ftm Radio Page - week ending May 19, 2023

Radio Listeners Like Latest And Greatest Digital Platforms Best

Most diligent media observers are aware - some painfully - of shifting consumer behavior. Some believe we are experiencing a generational realignment. Maybe. Traditional media is being thrashed by all those new digital offerings. Some of the new ones are being replaced by the even newer. It is all very difficult to keep up with, more so to explain to shareholders.

New quarterly radio audience estimates for the UK were released this week by research institute RAJAR. Changes in listener behavior were profound, sort of. Overall UK listening - weekly reach - dropped to 88.2% from 89.3%, year on year. Average hours listening was unchanged at 20.4. Platform preferences continue to confound; share for analogue platforms rose slightly as the DAB platform dropped. Listening share via online platforms rose to 24.4% fro 22.4%. Oh, listeners really like those smart speakers.

The RAJAR audience estimates have not been kind to UK public broadcaster BBC for more than a year. The Q1 results showed more of the same. Aggregate share for BBC network channels plunged to 40.9% from 43.1%, year on year. BBC local stations, undergoing staff cuts, fell in total to 5.5% share from 6.1%. In the requisite post-release statement, BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore, quoted by Press Gazette (May 18), noting online and podcast strengths. “With more people listening on-demand, we’ve upped our editorial ambition for (online platform) BBC Sounds and it is paying dividends, as BBC Sounds is repeatedly reaching record numbers and our investigative podcasts like the eye-opening The Shamima Begum Story are proving hugely popular.”

UK commercial radio broadcasters were just giddy as listening to national channels, on aggregate grew to 25.8% share from 24.8%, one year on. Aggregate share for local commercial station was a blistering 25.7% share, romping from 23.8%. “How better to celebrate the 50th anniversary of commercial radio than to see record audience numbers for Global, our highest ever,” Global founder and executive president Ashley Tabor-King, quoted by RadioToday (May 18). “There is real momentum behind radio and audio, with the industry stronger than ever thanks to the investment and innovation of radio groups and stations all over the UK,” added commercial radio trade body Radiocentre chief executive Matt Payton.

National rankings were a bit more sober. BBC Radio 2 held to top spot, 15.2% listener share, down from 15.9%, year on year. News/talk channel BBC Radio 4 remained second nationally, 11.2% listener share, down from 11.9%. For the London survey area, the two traded places, as usual. Radio 4 tracked lower at 13.7% from 14.2% and Radio 2 dipped to 10.1% from 10.6%.

Ranking third overall nationally was commercial pop music channel Heart, up slightly to 5.6% listening share. Pop hits channel BBC Radio 1 kept fourth place, up slightly to 4.9%. Light pop commercial channel Smooth held fifth place, up slightly to 4.9%. Tied for sixth place nationally were Classic FM, dropping a notch to 3.6% listening share from 4.4%, one year on. Greatest Hits Radio scored as the coming attraction, to 6th from 11th, 3.0% listening share from 2.6%. Several UK commercial broadcasters have taken advantage of employment anxiety at the BBC, recruiting more than a few well-known performers.

Public broadcaster leverages high public trust
"everything is not peace and joy"

For years on end, public broadcasting directors responded to criticism by begging for forgiveness, cutting budgets and generally following directions. Publishers and the politicians they own could be brutal. A shift, though, has become obvious, particularly benefitting public radio outlets. Those who pay license fees or in some way support public radio channels - or simply tune-in - have become enthusiastic patrons. Directors and executives have responded in kind.

