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It must have been something they said
Or maybe the jazz
There was, apparently, a lot to talk about from September through December, enough to entice Paris radio listeners to almost all of the news and talk stations. Media research institute Médiamétrie reported that general interest channels, on aggregate, increased market share to 42.9% from 38.7% year on year in the Il-de-France (Greater Paris) region. And all this was before President François Hollande revealed his economic plan, Closer magazine revealed his personal life and the weather turned windy.
Chief beneficiary, radio-wise, was Lagardère’s Europe 1, which jumped to 10.1% market share from 8.2% one year on, remaining in 3rd place. RTL, still number 1, posted 12.4% market share, up from 12.0%. Public channel France Inter remained number 2 with 11.1% market share, up from 10.1%. RMC held 4th place with 7.9% market share, up from 7.2%. After a format change adding more feature content in early September, public news channel France Info slipped to 4.4% market share from 4.7%.
The national music channels, on aggregate, tumbled to 24.8% market share from 27.8% in the same period 2012. Unscathed were NRJ, 4.9% market share (5th place overall) up from 4.7%, and pop-rock RTL2, up to 2.4% market share from 1.9%. Battered were Skyrock, 4.1% market share from 4.8%, RFM, 2.4% market share from 3.2%, Cherie FM, 2.0% market share from 2.9%, and Fun Radio, 1.5% market share from 2.1%. (See Greater Paris share trend chart here)
Local Paris stations more or less held their own. Radio Latina moved 9th place overall from 12th. Public station FIP and TSF Jazz – both feature jazz music – were up. Radio Nova and Oui FM were lower.
Pop goes the ratings
Big public channels fall in the fall
Private local radio broadcasters in Switzerland celebrated modest victories over public broadcaster SSR-SRG with the release of the Mediapulse/Publicadata listening figures for the second half 2013. In the three language-specific regions, public radio’s aggregated losses appear as private radio’s gains. Research institute Mediapulse dissuaded comparisons between the recently released survey and the like period 2012 due to a minor methodological change.
With that understood, private local radio (PLR), on aggregate, hit peak market shares; 31.1% in the Swiss-German region (up from 30.3% one year on), 24.1% market share in the French-speaking region (up from 23.6%) and 12.5% market share in the Italian-speaking region (up from 11.5%). (See regional comparisons in Resources here) Notably few private local stations in the Swiss-German region jumped in the second half 2013 period compared with like period 2012. Radio Fribourg (Canton Fribourg) and Yes FM (serving the Geneva-Lausanne area) showed gains in the French-speaking region. Radio 3i in the Italian-speaking region rose to 7.1% market share, up from 6.5%.
For public radio broadcasters one thread seems obvious: general interest channels lost market share. Granted, these legacy channels are all market leaders; big staff, highly promoted and funded. SFR1 in the Swiss-German region dropped to 31.7% market share (lowest in forever) from 32.4%. (See Swiss-German region trend chart here) RTS La Premiere in the French-speaking region dropped to 37.3% (lowest in forever) from 37.9%. (See French region trend chart here) Rete Uno in the Italian-speaking region nose-dived to 44.7% market share (lowest in forever) from 48.4%. (See Italian region trend chart here)
While the Mediapulse/Publicadata survey does not identify platforms and most broadcasters utilize both analogue and digital services, particularly in the Swiss-German region, the music-only services SSR-SRG offers to all regions on DAB+ and cable keep increasing their small but measurable market shares, particularly Radio Swiss Pop.
Overall listening was up (remember that methodological change) in the Swiss-German region to 88.5% from 87.9% one year on and in the French-speaking region to 84.3% from 84.0% and up in the Italian-speaking region to 88.5% from 86.2%. (JMH)
New platforms are opportunities, ad research says
“radio does not go on vacation”
Commercial radio broadcasters may feel snubbed by media buyers enamored with huge market shares of television and enormous reach of online media. Radio companies in Italy along with media buyer GroupM’s Mindshare analytics office in Rome recently presented new information organized as RadioCompass. The aim was to dislodge some of the conventional wisdom.
