Hard Work, Discipline Pays Off

Michael Hedges July 24, 2013 Follow on Twitter

Data is revealing, even audience data. Looking at it carefully can make a broadcaster crazy or smart. There are lessons to be learned. Most important of all, the people are listening.

Hit music channel NRJ attracted its biggest market share in seven years according to the Médiamétrie France national radio survey for April through June, released last week, 7.6% up from 7.0% one year on. In the Il-de-France (IDF - Greater Paris) survey area, with more competitors, the channel posted 5.1% market share, up from 4.2%. NRJ moves to 3rd ranking overall in the national survey in market share and 5th in the Greater Paris survey area.

“We are reaping the fruit of hard work,” explained NRJ Group Managing Director Maryam Salehi to RadioActu (July 22). All four of the NRJ Group brands showed year on year market share gains in the national and Greater Paris surveys. Oldies channel Nostalgie moved to 7th place in the national survey with 4.2% market share following a long draught. Mme Salehi said there’s no secret, just discipline. By coincidence – or perhaps not – NRJ (Energy) branded stations showed significant audience reach gains in the recently released German national audience survey. NRJ Group Chairman Jean-Paul Baudecroux, a master of radio marketing, said he wouldn’t rest until his main channel returned to ratings prominence.

General interest channel RTL, as usual, kept the top spot in the national survey, though slipping to 12.0% markets share from 12.4% one year on. In the Greater Paris survey area RTL lept to 13.8% market share, best in two years, from 11.9%. Those gains seem to have come at the expense of public general interest channel France Inter, market share dropping to 9.3% from 10.5% year on year in the national survey and 9.9% market share in the Greater Paris survey area from 12.1% in April-June 2012 when it briefly led the pack. (See French national audience trend chart here and Greater Paris audience trend chart here)

Long suffering Europe 1, general interest channel of Lagardère Active Radio, made a healthy gain in the Greater Paris survey, climbing to 9.8% market share from 8.9% one year on. The channel fared less well in the national survey, dropping to 7.3% market share from 7.4%. “There are still a lot of points and listeners to win,” said general director Fabien Namias, quoted by media portal ozap.com (July 16). “Europe 1 can go much further than where it is today. The good news today is that those who thought Europe 1 was off the landscape… the survey proves that Europe 1 is there. Europe 1 is listened to. It is the lesson of the day.”

News and talk channel RMC also posted gains in both surveys, placing 6th in the national survey and 4th in the Greater Paris survey. All news public channel France Info was down a tad in the national survey and up a tad in the Greater Paris survey. More broadly, the general interest channels – not including France Info – lost market share in aggregate in the national survey year on year and gained in the Greater Paris survey. France and Paris are not the same by any measure.

The music channels, as Médiamétrie designates, gained market share in both the national and Greater Paris surveys, almost entirely on the strength of NRJ Group channels. Skyrock, considered a main competitor for NRJ, dropped to 3.8% market share in the national survey, lowest in ten years, from 4.2% one year on. Lagardère’s RFM, competitor to Cherie FM, dropped to 2.,9% market share from 3.3% in the national survey and 1.9% market share in the Greater Paris survey, lowest in about four years.

The spring audience survey was unkind to local Paris stations, dropping on aggregate to 14.8% market share from 17.5% year on year. Radio Latina, one the top rated local station in the Greater Paris survey, dropped like a rock to 1.7% market share from 2.7% one year on. Easy listening – with traffic reports, without DJs or spots – public station FIP topped the list of local Paris stations with 2.3% market share, up from 1.8%.

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