DJs Up, Digital Down – Explaining It All

Michael Hedges February 5, 2010 Follow on Twitter

Radio listeners have a way of expressing themselves, noted when big surveys are released. When listeners give broadcasters good news, it’s like an affirmation of doing the right things. In a media world turned upside down, some broadcasters see reason for changes.

UK radio channels featuring high-profile presenters and show hosts pushed all listening up in the RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) survey released this week (February 4). Total radio reach rose 1%, year on year, in Q4 2009 to 45.968 million. That’s also 2.2% higher than Q4 2007 and 4.9% higher than Q4 2004. Newspaper circulation hasn’t increased nearly five percent in five years, neither TV audiences.

In the national survey, BBC Radio 2’s market share jumped to 16.5%, tying the channels record, from 15.8% one year on. It was during Q4 that long prevailing morning / breakfast show host and UK institution Terry Wogan presented his final hours after 27 years. The Radio 2 morning show drew 8.1 million listeners, by far leading the rest of the pack.  Another well-know radio personality, Chris Evans, took over from Wogan in January.

BBC Radio 4 held second ranking in the national survey with 12.5% market share, up from 12.4% year on year. BBC Radio 1, the channel for young people, held third place while dropping to 9.8% market share from 10.1%. Gross reach of both Radio 1 and Radio 4 breakfast shows was lower slightly year on year.

Overall, BBC channels were lower, 55.2% aggregate market share from 55.7% one year on. BBC local radio fell to 8.5% market share from 9.3%. National BBC channels market share rose to 46.7% from 46.4%. The ‘gap’ between BBC and commercial radio dropped to 12.6% from 13.5% one year on. (See national channels market share and sector performance chart here. See BBC and commercial radio GAP chart here.)

National commercial radio channels, officially only three, fared poorly. Classic FM appears on a fatal slide, dropping to 3.5% market from 4.0% year on year, an historic low. TalkSport, on the other hand, hit a historic high, 2.1% market share from 1.8%. Absolute Radio, successor to Virgin Radio, was off slightly, a 1.1% market share.

Moving the needle in the other direction was local commercial radio, increasing aggregate market share to 32.2% from 31.6%. The aggregate market share for local commercial radio hasn’t been higher in more then two years.

Rajar publicly releases London radio audience figures to glimpse at local radio listening trends, even if Londoners perceive themselves a nation into their own. Again, it was a mixed result for BBC radio. Radio 4, perennial market leader, took a tremendous hit, falling to 14.7% market share from 17.5% one year on. Radio 2 and Radio 1 – those darned DJs again – were up; Radio 2 to 11.0% from 10.3%  and Radio 1 to 6.7% from 5.4%. Sports channel BBC Five Live dropped to 3.8% from 4.9%. Perhaps it was reality overload during the last three months of 2009, the news was bad, weather worse, sports terrible.

Magic 105, Heart 106 and Capital FM made slight gains, ad campaigns paying off. Magic 105 placed 4th in London with 6.1% market share, up from 6.0% but 3rd place. Heart 106 placed 6th; 5.3% market share from 5.0% one year on. Capital FM took 7th place with 4.9% market share, up from 4.8%.

Wait; there’s a game changer! In fifth place is LBC 97.3. A year ago this station was 10th place with 3.6% market. That’s now 5.7%. What happened was outrageous breakfast show host Nick Ferrari. There’s a lesson here. (See London radio market share chart here)

It’s worth noting that both Classic FM – classical music excerpts – and BBC Radio 3 – long versions – were both lower. So was nearly-jazz Smooth FM. Perhaps background music is out.

Ah, yes; digital platforms didn’t quite perform. Certainly, the radio listening share via digital platforms increased to 20.9% in Q4, up from 18.3% year on year. Quarter to quarter the share was slightly lower.

The UK government intends to migrate major radio channels to the DAB platform – leaving local and community stations on FM – by 2015 if a 50% audience share threshold is reached by 2013. That target appears ever more elusive.  The DAB platform share of listening increased to 13.7% from 11.4%, year on year.

Drastic measures could be necessary to wean radio listeners from their FM receivers. DAB proponents – mainly stakeholders in multiplex operations – have tried almost everything to cajole listeners for more than a decade. There are too few – apparently – compelling DAB-only channels to send droves of listeners to the shops for new receivers. To date about 10.5 million DAB receivers have been sold in the UK.

One new plan floated by Digital Radio UK, an industry lobby, would hand out discount coupons for DAB receivers, in return taking FM receivers away, reported the Independent. Those FM receivers, estimated at more than 100 million in the UK, would be donated to developing countries.  Obviously, Digital Radio UK hadn’t thought through that one as the fastest growing platform for radio listening in Africa, for example, is the mobile phone.

That does explain it all.

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