ftm Radio Page - November 28, 2014

‘Tis the season to get attention
Bah Humbug

Where the Christmas holiday is widely celebrated radio broadcasters, regardless of music format, begin salting in seasonal tunes around the first of December. Some begin earlier and some eventually play all-Christmas music all the time. Radio sales managers favor this to encourage holiday ad sales. The music industry always supplies new gift-giving ideas.

A local UK commercial station is making a big deal out of not playing Christmas music until the very last. Morning DJs at Jack FM in Berkshire have “refused” to play songs of the holiday, reported localberkshire.co.uk (November 25). The well-orchestrated “protest” has had a life on social media, of course. (See more about radio audience here)

The syndicated Jack FM brand originated in North America and is based on a television commercial – “We play what we want” – meant to differentiate from tight playlist stations. There are six in the UK, many in the US and Canada, but the format hasn’t translated to the wider world.

From a quick survey of different radio sources it appears that Sweden’s top rated A/C station Lugna Favoriter is the earliest to add Christmas music, starting November 21st.

Big city listeners have eclectic tastes… sometimes
Just the way it is

It is as it has always been. Radio listening in Paris is like radio listening in France, except when it isn’t. Measurement institute Médiamétrie released this week audience estimates for Ile-de-France (IDF – greater Paris), one week after the national survey results. Some trends are apparent in both. But, then, “Paris will always be Paris,” noted La Lettre Pro de la Radio editor Frédéric Brulhatour (November 26).

First, RTL is still first. Market share jumped to 14.3% (Monday-Friday) from 12.6% one year on and the national general interest channels’ best result in more than two years. Other national channels in the same category were punished, rankings unchanged. Public channel France Inter dropped to 10.1% market share from 10.6%. Europe 1, which lost to RTL a show host at the beginning of the September-October period, plummeted to 9.3% market share from 10.5%. With few good sports stories to fuel the talk shows, RMC dropped to 7.0% market share from 8.0%. (See September-October IDF survey chart here)

But 5th place in the IDF listening estimates went to public all-news channel France Info, up to 5.2% market share from 4.1% year on year. National hit music channel NRJ tumbled to 4.3% market share from 5.1%, quite similar to recent national results. (See details of September-October national survey here) National rap and hip hop channel Skyrock dropped to 3.8% market share from 4.1%, rather different from the national results.

Two oldies channels, of a sort, posted big gains among greater Paris listeners. Radio Classique – oldies, like Mozart – ranks 8th with 3.4% market share, up from 2.3%. In 9th place is Nostalgie, 3.3% market share from 2.2% year on year. Aggregate market share for French national channels dropped to 23.3% from 24.8%. Big losers include RFM, RTL2 and Rire & Chansons.

Tenth spot in the IDF went to FIP, the local public station formerly known as France Inter Paris. FIP is mostly a music station, well distributed on FM through the IDF, beloved in Paris for its jazzy and somewhat eclectic programming. Folks in southern-most parts of the UK have been known to hoist huge antenna to pick it up. Now they have the internet. Well, FIP posted its best showing in four years, 2.7% market share from 2.3%.

Radio Page week ending November 21, 2014
radio in France, Médiamétrie, radio audience, Europe 1, RTL, Radio France, France Inter, France Culture, NRJ, Nostalgie, Skyrock, radio in the Czech Republic, public radio, CRo 1, RRTV, radio in Georgia, Radio Sputnik

Radio Page week ending November 14, 2014
radio in Germany, Star FM, Facebook, radio in France, Maison de la Radio, France Musique, radio in Ireland, Radioplayer, digital radio

Radio Page week ending November 7, 2014
radio in Russia, Ekho Moskvy, censorship, Gazprom Media, radio in Serbia, radio in BiH, radio in Albania, radio in Kosovo, radio in Croatia, radio in Macedonia, radio in Montenegro, radio in Slovenia, media development, radio in Italy, digital radio, AgCom

Radio Page week ending October 31, 2014
radio in Greece, radio license, Best Radio, VFM, Nitro

Radio Page week ending October 24, 2014
radio in Germany, digital radio, FM shut-off, VPRT, radio in the UK, Rajar, BBC, commercial radio, DAB, Global Radio, Bauer Media, 6Music, Radio 3, Heart

Radio Page week ending October 17, 2014
radio in Ireland, music quotas, music industry, radio in Portugal, Bareme Radio Marktest, Radio Renascenca, RTP

Radio Page week ending October 10, 2014
radio in Croatia, Enter Zagreb, format, radio in Ukraine, local radio, Lviv Wave, Lux FM, FM Galacia, audience measurement

Radio Page week ending October 3, 2014
radio in the UK, OFCOM, digital radio, radio in Italy, Social Radio Lab, social media, Radio Italia

Radio Page week ending September 26, 2014
radio in France, Médiamétrie, radio audience, radio in Cyprus, digital transition, radio licenses, CRTA

Radio Page week ending September 19, 2014
radio in Switzerland, audience measurement, Radiocontrol, Radio Energy, Radio Basilisk, radio in the Netherlands, NPO, Radio 5, medium wave, radio in Greece, FM, abandoned frequencies, ERT

Radio Page week ending September 12, 2014
radio in Latvia, radio audience, Latvijas Radio, Radio Skonto, Russian language

Radio Page week ending September 5, 2014
radio in France, talk radio, Europe 1, France Inter, RTL, RMC

Recently added radio audience figures and resources

• France - Greater Paris Radio Audience (November 2014)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
• France - National Radio Audience (November 2014)
  national channels, sectors, market share, reach/TSL
• Serbia - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (November 2014)
  public and private, national and regional, management
• Croatia - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (November 2014)
  public, private and religious broadcasters, national and regional, management, audience estimates
• UK - National Radio Audience (October 2014)
  market share, trend, sectors
• UK - London Radio Audience (October 2014)
  market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (October 2014)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• Portugal - National Radio Audience (October 2014)
  leading stations, audience share, trend
• France - National Radio Summer Audience (September 2014)
  national channels, summer period 2010-2014 trend
• Estonia - Major Media - Broadcasting (radio and television) (September 2014)
  public and private, ownership, management, platforms, national audience trend
• Latvia - National Radio Audience (September 2014)
  national channels, audience share, trend
• Spain - National Radio Audience (August 2014)
  national channels, reach share, trend
• Spain - Major Media - Radio (August 2014)
  public and private broadcasting companies, channels, management, platforms, audience estimates

More Resources

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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. 74 pages PDF (May 2012)

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