Listeners Return To Different Landscape

Michael Hedges November 4, 2020 Follow on Twitter

Just like all media sectors, radio broadcasting has been challenged by the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic turmoil. Audience estimates - print circulation and internet traffic, as well - show a nexus point last spring when media behavior changed. Some of these changes are derived from longer term trends; traditional media usage sagging and online media soaring. Trends, no doubt, can be upended by unforeseen circumstances.

People in Portugal for years have been avid radio listeners. For most of 2018 and 2019, total gross weekly reach estimates in the Marktest Bareme radio surveys were about 80%, peaking at 84.2% in the December 2019 survey. By April this year estimated gross weekly reach had fallen to 80.1%, then 78.6% in June. In the most recent report, September, gross weekly reach only slightly rebounded to 80.9%.

While share rankings for national radio channels have changed very little in the last two years, a few significant disruptions appeared. Long standing top rated RFM was knocked off that pedestal by long-time number two Radio Comercial last April, where it remained in June and September. Audience share estimated for Radio Comercial hit 25.1%, up from 22.9% one year on. Over the same period RFM dropped to 21.6% from 25.5%.

Radio Comercial is owned by Media Capital Radio (MCR), one of the two dominant commercial radio broadcasting groups. It is a pop, rock, dance music channel. It has been on the air for more than 40 years. RFM - short for Renascença FM - is a pop music channel, owned by Grupo Renascença Multimedia. Media watchers in Portugal suggest the changes in audience share of the top two radio channels following the initial coronavirus outbreak was due to significant information content on Radio Comercial while RFM remained largely all music.

Third place in the September Marktest audience estimates went to M80, also owned by Media Capital Radio. It, too, saw a significant jump in audience share; 9.2% from 7.0% one year on. It is fairly clear this resulted from a change in music format from classic rock to ‘70s and ‘80s oldies.

Also with a positive result is Radio Renascença, owned by the euphonious Grupo Renascença Multimedia. The general interest national radio channel scored 7.8% audience share, up from 6.9%, for fourth ranking. As the owner is affiliated with the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, it offers religious programming along with adult music and news.

Mega Hits, the dance hip hop channel owned by Grupo Renascença Multimedia, took a significant hit through the period, dropping to 2.1% audience share from 3.1% one year on. All-news channel TSF Radio Noticias was effectively unchanged, 3.2% audience share from 3.1%. In the june measurement period TSF rose to 3.9% audience share, best in five years.

Public broadcaster RTP - Radio and Television of Portugal - has three national radio channels. General interest channel Antena 1 dropped to 4.9% audience share from 5.4% year on year. Cultural channel Antena 2 offers all the expected cultural fare. It posted 0.5% audience share, slightly up. Antena 3, the culturally inclined alternative music channel, scored 1.5% audience share, down from 1.8%. RTP also offers several digital-only radio channels.

See also...

• Hot Topics - Radio Audience

• Hot Topics - Media in Portugal