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ftm Radio Page - November 5, 2010

Commercial Radio Rebounds As Listeners Tune Out Chatter
talked to death A robust media market thrives on a responsive audience and good competition. All of it is rather unpredictable. And that’s the good news because audiences seem to like changing their channels.

 

 

 

 

More broadcasters give up local programming
follow the accountants

UK commercial broadcasters continue to abandon local programming for quasi-national coverage. Bauer Media Group has applied to UK regulator OFCOM for a national license for its Kiss brand that operates in London and two other local markets. Recent OFCOM rule changes permit broadcasters with a significant commitment to DAB digital radio to merge operations into national channels and keep FM transmissions.

If approved, seemingly a done deal, Bauer Media Group would be able to drop license requirements for local content. Guardian Media Group took advantage of the same rules to create a national license for its Smooth brand. Global Radio is widely expected to follow the same course next year with its Capital Radio brand. OFCOM will conduct an industry and listener consultation before final approval of the Bauer Media application.

Obviously the commercial broadcasters are looking at cost savings. When the Smooth national brand was created the company was able to dismiss about 50 people. The current Kiss brand – a hip-hop dance music format - ranks 10th in the national UK RAJAR audience survey and 8th in the London survey. (See more on the Q3 2010 RAJAR radio audience survey here)

While the DAB digital radio platform appears stalled, listener uptake falling far behind government and industry predictions, commercial broadcasters can now weigh the DAB multiplex costs against local content savings. And, too, cost of sales is certainly reduced. It makes for interesting accounting – something listeners seem not to appreciate. (JMH)

Broadcasters see big market shifts
more studying needed

Portugal’s radio broadcasting scene is very concentrated with, essentially, three commercial companies and one public. Recent Marktest Bareme Radio audience survey showed how the fortunes of whole companies shift. (See Portugal national radio audience chart here)

Perennially top rated RFM is still on top though its audience share has dropped to 22.0% from 23.9% one year on. Radio Renascença, also owned by Grupo R/Com, fell to 3rd place with 11.7% audience share from 13.5% year on year. Mega Hits, recently rebranded from Mega FM, doubled its audience share to 3.3% (9th) from 1.7%. The other Grupo R/Com channel Rádio Sim dropped to 1.0% audience share. Rádio Sim targets the 50+ audience.

Rádio Comercial lept into 2nd place with 13.1% audience share, up from 11.7% one year on. But it was M80, the soft-hits oldies station owned by Media Capital (Grupo Prisa), that got all the headlines, more than doubling its audience share to 7.6% from 3.2% year on year. As usual, the company credited its brilliant programming. Some credit, though, goes to frequency redistribution over the last half year, resulting in Radio Clube disappearing from the airwaves. M80 in Portugal is virtually identical to M80 in Spain.

Cidade FM, part of the Media Capital group of stations, fell to 6th place with 5.3% audience share from 5.8% one year on.

Media Capital is looking at the future of Best Rock, said radio division deputy director Luis Cabral to Meios e Publicidade (October 26). “We are studying the Best Rock product in order to check whether we stay with the rock format or find another more palatable to the MCR portfolio,” said Cabral. The station held its 12th ranking, unchanged year on year at 0.7% audience share.

TSF, the all-news channel owned by Controlinveste, moved to 7th with 5.2%, up from 4.2% year on year.

Public broadcaster RP saw little change from Q3 2010 Marktest audience survey (October 22). Primary general interest channel Antene 1was essentially unchanged at 5th place, 6.2% audience share. Youth-oriented Antene 3 dropped to 3.7% audience share from 4.0% one year on. Classical music and arts channel Antene 2 dropped to 0.5% audience share from 0.8%.

The Marktest Bareme Radio surveys persons 15 years and older and is reported quarterly. (JMH)

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Recently added radio audience figures and references

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