Music radio falls hard

Michael Hedges January 19, 2009

Music fans, largely young people, now shun radio channels. Music players and the internet give them exactly what they want, exactly when they want it. Or do they? Or is it, perhaps, that radio listeners are really attracted to voices on the air?

French radio listeners, in general, tuned in a bit less but listened a bit longer during the November – December survey period (released by Médiamétrie January 15), compared with last year. Indeed, listening longer has taken on the quality of trend. In November – December 2003, time spent listening was eight minutes less, 172 minutes. (See Resources for graphs)

RTL is, yet again, the most listened to radio channel in France. The channel’s 13% market share (persons 13 years and older) is down slightly year on year from 13.1%. Public radio France Inter, yet again number 2, gained one year on from 8.7% to 9.1%. Europe 1 posted the greatest market share gain year on year from 7.5% to 8.4%. The top three radio channels by market share haven’t changed since November – December 2005. What has changed significantly is the total market share of those top three channels – all primarily speech-based. In November – December that total market share was 28.2%. Now it’s 30.5%.

Add the three other mostly speech-based channels (France Bleu, RMC and France Info) to those totals and it’s enough to horrify music channel programmers and owners. In November – December the sum market share of those six channels was 41.2%. Now it’s 45.5%.

The focus of the music channels decline, rightly or wrongly, has been NRJ, which has slipped from 6.6% market share one year on to 5.8%, and Cherie FM, which fell from 3.4% to 2.6% in a year. Add to that, the venerable oldies channel Nostalgie dropped a bit from 5.6% to 5.3% one year on.

Gainers among the music channels were few and far between. Skyrock increased market share from 4.1% to 4.5% year on year. Both Rire & Chansons and Radio Classique set records (nearly) for market share: Rire & Chansons posted 1.8%, up from 1.3% in November – December 2007 and Radio Classique reached an all time high of 1.5%, up from 1.2% year on year.

Blame something, OK? Those young music radio listeners are fleeing to the internet and their iPods.  Well, Skyrock is up. Those big, meaty (and largely speech-based) channels invest more in promotion, talent, interesting stuff, particularly for the pre-iPod generation. Largely true; Europe 1 – owned by Lagardère - has a new General Director Alexandre Bompardand he’s invested and brightened the channels sound. He’s also brought on more sports programming. There’s no evidence that local radio is taking listeners substantially from the national networks. When the Ile de France (Paris region) numbers are released maybe this will jump off the page.

Until the shifting radio audience is better understood, it’s best to lock the windows of music radio programmers’ offices.

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