Local media visible as mountain shifts

Michael Hedges February 7, 2008

Some people like a stable market. Some people don’t. In broad strokes, the Austrian radio market is as unwavering as the Austrian Alps. The latest audience survey shows a strong market for radio and the growing influence of local broadcasters.

Like a towering Austrian mountain, public broadcaster ORF dominates the media landscape. Taken together the ORF radio channels capture 71.9% of Austrians over 10 years of age, according to the second half-year 2007 Radiotest audience survey released last week (January 31). ORF is, according to its press release, the highest rated public radio broadcaster in Europe.

Mega-channel Hitradio O3 remains the over-all most listened to radio channel (49.8%), even though it slipped about one percentage point compared with the second half-year 2006 survey. It’s the pop music channel. In States where O3 has the most competition (Vienna, Burgenland, Oberösterreich, Tirol, Kärnten, Vorarlberg) its audience share dropped from 3% to 13% among persons 14 to 49 years, year on year.

O1, the news and culture channel, hit its highest audience share (9.1% daily reach, 6% market share) in ten years, growing in Vienna, Steiermark, Oberösterreich and Tirol.

Also hitting a record is FM4, the ‘alternative’ channel broadcasting in English and German. Their 7.1% share of 14 to 49 year olds is a record.

ORF regional radio channels, in aggregate, maintained their lovely 37% market share. State by state, Radio Tirol and Radio Oberösterreich were up.

Visibility for Austria’s commercial radio stations has improved, no longer totally obscured by the big mountain. Across the country privately owned broadcasters increased their market share to 28.2%, only up slightly but up nonetheless. Austria has 71 privately owned radio stations, about one for every 115,000 Austrians, easily twice as dense as the UK.

Commercial stations are, with the exception of Kronehit, are licensed as local stations, thus their reach is limited to one, possibly two Austrian States. In recent years big newspaper publishers, largely from Germany, have snapped up Austrian local radio licenses. The investment has had a certain effect on the media market.

In the Vienna market – Vienna being the capital and a district – the dominant commercial station is Radio Arabella, maintaining its 11% market share, persons 10 years and older. Since launching in 2001, Radio Arabella has added frequencies throughout Austria. You’ll note a certain similarity in style and marketing with Radio Arabella in Munich, Germany. 

The number two commercial station is Radio 88.6. In the recent Radiotest Radio 88.6 scored a 9% market share among persons 14 to 49, up from 8% one year on. The station is owned by Moira Rundfunk GmbH, a subsidiary of Media Union, owner of newspapers in Germany. Moira Rundfunk also owns two other local stations in Austria, Party FM – licensed to Niederösterreich – and HiT FM – licensed to Niederösterreich and Burgenland.

Radio Energy 104.2 had the greatest audience increase of the Vienna-targeted commercial stations, reaching a 7% market share, persons 14 to 49 years, up from 4% one year on.

The rather large Austrian state Niederösterreich (Upper Austria) has become rather important to watch. It surrounds Vienna in more ways than one. O3 showed a strong audience increase, 52% market share among persons 14 to 49 years, from 47%. Local commercial stations, many based in Vienna, did not see increased market share, the exception being Radio 88.6, which also increased share significantly in Burgenland.

One of the biggest winners was Radio Grün-Weiss (Green-White) in Obersteiermark/Styria. Essentially a ‘schlager’ music station, it reached a 6% market share after developing several new transmitter sites.

The Austrian media scene is no longer viewed as Europe’s backwater. The ad market is strong, reflecting the greater economy. ORF, not unlike the BBC in the UK, set a high production-value standard that local, commercial broadcasters are now able to challenge. 

The Radiotest survey is conducted by GfK Austria and released twice a year.