The presentation focused on consumer behavior, equally important to broadcasters and the ad people. “Radio has aged but it has aged well, integrating with TV and digital (media) in the media mix,” said Mindshare Italia CEO Roberto Binaghi, quoted by affaritaliani.it (January 16). “It isn’t true that people don’t hear ads on the radio.”
New platforms – from PCs to smartphones and TV set-top boxes – simply open more opportunities for people to hear radio channels. Research revealed in the presentation showed that the home is where half of all Italian radio listening takes place. And, in a slight pinch at TV programmers, “radio does not go on vacation,” summer listening in Italy remaining strong.
Listeners aren’t changing stations because of the ads, the research showed. It’s the music that causes people to switch. People hear the ads and remember them.
“Squeezed between TV, which takes 50% of the advertising pie, and the internet, that takes 20%, radio is often in the shadows,” said Mr. Binaghi. “It deserves better attention.” (JMH)
News research center asks “What if?”
Hot topics
A new research center has opened its doors at Karlstad University in Sweden. The Anders Research Center on News and Opinion in the Digital Age (NODE) will look at how the digital landscape affects media’s democratic role and how the decline in traditional media’s reach change political and social attitudes. In other words: what if newspapers disappear?
Professor Henrik Örnebring and associate professor Michael Karlsson will run the three-year project. The NODE center received funding from the Anne-Marie and Gustaf Anders Foundation. Part of the funding will support PhD students in Mass Communications with emphasis on news, advocacy and digital media.
Universities have long been good sources on media policy research. The perspective tends to be more broad-based than think-tanks. But university programs are often criticized for publishing their insights years after the light of interest dims. (JMH)
Media workers injured, arrested as protests rage
Titushky marches
Several media workers, most carrying cameras, fell victim to the protests turned violent in the Ukraine capital Kiev from Sunday night (January 19). Protests in Kiev and elsewhere in Ukraine have been ongoing for two months but reached a peak after new legislation seen as an encore of repression was signed late last week. (See details of Ukraine's new laws here)
Two employees of Radio Liberty, part of US-funded RFE/RL, were arrested in the early hours of Monday (January 20), according to the broadcaster’s website. The reporter and cameraman were on-the-air live when ushered away. Another reporter for Radio Liberty was injured by an exploding canister. Among the new laws passed are restrictions on organizations that receive funding from outside Ukraine.
A photographer for online TV channel LB.ua was reportedly beaten by a gang of pro-government supporters known as ‘titushky’, according to online news portal Telekritika. Reporters for Voice of Ukraine and TV channel ICTV were hospitalized for shrapnel wounds. (JMH)
Digital transition “pursued vigorously”
More channels open
In just 18 months digital television will be the rule and not the exception. Analogue TV frequencies will no longer be protected from interference from other spectrum users after June 17, 2015. It isn’t that countries haven’t had notice. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), by treaty the lead coordinator of spectrum use worldwide, set the date eight years ago.
Digital transition has been a challenge for developing countries, particularly in Africa. Last September the ITU and the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) negotiated for 47 sub-Saharan countries a slight amendment to the 2006 worldwide agreement, allowing 4G mobile broadband use of part of the spectrum by the 2015 date but extending the VHF TV band deadline to 2020. Wireless broadband in Africa has investor’s attention; less so digital TV with only about 30% of African households having TV access. Still, the cost of digital TV transition to broadcasters, governments and the public is daunting. (See more on media in Africa here)
Swedish media house Modern Times Group (MTG) entered Africa several years ago, free-to-air channel Viasat1 in Ghana in 2008 and pay-TV offerings following in Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Earlier this month MTG added free-to-air digital channel TV1 in Tanzania. MTG also opened production house Modern African Productions in Ghana in 2010.
Nigerian regulator National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is attempting to have digital infrastructure in place by the end of the year, ahead of the ITU deadline, and to communicate with the public the digital TV transition. Achieving 90% digital coverage will cost NGN 68 billion, about €315 million, said NBC Director General Emeka Mba, quoted by Nigerian news portal thisdaylive.com (January 16). “We are working very hard to roll out a publicity program targeting every stratum of our public,” he said. “Our (publicity) blitz will begin before the end of January. Village-level sensitization by states will also be pursued vigorously.” (JMH)
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