Strikes Blamed For Ratings Tumble

Michael Hedges November 18, 2010 Follow on Twitter

News and information are truly significant to radio programming. When news is hot and there’s lots to talk about channels significantly branded for letting people know what’s going on get a ratings benefit. The news-talk listener is loyal, to a point, and doesn’t react well to changes.

The big news-talk and general interest radio channels in France have had lots to talk about over the last couple of years coinciding, it seems, with the term of President Nicolas Sarkozy. Music channels, perhaps, just couldn’t compete for listeners attention. In the recently released September-October Médiamétrie audience survey (November 18), several channels changed ranking and some of them are near the top.

Of course, RTL remains the top ranked French national radio channel, market share rising to 12.1% from 12.0% year on year. Not so good was the result for Europe 1 (Lagardère); still ranked 3rd but falling to 8.1% from 8.6%. (See French national channels market share and trend chart here)

Audience shares for French public radio channels fell sharply to 20.9% in aggregate, down from 22.8% one year on. Fingers point to the public sector employees strikes in September and October affecting all France Radio channels. News and most programs on France Inter, France Info, France Bleu and others were replaced with a music loop during the strikes. 

France Inter, the main general interest public channel, held second place in the rankings but fell to its lowest market share in two years, to 8.9% from 9.7% one year on. Public regional network France Bleu dropped to 6th place with 5.7% market share from 6.1% and 4th place. All-news France Info dropped to 3.4% market share from 3.8% one year on, remaining ranked 10th among all national channels. Some regular France Inter fans also may have deserted after popular comedians Stéphane Guillon and Didier Porte departed rather suddenly.

News-talk commercial channel RMC jumped to 4th place from 6th one year on with 5.9% market share, up from 5.4%. RMC reached 4th position once before. In the April-June 2009 survey period its market share peaked at 6.0%. It’s been ten years since former NRJ Group executive Alain Weill bought the moribund regional channel. Patience has its virtue. So, also, is adding more transmitters.

NRJ didn’t change ranking – 5th place – but gained market share to 5.8% from 5.6% year on year. After the September-October 2008 survey period NRJ slipped from 4th place and founder, CEO and quintessentially impatient Jean-Paul Baudecroux has changed program directors and ramped up the world famous NRJ promotion machine. Oldies channel Nostalgie, also part of NRJ Group, stayed in 7th place as market share fell to 4.6% from 5.1% one year on. Rap music channel Skyrock held 8th ranking, dropping to 4.4% market share from 4.5%. Fun Radio (RTL Group), a more direct competitor for Skyrock, kept its 9th ranking while gaining market share year on year to 4.2% from 4.0%.

The light A/C music channel Cherie FM (NRJ Group) moved to 11th place with 3.2% market share from 3.0% year on year. Further down the list, Radio Classique rose to 1.6% market share from 1.3%. The two music channels owned by Lagardère – RFM and Virgin Radio – are still rattling around the bottom.

Altogether radio listening in France rose to 81.6% from 80.2% year on year. With so many French people on strike during this survey period perhaps some were listening to the radio. Or, perhaps not; time spent listening dropped to 172 minutes per day from 176. Médiamétrie surveyed persons in France age 13 and older between August 30th and October 31st.

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