Swedish public radio Sveriges Radio (SR) director-general Cilla Benkö is concerned by the state of public broadcasting. SR is currently facing a parliamentary investigation, supporting a bid to change the governance of public broadcasting. “We are currently in the hands of what the investigation will propose,” she said to Journalisten (May 15). “It is clear that there is a small nagging concern. This is the fourth public service investigation I've been involved in, and it's the same feeling every time.” Ms Benkö was appointed director-general of SR in 2012 and has worked for the broadcaster in various roles for 35 years. (See more about public broadcasting here)

“There is a rather large responsibility on those who are now investigating public broadcasting, to actually ask themselves the question what should be contributed to a well-functioning democracy in Sweden,” she added. “Really think, because we are a highly valued company with the Swedish public, with high trust, and play a decisive role especially in these times. It is quite a lot that is required of us, it is important not to get excited.” (See more about media in Sweden here)

Earlier this month, corresponding with World Press Freedom Day (May 3), Ms Benkö toured three Central European countries: Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. “The situation for free and independent media is quite tough everywhere,” she observed. “It is about both economic and political pressure. The relationship with the politicians can look incredibly different in different countries.” In Austria, she found, “they hang out so close to each other, which leads to problems.”

“Everything is not peace and joy in Sweden either, but we still have a well-functioning ‘dual system’, a strong public broadcasting side by side with fundamentally prosperous commercial media.” Sveriges Radio was formed in 1925, public TV SVT followed in 1956. It offers four national channels and 26 regional stations distributed on FM, DAB and the internet. A month ago (April 18) SR exited its Twitter feed due to “recent turbulence” over combatting fake news and hate speech.

Regulator chair punishes independent broadcaster for being independent, faces stern rebuke
"disproportionate, discriminatory"

In standard form traditional broadcasting license status is all that matters. Forget playlists, DJs and sales sharks. No operating license: no fun. It is a throwback to the days when governments owned the transmitters. Certainly, private and public broadcasters are differently awarded access to the airwaves. Digital broadcasting has turned that upside down.

Poland’s media regulator National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) recently imposed a fine on broadcaster TOK FM, a news/talk radio channel. Last year a TOK FM commentator read excerpts from the book History and Present Times by Wojciech Roszkowski, a prominent right-wing historian. “It reads like a textbook, pardon the expression, for the Hitler Youth,” said TOK FM morning host Piotr Maslak.

That set-off KRRiT chairperson Maciej Swirski, who imposed the PLN 80,000 fine, about €17,700. To it he added a strong rebuke, without irony, for violations of freedom of expression under Polish law. The political appointee of the right-wing xenophobic Law and Justice (PiS) party also made veiled threats against the TOK FM broadcast license, due to renew in November.

The PiS government has long chased after critical news channels. There was the years-long challenge to TV news channel TVN News, which ended on intervention by the European Commission. TOK FM is licensed to InfoRadio, a joint venture of multimedia publisher Agora SA and weekly news magazine Polityka. Agora SA publishes decidedly independent daily Gazeta Wyborcza. In a statement, Agora SA said it will appeal the sanctions. (See more about media in Poland here)

The Media Council should “immediately lift this penalty,” said a statement from International Press Institute (IPI) deputy director Scott Griffin, quoted by Polish media news portal Wirtualnemedia (May 13). The decision "constitutes a disproportionate, discriminatory application of the Broadcasting Act: it punishes the broadcaster for exercising the right to free opinion on matters of public interest.” It is “another example in the growing list of questionable regulatory decisions by the head of the Polish National Broadcasting Council regarding legitimate journalistic content on issues sensitive to the authorities.” The IPI statement also demanded the TOK FM license renewal should be decided ”in a timely and independent manner.”

