Anxious Audience Goes For Talk, Sometimes Music

Michael Hedges January 16, 2014 Follow on Twitter

National audience estimates, particularly those measuring most every person breathing, serve an important purpose. They focus the attention of owners, operators, media watchers and, sometimes, the public at large on broad strokes; winners and losers. Only media buyers tangle themselves in detail. And everybody knows the next ratings period is more important than the last.

Measurement institute Médiamétrie released November-December French national radio audience figures this week and news-talk channel Europe 1 was the big winner and, thus, the big news. After sinking lower and lower over the last three years Lagardère Media’s major radio brand rose to 8.6% market share, a full point higher than the same period last year and the best showing since January-March 2010. “We’re approaching the top of the pile,” said station manager Fabien Namias, quoted by Le Monde (January 14).

Actually, Europe 1, more talk than news, still sits in third place after RTL and France Inter. RTL, the perennial market leader, slipped to 11.3% market share from 11.6% one year on. “Information seems less attractive,” observed RTL Radio president Christopher Baldelli, “perhaps because of anxiety.”  RTL has now fallen to its lowest market share, Monday-Friday 05h00 to midnight, in more than a decade. The November-December period was quite news-rich though most of it international. President Francois Hollande is certainly providing considerable local talk-show fodder for the January-March 2014 period.

Placing second nationally, as always it seems, is public general interest channel France Inter, which was down a tad year on year to 9.5% market share from 9.6%. The November-December period was not kind to public broadcaster Radio France, all channels taken together dropped to 23% market share from 24%. “There’s nothing to boast about,” said president Jean-Luc Hees.

Regional public radio network France Bleu fell back from last year’s surge to 6.4% aggregated market share from 6.9%. Also off was France Info, falling to 3.4% market share from 3.7% after adding more feature content to the all-news format. France Culture was unchanged at 1.4% market share.

French national music channels get their share of attention when the audience figures are released. Hit music channel NRJ is firmly in 4th place nationally with 7.4% market share, up a bit from 7.2%. This year sister channel Nostalgie is rebounding, up to 3.9% market share from 3.5%. Cherie FM and Rire & Chansons, also part of NRJ Group, were also up year on year.

Rap and hip-hop channel Skyrock, suffering in recent years, plunged to 3.5% market share from 3.9%. RFM and Radio Classiques made noticeable gains while Fun Radio was unchanged. Overall, the aggregate market share for national music channels rose to 31.7% from 31.4%.  

Earlier this month French media regulator CSA floated a proposal to “modernize” the music quota system in place for two decades, which may or may not affect audience ratings. The proposal would relax somewhat the French language quota and replace it with a “diversity” system that would encourage radio broadcasters to add more new French artists to playlists. The French legislature would need to approve any change in current regulation.

Total radio listening rose during the November-December period, to 82.5% from 82.3% one year on. Time spent listening dropped, however, by two minutes to 176 minutes.

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