved in significant economic crimes and maintained connections with controversial figures including Platon, Shor, and Andronachi. The investigation revealed financial patterns, including substantial rental income exceeding broadcasting revenue and suspicious transactions with TRANS WORLD ENTERTAINMENT LLC, a company previously investigated for involvement in the "Global Laundromat" scheme.
Further complications arose when the Audiovisual Council found in March 2024 that the station failed to meet Romanian-language music quotas required by national broadcasting legislation. Despite these issues, Radio Maximum LLC's 2022 financial reports showed service contracts worth over 200,000 lei with the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
Key Facts
| Audience Share | 3,7% |
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| Ownership Type | Private |
| Geographic Coverage | Local |
| Content Type | Free |
| Active Transparency | company/channel informs proactively and comprehensively about its ownership, data is constantly updated and easily verifiable |
| Media Companies / Groups | Radio Maximum |
Ownership
| Ownership Structure | Retro FM is owned by Radio Maximul LLC, which is 99.1% owned by businessman Emmanuil Grinshpun, through his 100%-owned ICS Trans World LLC. Another 0.9% of Radio Maximum LLC is owned by Victoria Sobor. |
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| Individual Owner | |
| Group / Individual Owner |
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Media Companies / Groups
Facts
| Founding Year | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Emmanuil Grinshpun Emmanuil Grinshpun is an influential American businessman of Jewish origin, born in Moldova, holding dual Moldovan-Romanian citizenship. Grinshpun is the owner of Retro FM, a radio station specialising in music broadcasting in Moldova. His management of the station through Radio Maximum LLC came under scrutiny when the Council for the Promotion of Investment Projects of National Importance, a Moldovan government watchdog, investigated the company's operations. The Council alleged that Grinshpun had links to the Plahotniuc-Shor criminal organisation and was involved in the "Russian Laundromat" money-laundering scheme. On the basis of these findings, the Council has asked the Prosecutor's Office to conduct a formal investigation into Grinshpun's businesses and to examine the legitimacy of their sources of funding. Grinshpun owns several companies in Moldova and abroad, namely in several Eastern European countries. He is the president of the Jewish Congress of the Republic of Moldova and in 2016 was described in the media as politically influential. |
| CEO | Vadim Iuvjaninov Vadim Iuvjaninov is the administrator of Radio Maximum LLC and Retro FM . He is also responsible for the station's editorial policy. Further information about him is not publicly available. |
| Editor-In-Chief | Vadim Iuvjaninov See above |
| Contact | str. Frumuşica, nr. 1 MD-2002 mun. Chişinău Moldova, Republic of FMradio@retrofm.md 022 535-797; 022 538-800 |
| Revenue | MDL 2.4 million / USD 132,160 (2023) |
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| Operating Profit | MDL -365 thousand / USD -20,100 (2023) |
| Advertising (in % of total funding) | 96,7 % |
| Market Share | Missing Data |