Radio Page week ending May 5, 2023
digital radio, pop-up radio, Bauer Media, Eurosong Radio, Eurovision Song Contest, radio in Sudan, conflict zones, international broadcasting, BBC News Arabic

Radio Page week ending April 28, 2023
radio in Switzerland, Couleur 3, public broadcasting, artificial intelligence, AI, radio in Hungary, digital radio, DAB, NMHH, radio in France, radio audience, Mediametrie

Radio Page week ending April 21, 2023
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Radio Page week ending April 14, 2023
radio in Poland, radio audience, Radio Track, RMF FM, Radio ZET, Radio Eska

Radio Page week ending April 7, 2023
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Radio Page week ending March 31, 2023
radio in the UK, media regulation, smart speakers, radio licenses, Ofcom

Radio Page week ending March 24, 2023
radio in Norway, radio advertising, podcasts, radio in Poland, Radio Szczecin, journalism, radio in the Czech Republic, autoroute radio, Radio Dalnice, podcasts

Radio Page week ending March 17, 2023
radio in Ireland, Irish language, radio license, Media Commission, radio in the US, women in radio, Guinnes World Records, Mary Mccoy

Radio Page week ending March 10, 2023
radio in Cambodia, radio in Southeast Asia, press freedom, media freedom, Voice of Democracy,Cambodian Center for Independent Media, radio technology, artificial intelligence, RadioGPT

Radio Page week ending March 3, 2023
radio broadcasting, AM radio, MW radio, emergency services, media in Poland, Agora SA, Tok Radio, Eurozet, Radio Zet

Radio Page week ending February 24, 2023
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Radio Page week ending February 17, 2023
radio in Germany, culture radio, Cosmo, RBB, World Radio Day, UNESCO, radio and peace, radio broadcasting

Radio Page week ending February 10, 2023
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Radio Page week ending February 3, 2023
radio in Austria, Radiotest 2022, radio audience, digital radio, ORF, RMS, international broadcasting, BBC Arabic Radio

Radio Page week ending January 27, 2023
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Radio Page week ending January 20, 2023
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Radio Page week ending January 13, 2023
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Radio Page week ending November 18, 2022
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Radio Page week ending November 11, 2022
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Radio Page week ending November 4, 2022
radio in the UK, BBC Local Radio, local radio, Bectu

Radio Page week ending October 28, 2022
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Radio Page week ending October 21, 2022
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Radio Page week ending October 14, 2022
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Radio Page week ending October 7, 2022
radio in Austria, ORF, FM4, radio in Italy, digital transitions, Confindustria Radio Televisioni, radio in the Philippines, DWBL 1242, press freedom, media freedom

Radio Page week ending September 30, 2022
radio in the UK, international broadcasting, BBC World Service, radio in Spain, Prisa Group, Cadena Ser

Radio Page week ending September 23, 2022
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Radio Page week ending September 16, 2022
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Radio Page week ending June 24, 2022
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Radio Page week ending April 15, 2022
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Radio Page week ending April 1, 2022
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Radio Page week ending February 18, 2022
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Radio Page week ending February 11, 2022
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Radio Page week ending February 4, 2022
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Radio Page week ending January 28, 2022
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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
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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

Recently added radio audience figures and resources

• UK - National Radio Audience (Q1 2023 - released May 2023)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• UK - London Radio Audience (Q1 2023 - released May 2023)
  market share, trend
• UK - National Radio Audience (Q1 2023 - released May 2023)
  BBC/commercial 'gap'
• France - National Radio Audience (January/March 2023 - released April 2023)
  national channels, sectors, market share, reach/TSL
• France - Greater Paris Radio Audience (July 2022)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
national channels, sectors, market share, reach/TSL
• France - National Radio Summer Audience (September 2021)
  national channels, summer period 2016-2021 trend
• Spain - National Radio Audience (July 2021)
  national and regional channels, reach share, trend
• Romania - Radio Audience (May 2021)
  national and Bucharest surveys, market share, trend
• Belgium - Flemish region, Radio Audience (April 2021)
  market share, Jan-Apr 2019 to Sep 2020-Feb 2021 trend
• Belgium - French region, Radio Audience (April 2021)
  market share, Jan-Apr 2019 to Sep 2020-Feb 2021 trend
• France - Greater Paris Radio Audience (April 2021)
  national and local channels, market share, trend
• Austria - Major Media - Radio Broadcasting (February 2021)
  public and private broadcasters, owners, management, audience trend

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