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ftm Radio Page - November 25, 2016

Big city listeners totally absorb news, and a few jokes
music, not so much

Nobody doubts that the greater Paris radio market marches to its own beat. Large capital cities differ in many ways from nations as a whole, not solely in media usage. French media measurement institute Médiamétrie released Il-de-France (IDF - greater Paris) September-October radio audience estimates this week (November 25), results self-evident.

At the top of the page there is national public news-talk channel France Inter, which last topped the charts five years ago. It isn’t so much that France Inter can claim the #1 position, it’s the size of the jump: 15.8% market share from 13.0% year on year. National general interest channel RTL, nearly always on top, placed second, 11.7% market share, down from 13.2%. Mostly talk national channel Europe 1 held 3rd place with 8.2% market share, down from 8.8%. News and sports channel RMC remained in 4th place with 6.9% market share, no change. Public all-news channel France Info moved into 5th position; 4.9% market share from 4.2%.

Yes, the entire top 5 in the greater Paris region are channels offering news, news-talk or some variation of speech. The September-October period was, without argument, filled with news and fodder for the talk shows. Radio France International doubled its market share to 1.6% from 0.8%. But total listening in the region was effectively unchanged year on year, slightly off by 0.2%.

Much like the French national audience estimates for the same period, music-branded radio took a huge hit, NRJ in 6th place and Nostalgie in 7th being the top exceptions. Hip-hop/rap channel Skyrock dropped to 9th place (from 5th), 2.7% market share from 5.0% one year on. At the other end of the music spectrum, Radio Classique placed 8th, 2.9% market share from 3.6%. In 10th place is RFM, up slightly at 2.7% market share. (See greater Paris radio audience estimates trend chart here in Resources)

Subject of survey de-listing through the spring and summer periods, Fun Radio showed 2.4% market share, up from 1.4% year on year. Virgin Radio and RTL2 were also up. Cherie FM, however, was significantly off, 1.9% market share from 3.0% and France Culture fell to 1.7% market share from 3.3%. Local station Radio Latina dropped to 1.6% from 2.5%.

Format bending Rire & Chansons - a unique mix of comedy sketches interspersed with almost any musical style - jumped to 1.6% market share from 1.1%. There are just some things listeners cannot get from Deezer or Spotify.

Spreading the radio wealth a digital possibility
“crown jewels”

Every broadcaster producing large quantities of original content winces at the one, great, largely unspoken truth: once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Everybody on the video side of life now knows how to get more milage, so to speak, from shows - re-runs - and features - YouTube. Far less has come from the audio side.

"One of the big challenges I have set my teams is just that,” hinted BBC director general Tony Hall to the Voice of the Listener and Viewer (VLV) support group this week, quoted by the BBC (November 23). “The BBC makes the best radio in the world. It is one of our crown jewels, and we have an extraordinary wealth of audio riches at our disposal.” (See more about the BBC here)

"With our world-class content, we could use our current output and the richness of our archive to create a Netflix of the spoken word,” he offered without giving away the details. He mentioned long-running radio drama The Archers, currently heard six days a week on BBC Radio 4. as an example of a radio program worth sharing more widely. More details will be forthcoming, perhaps in the spring. The BBC’s iPlayer service offers video content similar to, well, Netflix.

This follows the announcement earlier in the week of a major coverage and language expansion at BBC World Service (BBC WS). Domestic BBC Radio programs are rarely, if ever, offered on BBC WS). Podcasts of some, like The Archers, can be downloaded within the UK. There are, obviously, rights issues.

National radio no more, none expected
and no surprise

National commercial channels have now disappeared in Hungary. Class FM, the last remaining, was removed from FM distribution this past weekend. The National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH) reject a request in August to extend or renew its operating license saying it would come up with a new frequency plan, yet to be revealed.

Class FM was acquired last May by Slager Radio from Advenio, principally controlled by Lajos Simicska, once a close associate of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. They had a falling out, always a problem in Hungary. Two months later a request by Slager Radio to the NMHH for renewal of the Class FM broadcasting license was refused. The broadcasting license expired and Class FM left the FM band for online distribution.

It stretches the imagination that any investor with cursory knowledge of the Hungarian regulatory landscape would go forward with a media acquisition dependent on an impending license renewal. According to at least one local report (Budapest Beacon November 21), Slager Radio principal Michael McNutt is suing the NMHH over refusal to grant a license renewal putting a new tender for the national license on hold pending that outcome. Class FM employees scattered quickly to other Hungarian commercial broadcasters and advertising agencies. (See more about media in Hungary here)

The company Slager Radio is related only by name to the Hungarian national radio channel once owned by Emmis International. That Slager Radio along with Danubius Radio, both national channels and both foreign owned, were denied license renewals in 2008 to considerable foreign uproar but little local concern. Those licenses were awarded to politically connected owners, renamed Class FM and NEO FM, which fell to financial difficulties shortly thereafter.

There are winners in this lapse in the Hungarian media sphere. TV2 owner Andy Vajna, who has had squabbles with PM Orban but currently enjoys favor, is expanding his Radio 1 franchise with FM frequencies outside Budapest. And, too, Hungarian State radio, fully complying with the party-line, has four national FM channels.

Radio Page week ending November 18, 2016
radio in France, Médiamétrie, RTL, France Inter, NRJ, Europe 1, Fun Radio, radio in the Czech Republic, radio audience, RadioProjekt, Radio Impuls, CRo Radiozurnal, CRo Radio Plus, Rock Radio, Radio City, radio advertising

Radio Page week ending November 11, 2016
radio in Austria, DAB+, ORF, WorldDAB

Radio Page week ending November 4, 2016
radio in Finland, SuomiRock, Bauer Media, music radio, radio in Italy, radio brands, Radiofreccia, radio in Poland, Radio Troika

Radio Page week ending October 28, 2016
radio in the UK, radio audience, RAJAR, BBC Radio, public broadcasting, commercial radio, Radio 2, Chris Evans, Radio 1, Radio 4, Heart, Radio X, Capital, Magic, LBC, Kisstory, London radio market, radio in Poland, Polskie Radio, Radio Trojka, Facebook

Radio Page week ending October 21, 2016
radio in the Netherlands, radio advertising, RAB, radio audience, radio in Finland, Radio Helsinki

Radio Page week ending October 14, 2016
radio in Norway, digital transition, digital radio, WorldDAB, EBU, Bauer Media

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