Create Talk And The Numbers Rise

Michael Hedges May 14, 2010 Follow on Twitter

Nothing drives ratings more than something fresh romping through the humdrum. Getting that right is no simple challenge. So when the ratings are up, there’s plenty of genius to applaud.

UK radio has been in a funk, it seems, forever; at least since before Twitter and Facebook. With the Q1 RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) release (May 13) there’s a bit more life in the old waves. They have taken quite a beating.

There are now more radio listeners in the UK than ever, 46 million 479 thousand. The increase is 1.6% higher than the same period 2009. Radio broadcasters have added listeners in each of the last seven quarters, prior to which listening dipped.

The dark side, seen in other markets over the recent few years, is less time spent listening. Average hours per listener dropped to 21.8 from 22.4 year on year. Maybe it’s the attention deficit of the Twitter generation. More people are tuning in. They just aren’t staying as long. When reach rises faster than time spent listening it’s a triumph of marketing rather than programming.

Between the BBC and commercial channels in the aggregate there was little change year to year. The BBC channels were up a shade to 56.5% from 56.3% and commercial radio was a shade lower to 41.3% from 41.6%. But Q1 results historically favor the BBC.

But virtually all increased listening for BBC channels nationally came from a whopping increase by Radio 2.  Its 17.2% market share is a modern record. BBC Radio 4 and Radio 1 fell. Still second place nationally Radio 4 dropped to 12.2% market share from 12.5% one year on. Radio 1 dropped to 9.8% in four straight quarters of decline. Other BBC channels, including fifth place sports/talk channel Five Live, ticked up or down tiny shades. Arts and culture Radio 3 placed 13th with 1.2% market share.

There was one exception. Digital channel 6Music doubled its market share to 0.8% from 0.4% one year on. Of course, that’s small potatoes but the channel managed to attract more than a million listeners to its rather eclectic music mix available on the DAB digital radio platform and not FM.

It was during the Q1 survey period that BBC General Director Mark Thompson strongly suggested two DAB-only channels would get the axe by the end of 2011: 6Music and BBC Asia. Thompson argued that the commercial radio people could offer similar channels. Fans of the terminally trendy 6Music, including David Bowie, took to Facebook and every other available platform to plead for the channels’ survival. The UK music industry honored 6Music at the Sony Awards. Nothing moves ratings like talk on the street.

Naturally, the ratings bump for 6Music has only enlivened the discussion of its future and that of digital radio DAB altogether. BBC Radio 7 also passed the million listener mark. Commercial digital radio DAB channel Planet Rock also posted increased listening. Audience shares for most other digital radio channels were staggeringly flat.

The RAJAR figures show all digital platform listening growing to 24.0% from 20.1% year on year. DAB radio listening increased to 15.1% from 12.7% year on year, still very far from the 50% threshold suggested for analogue radio shut-off. Listening via AM and FM platforms dropped to 66.7% from 67.5%, though a quick glance at the well-worn tables at the back of the old university statistics textbook indicate the difference is within the margin of error.

Setting aside listening at the edge of the long-tail, the real story in the UK radio figures is DJs. Nothing creates talk on the street like presenters, show hosts and DJs. And radio in the UK has a brilliant tradition of putting people on the radio who can create talk.

For four decades, the primordial stew in media terms, the breakfast show on BBC Radio 2 was hosted by Terry Wogan. He retired at the end of last year. Knowing that radio listeners, in general, and Radio 2 listeners specifically are change-averse, the opinion consensus feared (or groused) Sir Terry’s replacement Chris Evans would fall flat taking the channel with him.

Alas, none of that happened. Evans, who’s been one of the UK’s highest profile radio and TV personalities, added more than a million listeners in Q1 over the same period one year on. Radio 1 breakfast show host Chris Moyles also added listeners, though the benefit did not accrue throughout the day.

National commercial channels Absolute and TalkSport lost market share and Classic FM held 3.7% markets share year on year for 6th place. Network aggregate Heart held 4th place with 5.8% market share.

The London market RAJAR figures tell a similar story. Once the market leader and more recently suffering Capital FM moved back into 3rd place with 6.0% market share, up from 4.7% one year on. BBC Radio 4 and Radio 2 tied for 1st place with 13.7% market share. News and talk Radio 4 tumbled from 16.7% one year on as Radio 2 – home to Chris Evans – jumped from 11.4%.

Magic 105.4 gained a fraction, 5.9% from 5.7%, but fell to 4th place. Heart suffered a huge loss, falling to 8th place (5.9%) from 3rd (4.7%) one year on. LBC 97.8 took 5th place, up from 9th. It’s breakfast show added 150,000 listeners year on year.

It is no radio secret that being special creates listener interest. Both the BBC and the commercial broadcasters in the UK have strong evidence just how that benefits when RAJAR day comes around.

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