Zapping One Thing For Another

Michael Hedges July 23, 2012 Follow on Twitter

Predicting what moves the ratings needle has never been easy. Too many variables, the researchers say. Some days you get the ratings and some days the ratings get you. The audience is fickle and travels in a pack.

Seemingly the everlasting leader of French national radio, RTL looks a little less daunting after the release of Médiamétrie’s April through June survey (July 17). While remaining top ranked in market share with 11.6%, the general interest channel has fallen from 12.1% one year on. In each of the four full surveys since April-June 2011 RTL’s market share has dropped compared with each previous year.

At the same time, legacy hit music channel NRJ roared to a 7.0% market share, its’ highest in more than five years, from 5.9% year on year. It has been a long march back for, arguably, the most valuable French radio brand, which in the winter of 2009 had dropped out of the top five in France. (See French national radio trend chart here)

As the survey period coincided with the French presidential and legislative elections RTL’s Christophe Baldelli pointed to the obvious culprit: those darned listeners. “People have zapped politics for entertainment, preferring music,” he suggested. “When you see (the low voter turnout for the legislative elections), it means people on average have less interest in politics.”

NRJ Group deputy director general Maryam Salehi almost agreed. “This is a victory all the more deserved because it comes at election time,” she said to AFP (July 17). “People may have had an information overload because the election period started early during the Socialist (Party) primary.”

While several French media watchers were eager to agree and blame election fatigue, results for other stations were confounding. Other news and talk national channels hardly suffered during the April to June survey period. Public news-talk channel France Inter, ranking number 2 nationally, had its best market share in forever, 10.5% up from 9.6% one year on. News and sports channel RMC rose to 6.5% market share and 5th place in the national rankings, up from 5.6% year on year, perhaps benefiting from the UEFA Euro 2012 football championships though match broadcasts were shared by public and private channels. Even long suffering Europe 1 was up to 7.4% from 7.3% one year on. Largely speech-based regional public network France Bleu ranked 6th with 6.3% market, up from 6.1% on year on. Among other channels branded by news and information, only public rolling news channel France Info lost audience, down to 3.6% from 3.7%.

“If young people only listen to music radio, there’s a problem,” said France Inter director Philippe Val curtly. “Broadcasters do not know how to interest them in the world.” Ouch!

But then the April to June Médiamétrie radio survey was not particularly good to music channels, exceptions noted. Rap and dance stations suffered; Skyrock dropped to 4.2% market share from 5.0% one year one and Fun Radio fell to 3.8% from 4.3%. Oldies channel Nostalgie continued its long slide, down 3.5% from 4.2% one year on. Pop-rock RTL2, oldies-based AC Cherie FM, Virgin Radio and Rire & Chansons were all down. Aside from NRJ, only 80’s pop-rock RFM gained, to 3.3% from 2.8%. And they have a new morning show.

Overall, radio listening was up to 82.4%, a significant increase over previous April to June survey periods. Public broadcaster Radio France increased its aggregate market share to 23.5% from 22.5% one year on. The market share for private commercial national channels fell to 71.9%.

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