Nasty Trends for French National Radio

Few French national networks were spared pain in the 126,000 Médiamétrie national survey of radio listening conducted 31 October through 25 December 2005. Listening to all radio dropped to 83.7% of the French population over 13 years of age from 83.9% in November-December 2004. Time spent listening also dropped, year on year, to 174 average minutes from 177.

ftm background

No Spring Flowers for Radio France
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Big Stations, Well-known Brands Suffer Losses in Médiamétrie National Radio Survey
The top three French national channels hold their market positions, Fun Radio recovers, Europe 2 doesn’t, RMC Info and Les Independants move ahead.

Observatoire de la Radio: Intensité et attachement
IP France offers an extraordinary look at French national radio channels content and the listeners.

The down-ward slide of Radio France may have reversed; the total market share increased to 21.3% - equal to the November-December 2004 share – up from 20.6% in the September-October survey. France Inter gained 0.9% market share over the previous survey, the largest increase of any national channel, and now in 2nd place. France Info gained 0.1%, to 9th place. France Musiques lost 0.2% and France Culture remained at the same level.

But comparing the surveys year to year, the French public broadcaster gained nothing: France Musiques losing 0.2%, France Inter and France Bleu losing 0.1%, France Info and France Culture not losing but not gaining.

French commercial networks posted their lowest total market share in a year and a half, to 72.1% from 73.1% one year on and 73.5% in the September-October survey. Time spent listening to commercial networks dropped to 153 average minutes from 158 minutes, one year on.

RTL, still number 1, posted the greatest loss, year on year, to 11.4% from 12.2%. More than two and a half shares separate RTL from the number 2 channel, France Inter, but the channel will suffer as ad rates for the big networks are pegged to total audience. Europe 1 remains in 3rd place with an unchanged 8.0% market share.

Both NRJ and Skyrock lost 0.6% market share; NRJ to 7.0% remaining in 4th place, Skyrock to 3.9% and 9th place, down from 7th place one year ago. Fun Radio and Rire & Chansons lost 0.3% market share, year on year: Fun Radio to 2.8% and Rire & Chansons to 1.5%. So much for fun and laughs.

Nostalgie and Europe 2 lost 0.2%, year on year: Nostalgie, remaining in 5th place, to 5.7% and Europe 2 to 2.9%.

But there were certain winners among the commercial networks. RMC, formerly known as RMC Info, gained 0.5%, year on year, to 3.7% and 10th place. Chérie FM, the light AC owned by NRJ Groupe, gained 0.3% over the previous year to 4.1% and 7th place.

The first two and a half weeks of the survey period may have claimed radio audience in addition to hundreds of burned automobiles. After last November’s riots, Skyrock chairman Pierre Bellanger commissioned a special study of 13 to 24 years olds to gauge the impact and concluded that “during the urban riots, our listeners were in front of the television.” Bellanger, quoted in Liberation, criticized French Parliament members as “xenophobes” for negative references to rap music and groups.

“The fall of the music radio, therefore listening of young people also worries us,” grumbled Radio France president Jean-Paul Cluzel, stating a fear common to all public broadcasters. “Today, radio is no longer the only hot media.”

As a public service, will forward a list of Polish radio programmers to channels in need.

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New and Local Stations Slam Networks in Paris Radio Survey - January 24, 2006

Distinct from the total of France is Paris and surrounding areas, the Ile-de-France. It is both broadly urban and, well, Paris. The Médiamétrie 126,000 September to December regional survey released a week after the national results shows more about smaller. VOILA!

Local stations increased their total audience share to 21.6% from 18.6% the same period in 2004.

Four local stations – Africa No 1, Beur FM, Sport FM and Paris Jazz – new in the mix since the September-December 2004 survey period, added a combined 2.9% market share, one tenth of a share point less than the total increase for local stations. One might draw the conclusion that new radio channels interest Paris listeners.

On the top ten channels, persons 13 years and older, six lost did not gain market share. RTL, perennially on top, stayed on top but fell to 12.8% to 14.9%, one year on. Europe 1 maintained second place and a 9.8% share. France Inter remained in third place but dropped to 8.6% to 9.5%.

France Info moved into 4th place, increasing to 4.9% from 4.8% as Skyrock dropped to 5th place, 4.3% from 5.3% in September-December 2004, which was lower than its 6.0% in September-December 2003. Do we spot a trend?

NRJ, tied France Info for 5th place in September-December 2004, is now tied with Nostalgie for 6th place with 4.1% market share. NRJ lost 0.6% and Nostalgie gained 0.1%.

RFM, Lagardère’s AC network channel, and FIP, a local Radio France channel, posted the greatest gains. RFM increased to 3.5% from 2.8% and FIP increased to 2.3% from 1.6%. Both stations target 25-49 year olds with a lighter touch with music, compared to Skyrock or NRJ. In the September-December survey Radio Classiques also increased audience, suggesting – perhaps – the French attachment to 150 beat per minute music might be waning.

The Médiamétrie 126,000 Ile-de-France radio audience survey was conducted between 29 August and 25 December 2005.