followthemedia.com
a knowledge base for media professionals 		ftm Radio Page
ftm Home Page

ftm Radio Page - week ending February 4, 2022

No Drama Radio Ratings - No Fun, Games To Follow
Yippie Audience estimates - ratings - have been the common trading currency between advertisers and broadcasters for decades. As the nature of broadcasting has held users - listeners and viewers - at a distance a means was developed to estimate their existence lest the media buyers spend money placing ads into thin air. This plan has worked out fairly well for everybody and in time has become quite sophisticated. Both television and radio broadcasting are highly reliant on audience estimates. Streaming has changed this. Subscribers are the future.

Tired of threats from tinpot, radio chief begs for help
"we have paid attention"

Media workers, particularly news staff, are growing weary of threats to their safety. Rather than flee many are willing to call out the problem even when help seems distant. There is no doubt surviving hardship takes strength. Of course, media workers are adept at using their voices.

Ramzan Kadyrov has been described in a number of ways. Usually these include brutal and tyrant. Officially, he is the “head” of Chechnya, a southern Russian republic known mostly for crime and corruption. Russian president Vladimir V. Putin named him to those duties several years ago. Mr. Kadyrov threatens everybody with reckless abandon, including media workers.

This week he railed about Novaya Gazeta reporter Elena Milashina, Human Right council member Igor Kalyapin and, well, everybody at independent Dozhd TV (Rain TV) as “terrorists” and “terrorist accomplices,” reported news portal Lenizdat (February 2). Threats from Mr. Kadyrov are taken seriously. People have disappeared. Mr. Kadyrov was displeased with news coverage of the kidnapping of human rights activists in Chechnya by security forces. (See more about media in the Russian Federation here)

This led to a direct plea from Ekho Moskvy chief editor Alexei Venediktov. "In connection with the threats against our colleagues from Novaya Gazeta and the Rain TV channel* from the head of the Chechen Republic, we want to express our solidarity with journalists of these publications,” he wrote on a Telegram channel. “We draw the attention of law enforcement agencies to these statements violating the laws of the Russian Federation from a high-ranking official who is a general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. We ask the President of the Russian Federation as a guarantor of the Constitution of the Russian Federation to intervene in this situation.” Mr. Venediktov is highly regarded, well-connected and an ardent supporter of the Ekho Moskvy staff. He is also part-owner of Ekho Moskvy, a major news radio channel in the Russian Federation.

This earned a prompt reply from presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, reported state news agency TASS (February 2). "Yes, we have paid attention to this. We have paid attention to the fact that you have addressed the president. This appeal will be reported to the head of state today.”

Urban listeners continue to push the buttons, checking out local stations
culture fatigue

Many theories and opinions about coronavirus pandemic induced changes in radio audience behavior. Some are quite wild, others rather tame. As audience estimate data becomes available, many observers - and broadcast participants - just contain themselves. This is wise; things keep changing.

French measurement institute Médiamétrie recently shared Greater Paris (Il-de-France) radio audience estimates for the September-December 2021 period. The Greater Paris region is biggest French metropolitan area and, likewise, home to all the usual national radio channels plus a sizeable number of local stations. Radio listening behavior in the Greater Paris region differs, usually, from the French national surveys. (See more about media in France here)

Noted by all is the jump in general listening over the same period last year. Aggregate listening rose to 78.3% of the 13 year plus population from 72.2% year on year. Time spent listening (Monday through Friday) dropped to 153 average minutes from 159 average minutes. The aggregate listening share for public broadcaster Radio France plunged to 30.3% from 34.8% while the aggregate share for commercial broadcasters rose to 64.1% from 61.6%. The difference seems to be an increase in listening for local independent stations.

