RAJAR Results: the UK Radio Reality Show

The good news is simple: it could have been worse. And that’s not just speaking about the commercial radio sector. The BBC’s total UK radio audience rose to 55.4% from 54.2% one year ago. Radio 1 is up to 9.1% market share, from 8.4% in Q+ 2005…but it’s been higher. BBC 2 is up to 16%, from 15.6%…but it’s been higher. BBC 4 is up to 11.7%, from 11.4%…but it’s been higher. Five Live maintained 4.6%…but it’s been higher.

BBC Radio must be breathing a collective sigh of relief at NOT breaking 56%…or worse. With the besetting Charter Review coming to its inevitable end, the beleaguered Beeb needs to appear, now more than ever, as balancing the commercial sector, not killing it. Recent revelations about huge salaries for BBC’s presenters – not so huge, actually, compared to the commercial sector – have not helped the BBC’s “poor but honest” pleading.

ftm background

French National Radio Audience Softens
Think of the French national radio market as an automobile. Each quarter Médiamétrie measures the amount of air in the tires. Those front tires, on which the power-train puts most pressure, are slowly going flat.

BBC Radio Surges in Ratings! Wait! Wasn’t That the Headline Last Year?
Radio listening estimates released last week by the UK’s Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR) for the fourth quarter 2005 gave yet another boost to BBC Radio. Commercial radio has mixed results and mixed reaction.

“Staggering” Increase in UK DAB Listening
Radio listeners are making the digital switch in 2005 according to a special RAJAR survey. Total hours listening increased to all digital platforms – DAB, DTV and internet – increased from a comparable 2004 survey. The number of hours listening to DAB jumped 165%.

RAJAR Results – Digital Payoff
In 18 months the percentage of UK households with digital receivers has nearly tripled to 10.5%, according to the Q3 RAJAR radio audience survey released October 27. Listening via digital TV has risen to 35.1%, internet to 13.5% and mobile phone to 6.1%.

Competitive London Market Stirs Again: Q2 Rajar Audience Figures Released
When the music stopped in the latest round of UK radio musical chairs Capital FM was back on top.

Spring RAJARs: Has BBC Radio Made All The Right Moves?
BBC Radio has now stretched its lead over commercial radio to more than 10% market share, 54.2% for the BBC and 43.8% for commercial radio.

The UK’s commercial radio will be more restrained in its relief. The market share for UK national commercial stations rose to 10.5%, from 10.2% one year on. Classic FM, the Heart and Magic franchises, talkSport, Virgin, LBC, Kerrang! And XFM are all up, slightly, but up indeed. The numbers seem to support the national coverage strategy favored by many commercial broadcasters.

And that strategy may get a deeper look. Local commercial stations’ aggregate market share has now fallen to 32.2%, from 33.6% in Q1 2005, from 35.6% in Q1 2004, from 36.6% in Q1 2003.

More good news for commercial broadcasters comes from the London survey area, where Magic 105.4 not only took first place among commercial stations but a 7% market share (from 6% in Q1 2005). With a £1 million promotional campaign during the survey period, Magic owner EMAP proved that it is still possible to “buy” the survey. Whew: what a relief!

But most grumbling in the UK has been about the precarious fall of Capital FM, GCap Media’s flagship. Capital FM is now number 3 in London with a 5.5% market share, down from 6.1% in Q1 2005 and 7.9% in Q1 2004. As if telegraphing (to investors) the inevitable, GCap recently severed its relationship with the Capital FM managing director and program director, replacing them with one person.

Companies are always reluctant to admit that their sector has moved from the “growth” phase into the “management” phase of the life-cycle. Management means accountants, and that’s just not sexy for a sector that relies to a great extent on being “cool,” “hot,” or some other variant of trendy. Nothing that departed Capital FM managing director Keith Pringle implemented over the last two years was “wrong.” Hiring breakfast DJ Johnny Vaughn, re-branding Capital FM from Capital 98.4 to bolstering a London identity through more news content were all the right and proper moves in a growth strategy.

As one famous CEO once observed: “What's the difference between billing 25 million with 5 to the bottom line and billing 10 million with 5 to the bottom line?” It’s as easy a “more music, less talk.”

Ah, but that would be too simple. It was Heart FM that pushed itself to the top of the commercial radio pile in Q1 2005, also with a 7% market share. Now Heart FM is #2 with 5.7% market share, the biggest year on year loss of commercial radio in the London market. Smooth FM, re-branded from Jazz FM, was the second biggest loser, dropping to 1.6% from 2.8% in a year.

The big gainer is all-talk LBC 97.3, up to 3.2% from 2.0% in Q1 last year. All-talk station up, all-music station up, talk and music station down. It’s an equation every accountant can love.

Another perspective on the UK radio market comes from the first time public reporting of BBC network radio scores in London. The inspiring 7% market share performance of Magic 105.4 isn’t quite as dazzling aside BBC 4 at 14% and BBC 2 at 11.8%. Ah, it’s only another 3 months before another RAJAR report.

A serious bit of good news for the commercial radio operators was also reported in the RAJAR press conference. For the first time, more than half the UK population has listened to radio on a digital platform or owns a digital radio. An astounding 8.8% of mobile phone owners say they’ve listened to radio when not talking or texting. More than one in five 15 to 24 year olds listen to radio on their mobile phones. DAB ownership has increased 68% year on year, now 13.6% of adults. This is great news to smack down the “radio is dead” people. The only question remaining is whether or not UK radio broadcasters – private and BBC – can convince their accountants.