The mighty, the new and the missing in Swiss radio

Michael Hedges January 21, 2008

The public broadcaster in Switzerland holds mighty high audience shares, overwhelming privately owned stations. The latest radio audience survey shows a few changes. By this time next year the country’s radio market could be quite different.

Like in most of Europe, privately owned broadcasting did not exist in Switzerland 20 years ago. But pirate stations became legitimate and those who made the rules decided to allow local radio with private owners. Over the course of time privately owned stations in the largest Swiss cities  - notably Zürich and Basel – and the densely populated (for Switzerland) center made their marks, usually in small increments.

In the last year or so a spate of consolidation has brought in ownership changes, largely among the mighty Swiss publishing houses. More recently two marginal FM stations in the Zürich area have changed owners, both to long-time broadcasters. On top of that, by the end of February Swiss regulators will announce the licensing of as many as ten new FM stations.

None of this has had significant impact on the audience shares of Swiss public broadcaster SSR-SRG. In the dominant Swiss-German speaking region the public stations have a 69.2% market share, reported by the MediaPulse/PublicaData survey of the second half of 2007, released last week (Friday January 18). In the tiny Italian speaking region SSR-SRG stations have an 83.7% market share. The French speaking western Switzerland gives the public broadcaster is lowest market share – only 63.9%. In both the German and Italian regions, the SSR-SRG audience share increased from the same period in 2006. In few countries is radio market share as concentrated within one institution as in Switzerland.

Radio 24 continues to lead audience share in the Swiss-German speaking region, though falling to 2.5% from 2.7% year on year. The station serves the greater Zürich region and is owned by TAMedia, publisher of Tages Anzeiger. Radio Argovia, broadcasting from Aarau – nestled between Zürich and Basel in northern Switzerland, places second with a 2.1% market share, up from 1.9% in the 2nd half of 2006. Number 3 in market share rankings is Energy Zürich, moving to 1.9% from 1.7% year on year. Lucerne (central Switzerland) station Radio Pilatus ranks 4th by market share, 1.8% in the 2nd half of 2007 from 1.9% in 2006. Radio Zürisee ranks 5th in the entire Swiss-German speaking region with 1.7% market share, down from 1.8% in the second half of 2006.

Not listed in the public release of data from MediaPulse/Publicadata was DJ Radio, the Zürich ‘youth’ station licensed amidst some controversy in 2004. Competing applicants appealed and, three years later (December 2007), the regulator lifted the concession, awarding it to one of the competitors, long-time Swiss cable radio operator Giuseppe Scaglione.

Another Swiss private radio pioneer has taken on a new station in Zürich. Last October Roger Schawinski acquired Radio Tropic, an alternative music station that never quite moved the ratings needle. Schawinski, founder of Radio 24 as a pirate station, moved quickly to dump the old format for an old format. The new station started its ‘test’ transmission last week (Monday January 14), targeting 30-60 year olds.

For the public channels of Schweizer Radio DRS aggregate audience increased to 65.3% markets share from 64.8% in the 2nd half 2006. All SSR-SRG channels, regardless of language, are available in each of the linguistic regions and the total audience for SSR-SRG stations in the Swiss German speaking region is 69.2%. DRS1, the main general interest channel, posted a loss for the second half of 2007, sinking to 40.3% market share from 41.5%. Arts and culture channel DRS2 also slipped, dropping to 4.9% market share from 5.2%. Public youth channel DRS3 showed a substantial audience increase, a 15.2% market share, up from 13.7% in the second half of 2006. Adult music channel Musik Welle also gained, increasing to 4.6% from 4.3% market share.

In French speaking western Switzerland, hit music station One FM is top rated among private stations, maintaining a 3.0% market share. Audience estimates for RTN, based in Neuchâtel, are also unchanged at 2.9% market share. Lausanne FM, sister station to One FM, dropped to third place, a 2.8% market share from 3.1% in the second half of 2006. Rouge FM showed an increase, placing 4th, to 2.7% market share from 2.4%. Rhône FM also increased audience share and claimed 5th place with a 2.2%, up from 1.9%.

Another delisted station is WRG FM, the English language channel. The station gained a 0.3% market share in the French speaking region in the 2nd half of 2006 but it failed to make the list in the 2nd half of 2007. In November 2007 the station ceased to exist, legally, and was replaced as a private station with World Radio Switzerland, owned and operated by French region public broadcaster Radio Suisse Romande (RSR). World Radio Switzerland was also not listed.

RSR channels maintained the dominant market shares in the French speaking region. Total RSR share dropped to 56.9% from 57.5% in the 2nd half of 2006. Main general interest channel La Premiere dropped to 39.2% from 40.1% year on year. Couleur 3, the public youth channel, increased to 4.8% from 4.6%. Arts and culture channel Espace 2 increased to 3.9% from 3.5%. Option Musique, the adult music channel, dropped to 9.0% market from 9.4%.

Stations from France – Nostalgie, NRJ, Europe 2 and others – contribute 12.4% to the total market share in the French speaking region of Switzerland.

The small Italian speaking region hosts, arguably, the highest market share for any European public broadcaster, 71.3% in the 2nd half of 2007, unchanged year on year. Main general interest channel RETE 1 holds a 51.1% market share, up from 50.9%. RETE 2, the arts and culture channel, dropped to 5.9% from 6.4%. Youth channel RETE 3 increased to 14.3% from 14.0% one year on. Interestingly, other SSR-SRG radio channels increased market share in the Italian speaking region to 12.3% from 11.5%.

Being overwhelmed by the concentration of SSR-SRG radio channels has not stopped the two private stations in the Italian speaking region. Radio 3i, not to be confused with the private equity group with the same name, increased its market share to 4.4% from 4.2% on year on. Radio Fiume Ticino dropped to 2.15 market share from 2.3% on year on.

Radio audience estimates in Switzerland are unique for many reasons. Radio audience has been measured continuously by the electronic Radiocontrol device since 2001, often referred to as the ‘Swiss watch’. Last year audience measurement was reorganized and is now conducted by a private foundation, MediaPulse. Data cited was provided by PublicaData, the marketing provider for surveys produced by MediaPulse and a subsidiary of SSR-SRG. Survey figures cited are for persons 15 years and older, Monday through Sunday.