On top, again, is Radio France main national general interest channel France Inter but the audience share dropped to 15.1% from 17.7% one year on. National commercial channel RTL placed second with 13.6% audience share, up from 13.3%. News/talk channel RMC showed the biggest gain of any radio channel; jumping to third place with 6.8% audience share from 5.0%. There were on-air staff changes. All-news public channel France Info dropped to 4th place with 6.3% audience share from 6.6%. Long-suffering Europe 1 placed 5th with 5.3% audience share, dropping slightly. (See Greater Paris IDF audience estimates trend chart here)

National music channels generally held on, up a fraction or down a fraction. Legacy hit music channel NRJ was unchanged at 3.3% audience share. The biggest shift within this grouping came from cultural channels, all bad news. Public channel France Culture dropped to 3.4% from 4.4% year on year. Radio Classique plunged to 3.0% audience share from 4.7%. France Musique fell to 1.4% audience share from 2.2%. Humor and hits channel Rire & Chansons (NRJ Group) was up.

Local stations, on aggregate, gained significantly; 17.8% audience share from 15.1% one year on. Oui FM, Radio Nova, Voltage and Generations has notable gains. FIP, the Radio France local alternative station, placed 10th, up slightly.

Radio Page week ending January 28, 2022
radio in Italy, social media, Social Radio Lab, Radio Deejay, radio in Poland, audience measurement, Kantar Radio Track, Polskie Radio, music quotas

Radio Page week ending January 21, 2022
radio in Germany, Vaunet, ARD, streaming media, podcasts, Deezer, radio in France, Médiamétrie, radio audience, national reach, Radio France, France Inter, France Info, France Bleu, RMC, Europe 1, NRJ, Nostalgie, FIP, coronavirus

Radio Page week ending January 14, 2022
radio in Hungary, Sportradio, A Rock, consolidation, radio in France, elections and media, FranceInfo, news radio, journalism, radio in Sweden, NENT Group, Lugan Favoriter, Bauer Media, podcasts

Radio Page week ending January 7, 2022
radio in the UK, radio advertising, ad spending, radio in Africa, radio in Democratic Republic of Congo, Radio de la femme, Women's Radio

Radio Page week ending December 17, 2021
radio in Germany, shortwave radio, NDR, Gruss an Bord

Radio Page week ending December 10, 2021
radio in Switzerland, digital radio, FM shutoff, mobile media, radio in Poland, audience measurement, Radio Track, Polskie Radio

Radio Page week ending December 3, 2021
radio in Germany, online audio, MA Audio, streaming audio, radio in Hungary, radio license, Klubradio, European Commission, Media Council

Radio Page week ending November 26, 2021
radio in Kazakhstan, media in Central Asia, Qazag Radiosy, media in the US, Edison Research, NPR, Spoken Word Audio Report, spoken word, podcasts, mobile media, radio audience

Radio Page week ending November 19, 2021
radio in France, Médiamétrie, radio audience, coronavirus, Radio France, France Inter, France Info, France Bleu, RTL, Europe 1, radio in Spain, Cadena SER, investigative reporters, Prisa Group, Vivendi

Radio Page week ending November 12, 2021
radio in Germany, comedy, Radio Badesalz, radio in the UK, BBC Radio 2, holiday charity, Kitchen Disco, podcasts, podcasting, market segments, lifestyle, PWC, Kantar

Radio Page week ending November 5, 2021
Radio in Sweden, Radio Disney, Bauer Media, Walt Disney Company, radio in Germany, radio in Poland, MDR, Radio Wroclaw

Radio Page week ending October 29, 2021
radio audience, RAJAR, measurement, BBC, radio in Norway, radio in the UK, digital radio, FM shut-off, radio in Denmark, Radio Loud, Culture Ministry, Radio24syv

Radio Page week ending October 22, 2021
radio in Palestine, online radio, community radio, Radio Alhara, radio in the US, Chicago Public Media, WBEZ, podcasts, Chicago Sun-Times, mergers and acquisitions, paywalls, radio in France, Radioplayer France

Radio Page week ending October 15, 2021
New York Times Company, podcasts, podcasting, radio in France, DAB+, AirZen, digital radio, European Commission, Digital Markets Act, European Broadcasting Union, EBU, Association of European Radios, AER, Alexa, Siri, smart speakers

Radio Page week ending October 8, 2021
radio in Australia, radio audience, audience measurement, coronavirus, news radio, talk radio, ABC, Sweden, podcasts, podcasting, Bauer Media, PodPlay, Schibsted, NENT

