Taking The Bull By The Horns And Other Advice

Michael Hedges July 21, 2014 Follow on Twitter

It is a daily struggle, hourly actually, that fight for ratings. New ideas are always welcome, except when the audience gets irritated. Having a big, recognizable brand is always good, except when it gets tired. Then sometimes people go on holiday and everything changes.

France national radio channels hanging their hats on news and information programming had little to cheer on the release of the April-June Médiamétrie national audience estimates. For market leader RTL, it was a particular blow. Talk channel Europe 1, considered dead in the water a year ago, continued to recover. Legacy hit music channel NRJ turned in its best market share number in a decade.

Overall radio listening dropped rather conspicuously, to 80.6% total audience nationally, lowest in nearly five years, from 81.8% one year on, accounting roughly for a half million fewer listeners. The average French radio listener over 15 years tuned in five minutes less, year on year. Some French radio observers blamed an extra-long, two week, spring school holiday.

The statutory general interest channels – fundamentally news and talk channels – dropped to 40.8% aggregate market share from 42.0% year on year. National music channels, on aggregate, increased only slightly to 33.0% market share from 32.9%. Local radio channels, lumped together, increased aggregate market share to 15.2% from 14.2% one year on. (See French national radio trend charts here)

RTL still trades as the top rated national radio channel in France with an 11.1% market share, down from 12.0% year on year and its lowest market share in eight years. On-air talent has been shuffled over the last year and more changes will come for the traditional September schedule re-boot. RTL has been on top since radio ratings were introduced in France: legacy is both a comfort and a challenge.

Also dropping precipitously was public news-talk channel France Inter, still number two nationally with 8.5% market share from 9.3% one year on, lowest in more than six years. The April-June survey was unkind to Radio France channels. Regional network France Bleu, which normally treads uneven waters, fell to 6.5% aggregate market share from 6.8% year on year. All-news channel France Info, recently moving away from headline reporting, fell to 3.0% market share from 3.4%, lowest in more than a decade. Mostly highbrow talk France Culture was up slightly and classical music and arts channel France Musiques was down slightly.

On aggregate Radio France channels were lower, 21.8% from 23.0% one year on. “The spring period is generally not very good,” said new general director Mathieu Gallet, quoted by Le Monde (July 18). “Radio is a medium of loyalty. But these figures change our priorities. You cannot be content with the status quo and need to take the bull by the horns.” Personnel changes at Radio France have been evident since M. Gallet arrived in mid-May. And, too, the 2015 budget will be €1.5 million lower.

Notably gaining was perennial 3rd place Europe 1, up to 8.2% market share from 7.3% year on year. The mostly talk channel, part of Lagardère Group, made its big changes last year and immediately saw a growth spurt. Some of the Europe 1 gains may be at the expense of talk channel RMC, which mostly focuses on business and sports. RMC ranks 5th place with 6.5% market share, down from 6.7%.

The other big part of the French spring ratings story is the fairly healthy bump for some – but not all – national music channels. Playing the hits as it has forever NRJ has risen to 4th place in the national survey, 7.8% market share, up from 7.6% year on year, its best showing in a decade. Five years NRJ was sitting at 5.5% market share and 7th place with urban channel Skyrock poised to slay the historic hit music leader. Skyrock is now 9th place nationally with a 3.7% market share. NRJ Group oldies channel Nostalgie placed 7th nationally, up slightly to 4.3% market share. Adult contemporary channel Cherie FM drifted lower, crashed actually, to 2.1% market share from 2.9%, worst in more than a decade.

The biggest market share increases for national music channels were scored by Fun Radio, dance music channel of RTL France, and Lagardère’s pop-oldies channel RFM. Heavy contesting with give-aways – tit-for-tat with NRJ – Fun Radio rose to 4.0% market share from 3.5% one year on, its best showing in more than three years. RFM posted 3.4% market share, up from 2.9% year on year. “I love consistency,” said station manager Jean-Philippe Denac, who offered no big plans for September.

See also in ftmKnowledge

Europe's Radio - Western Europe

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