Back to the Basics in Serious Times

Michael Hedges November 2, 2009 Follow on Twitter

Peruse another audience survey and take a deep breath. Within those tables and graphs are signs of post-digital life. The people are voting what they know.

The quarterly RAJAR survey of radio listening in the UK, released October 29, tells a story. When people catch their breath during summer months – the survey period was July through September – their radio choices tend toward escape and relief. Turn up the hits and turn off the talk – usually. It didn’t happen. Listeners tuned to BBC Radio 4 in droves, indeed most BBC channels collected more listeners.  

Radio 4’s growth is no less stunning for its size – highest share in a decade – than for the timing.  There’s the appearance that UK listeners chose “serious radio for serious times,” voiced by more than one UK media commentator. That may be overstating the obvious. The summer of 2009 was filled with popular uncertainty over just about everything and holidays became stay-cations. 

The Today program, with new hosts in place, scored its highest share (16.8%) ever. Ever. Ever.

Much of Radio 4’s audience boost may have come from a bit more risk-taking by controller Mark Damazer. The channel now has, he said in a statement, “a tone that is more friendly and less forbidding than sometimes, at our weakest, we were.”

And, too, Radio 4 isn’t simply news, more news and views on top of news. Audiences for consumer affairs program You and Yours and Women’s Hour climbed with more than 3 million tuning in.  The ageless soap-opera The Archers – 60 years on radio – attracted more listeners, 4.8 million.

Also coincident with the summer radio survey period was – and always is – the summer television repeat season. The “older” Radio 4 listeners – average age 55 years – may have switched from the tube to the radio. “Radio 4 has intelligent programmes which doesn’t treat people like idiots,” said Saga magazine editor Emma Soames to the Telegraph (October 30). “Older people have been driven away from television because of the low grade quality of the programmes. Older people find ageism on television really distasteful and they get more satisfaction from radio shows.” Saga targets a ‘mature’ audience.

Despite all the chatter, BBC Radio 4 is still ranked number 2 in the national survey with 12.4% market share, up from 11.5% one year on. The top spot continues to be owned by BBC Radio 2 with 15.9%, down year on year just a bump from 16.0%. Soon to retire morning host Terry Wogan – numbers up – will leave even bigger shoes to fill.

Radio 1, still number 3 nationally, bumped up to 9.9% from 9.8% but lower than each of the previous three quarterly survey periods. BBC sports channel Five Live bounced to its highest market share in five years; 4.9% up from 4.6% year on year. Arts channels Radio 3 presented its highest national market share in over two years to 1.4% from 1.2% one year on. (See UK national radio share trend here)

Since 2003 spring and summer quarters have been slightly more generous to commercial radio on aggregate, autumn and winter quarters giving the BBC channels a bit of a boost. Summer 2009 RAJAR figures turned that trend. The gap between BBC (55% in total) and commercial radio channels (42.4%) rose to 12.6 percentage points, up from 11.8% year on year. (See BBC v. commercial share trend here)

Audience share for BBC national channels rose to 46.8% from 45.5% one year on. BBC local channels, on aggregate, fell to 8.2% from 9.3%. National commercial channels’ audience share dropped oh, so slightly to 10.9% from 11.0%. Local commercial stations found no summer season benefit, falling on aggregate, to 31.6% market share from 32.0% year on year. 

The summer period RAJAR survey wasn’t all bad news for commercial radio; mixed but not ugly. The Heart network climbed to 5.9% aggregate market share from 5.4%. But national commercial channels made no market share gains. Classic FM slipped (again) to 3.7% from 3.8% one year on. TalkSport kept its 1.9% market share.

Summer ratings rarely produce game-changers. Hints, though, are scattered through the London market survey. Yes, Radio 4 literally blew away the doors with a stunning 16.2% market share, up from 14.4% in the same period last year and 13.8% in the summer period 2007. Somebody should get a bonus. WAIT. That’s no longer allowed at the BBC… maybe.

BBC Radio 2 is number 2 in London with 11.7% market share, up from 11.3%. Number three – and the top rated commercial station – is Capital Radio, up to 5.6% from 5.4% year on year. A well-known brand in decline, Capital Radio hasn’t been the top ranked commercial station in London since 2005. Perhaps related, BBC Radio 1 fell to 5.3% market share (5th rank) from 6.1% (3rd ranked) year on year. Chris Moyles’ Radio 1 breakfast show sustained considerable listener defection even when the channels total audience rose.

Magic 105.4 fell to 5.5% market share (4th rank) from 5.8%. The biggest winner among London commercial stations is news/talk LBC 97.3 with its highest market ranking (6th) and market share 4.8% in, like, forever.  The biggest London market commercial loser was Heart 106.2, dropping to 4.7% market share from 5.7% one year on and its lowest market share in, like, forever.  (See London radio market share trend here)

Digital radio in the UK got mixed reviews from the July through September audience survey and the aftermath of every RAJAR release brings hand wringing or hand clapping. Nationally, 21.1% of radio listening is on digital platforms – DAB, set-top boxes, internet, mobile phones, et.al.

BBC’s 5 Live Sports Extra and BBC7 added listeners. Absolute Radio, which uses both DAB and FM frequencies, charted new waters with more than 50% of its audience from the digital platform. The station hasn’t burst into the top ranks (yet) but it charts new waters in programming, which can’t hurt the commercial radio sector.

UK media analyst and ardent DAB critic Grant Goddard points to a digital gap between BBC and commercial radio listening. (See his analysis here) Digital radio is increasingly BBC territory. The aggregated DAB market share for commercial radio is but 33%, compared with 65% for BBC channels. DAB receiver ownership continues to grow in the UK, albeit more slowly.

By contrast internet radio hasn’t grown or, actually, moved off the mark. Only 2.1% of listening hours come from the internet platform, which is significantly lower than other parts of Europe. But, then, broadcasters and listeners in most other parts of Europe haven’t been distracted by DAB. Platform does matter: BBC 5 Live split off its long wave frequencies for live coverage of the Ashes cricket tournament adding to the channels’ ratings boost. Long wave: how very last century.

See also in ftm Knowledge

Europe’s Radio – Northern Europe

Northern Europe’s radio has a very digital sound. And change is in the air. Economic challenges abound for both public and commercial broadcasters. The ftm Knowledge file reports on Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and the UK. 72 pages PDF (December 2009)

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