Radio Page week ending October 1, 2021
radio in Zimbabwe, radio in Africa, community radio, UNESCO, radio in Denmark, Radio Loud, DAB+, digital radio, mobile media, radio in Australia, Nova

Radio Page week ending September 24, 2021
radio in the UK, Classic FM, classical music, Nigel Kennedy, radio in France, Mediametrie, radio audience, France Inter, France Bleu, Nostalgie

Radio Page week ending September 17, 2021
radio in Ireland, Freedom FM, pirate radio, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, radio in Afghanistan, Milma Radio, radio in France, Europe 1, CSA, elections and media

Radio Page week ending September 10, 2021
radio in Germany, German Radio Prize, Radio Wuppertal

Radio Page week ending August 6, 2021
radio the UK, Radio Caroline, Ofcom, radio license, sports radio, baseball, KDKA, MTV

Radio Page week ending July 30, 2021
radio in Austria, RadioTest, ORF, KroneHit, Radio 88.6, audience measurement, radio in France, Mediametrie, radio audience, greater Paris radio, FIP, coronavirus

Radio Page week ending July 23, 2021
radio in New Zealand, GfK, RNZ National, Newstalk ZB, The Breeze, radio in Germany, Vaunet, FM radio, coronavirus, radio audience

Radio Page week ending July 16, 2021
radio in France, Médiamétrie, radio audience, national reach, RTL, Radio France, France Inter, France Info, RMC, Europe 1, NRJ, Nostalgie, RFM, radio in Spain, EGM, AIMC, Cadena SER, Grupo Prisa, Cadena Cope, Onda Cero, RNE, esRadio, Los 40 Principales, Atresmedia, show hosts, coronavirus

Radio Page week ending July 9, 2021
radio in France, Europe 1, CNews, Vivendi, Lagardere Group, radio in Switzerland, mergers and acquisitions, BNJ Suisse, SSR-SRG, Radio Swiss Pop

Radio Page week ending July 2, 2021
radio in Hong Kong, RTHK, censorship, radio in Germany, Antenne Bayern, Antenne NRW, LfM, radio license

Recently added radio audience figures and resources

Also see ftm Knowledge

Europe's Radio - Southern Europe

Radio broadcasting in southern Europe ranges from highly developed to developing highly. Italian, Spanish and Portuguese radio is unique, creative and very popular. Radio in Croatia, Serbia and Greece has had ups and downs. The ftm Knowledge file includes Resources. 126 pages PDF (June 2015)

Order here

Europe's Radio - Western Europe

Opportunity meets tradition in Western Europe's radio broadcasting. Change has come fast and yet oh, so slowly. This ftm Knowledge file contains material and resources on public and private radio broadcasting in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Netherlands and Switzerland. 244 pages. Resources. PDF (September 2013)

Order here

Europe’s Radio – Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe’s radio writes new rules. In fact, most everything about radio in this region is new... and changes often. The ftm Knowledge file reports on Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine. 159 pages PDF (April 2013)

Order here

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)

Order here

Digital Radio - Possibilities and Probabilities

Digital radio has many platforms. From broadcast platforms to internet radio and rapidly emerging smartphone platforms, listeners and broadcasters have choices galore and decisions to make. Some regulators have made up their minds, others not, some hedging their bets. This ftm Knowledge file details the possibilities for digital broadcasting and the probabilities for success. Includes Resources 149 pages PDF (August 2012)

Order here

Become an ftm Individual or Corporate Member and receive Knowledge files at no charge. JOIN HERE!

ftm Knowledge files are available to Members at no additional charge.

The Six Radio Brands is about the uniquely European development of radio brands. Competition among broadcasters - and certainly between the public and commercial sectors - gives radio in Europe a rich dynamic. As consumers become more media-literate and demand more attachment broadcasters find target markets illusive.
Regulators, advertisers and broadcasters take turns trying to influence radio brands. Culture and technology makes an impact. More and more, the greatest influence comes from consumers.
The Six Radio Brands describes advantages and pit-falls of brand strategies, with illustrations from current radio practice.

100 pages. 2004

Available at no charge to ftm Members, €49 for others. Email for more information

copyright ©2004-2022 ftm partners, unless otherwise noted Contact Us • About Us