Listening Rises As Boring Stations Lose

Michael Hedges February 6, 2014 Follow on Twitter

The audience chooses favorites. Sometimes new favorites get the nod, if they’re easy to find. Otherwise, people keep coming back to the best known brands though they hate being bored. You can’t outsmart them.

Release of Q4 2013 UK radio audience figures revealed the greatest reach penetration since the RAJAR measurement platform was established in 1999. Across the whole of the UK, 48.375 million folks tuned into radio, up 2.9% one year on. Shares of those listeners nationally for both public broadcaster BBC and commercial radio were slightly off. Yes, at the bottom of the page you’ll see the “other” category reaching 2.7% market share, highest in five years. Aren’t statistics fun?

Setting aside the arcane, there were winners, mostly on the BBC side, and losers, mostly on the commercial side, and none of the results were overly dramatic. The national market share for the entire stable of BBC channels dropped to 55.2% from 55.3% year on year. BBC national channels, however, jumped to 48.8% market share, highest in forever, from 47.3%. BBC local stations, on aggregate, rose to 8.4% market share from 7.9%. BBC radio almost always benefits in Q4; the Proms, Christmas, weather, maybe other reasons.

Commercial radio broadcasters saw aggregate market share nationally fall to 42.1% from 42.3% one year on. The ever-expanding national and quasi-national commercial radio channels rose to 13.3% market share from 12.6%. Local commercial stations, on aggregate, took a hit again, falling to 28.8% market share, lowest in forever, from 29.7%. Ten years ago, shifts in RAJAR methodologies notwithstanding, local commercial radio in the UK had a 36.1% market share.

As usual BBC radio held the top three places nationally; Radio 2 on top with 17.6% market share, no change one year on, Radio 4 second with 12.5% market share, again no change, and Radio 1 number three with 6.9%, off from 7.4% and still reeling from that Breakfast Show host change. Sport-talk channel Five Live and arts and culture channel Radio 3 were both down a tad. But digital alternative channel 6Music powered to 1.7% national market share, highest ever, from 1.4%. (See UK national audience chart here)

On the commercial radio side, the Heart network held 4th place but dropped to 4.6% market share, lowest since the 2008 distribution expansion, from 5.0% year on year. Capital Radio, also a quasi-national network, placed 5th with 4.2% market share, up from 3.9%. Quasi-national all-dance music Kiss posted the biggest gain for national commercial channels; 2.6% market share, up from 2.2%. Adult-contemporary quasi-national channels Magic and Smooth joined Heart in losing market share. The national market share for nearly all-digital classic rock music Planet Rock rose to 0.8% from 0.6%. About nine months ago owner Bauer Media put the format on an FM in the West Midlands complimenting national DAB distribution.

The London market area is, of course, a different slice of radio life. BBC Radio 4 increased market share to 16.1% for first place, again, from 15.4%. BBC Radio 2 dropped in the London survey to 13.4% from 14.1%. Commercial stations LBC 97.3 – all-talk - and Capital London – all-hits – tied with 5.0%, both stations increasing. (See London audience chart here) Heart 106.2, Magic 105.4, Smooth Radio and national channel Classic FM posted sizable market share loses. BBC London and Sunrise Radio, targeting the Asian community, saw market shares in London rise more than just a tad.

Somewhat taking the pressure off commercial broadcasters to explain market share loses was the UK Competition Commission approving the transfer of eight FM licenses Global Radio was ordered to shed from the GMG Radio acquisition months ago. Created is a new big deal radio operator in the UK: Ireland’s Communicorp. As the Competition Commission ruled the ad sales arrangement a bit out of bounds, Communicorp is acquiring the licenses, franchising the existing brands – Capital, Smooth Radio and Real Radio - and essentially setting up a sales-house for the local markets.

See also in ftmKnowledge

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. 144 pages PDF includes Resources (November 2012)

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