In The Numbers

Caveat emptor: radio shifts lightly - March 23, 2008
Audience surveys are media’s life-blood. The fascination with ‘who’s up and who’s down’ is reflexive. Sure, the numbers have purpose; justifying either the ad rate or the license fee. But pouring over the data to divine a trend is tricky.

Media Life in France - March 3, 2008
In story, French life is wonderful; the wine, the women, the food. Add to that the almost daily Elysée Palace entertainment, the rest of us live in awe. Médiamétrie’s new report – Media in Life - shows just how wonderful it is.

Local media visible as mountain shifts - February 7, 2008

BBC edges ahead with UK audience - January 31, 2008

BBC’s lead over commercial broadcasters pushed higher, boosted both by local and national channels. And the latest audience survey shows another boost for digital platforms. Oh, and lots of people still listen to FM.

The secret is having something to talk about. Credibility counts, too. - January 28, 2008
There is so much to talk about in France these days it’s just no real surprise that the national news and news talk stations continue to increase market shares.

The mighty, the new and the missing in Swiss radio - January 10, 2008
The public broadcaster in Switzerland holds mighty high audience shares, overwhelming privately owned stations. The latest radio audience survey shows a few changes. By this time next year the country’s radio market could be quite different.

Wake up and smell the coffee, Steve - November 15, 2007
This could be one of those days when Arbitron CEO Steve Morris wakes up asking himself why he ever left that good job running the Maxwell House coffee business for General Foods. Yesterday (Wednesday November 14) four of his biggest clients – Clear Channel Radio, Cox Radio, Cumulus Media and Radio One – fired off a letter, provided to ftm, that began, 'It is with the utmost urgency and objection that we, your customers, send you this letter.'

New Arbitron goof: rats ate the PPM data - August 22, 2007

A new problem surfaced this week for US media measurement agency Arbitron in their roll-out of radio audience surveys collected with the Personal People Meter (PPM). A big chunk of data from the Houston, Texas survey disappeared. Arbitron calls it an “error.” Broadcasters call it a crisis.

The dynamics of a dynamic media market - August 17, 2007

More people than ever tuned into UK radio during this years’ second quarter, says the RAJAR audience survey. During the same period iconic commercial radio station Capital Radio fell to fourth place in London. The stations’ 4.1% market share is its historical low point.

On measurement and monopoly - August 13, 2007
Across the globe and across all media measurement is the be-all and end-all to commercial success. As media buyers and ad agencies demand changes and enhancements to measurement systems, from cross-media, passive monitoring to ‘granular’ data, broadcasters either acquiesce or endure the financial consequences. Cox Radio CEO Bob Neil took questions from ftm on radio measurement and monopoly.

Newspaper Web Sites Have Added Reason To Get Deeply Into Video As Nielsen Net/Ratings Says It Will Now Rank A Site’s Popularity By Time Spent There Rather Than Page Views - July 13, 2007
Those tricks used to increase page views like spreading stories over three or four pages to increase the number of pages accessed will soon become a thing of the past as Nielsen Net/Ratings switches the basis for its web ranking system to the time a visitor spends on a site rather than the number of pages accessed. And that should be a big boost for sites to greatly expand their video use, for how better a way to keep eyeballs on a site for prolonged periods of time than several one or two minute videos.

Médiamétrie commits to cross-media measurement - July 6, 2007
New media drives everything and its touch is universal. Médiamétrie’s new chairman let clients know that cross-media measurement (plurimédia) is the priority. He’s backing it up was a €35 million investment.

What Gets Measured, Changes Media - June 19, 2007

Accountability and technology are driving media measurement. These are also the twin drivers of media management. Content, however, drives media consumers. Who wins?

News Cycle Gone Cold – France Info Seeks Heat - May 8, 2007
The first casualty of the French presidential election campaign– and the recent Médiamétrie audience survey – is France Info, Radio France’ rolling headline news channel. All French news and information channels, public and commercial, have seen their audiences rise – except France Info. The channels new director says the solution is making the station hot again.

Traffic Jams and Tangled Webs – Measuring the Web - May 7, 2007
The ad girls and the web boys are circling around each other, a generational ritual filled with promises, passion, lies and, of course, money. The web boys – interactive media, to the serious – offer fast connections, big results and promises to please. The ad girls – those with the honey-money – play hard-to-get.

French Follow Presidential Race on Radio - April 25, 2007

And Paris Radio Listening Up, Too… April 27, 2007
News and information, soft hits up, hard rock and rap down

Switzerland Changes Media Measurement System - April 21, 2007
Switzerland’s broadcasters introduced electronic measurement for radio first in the world nearly a decade ago. The TeleControl system for television measurement is considered a model for counting viewers of the blue glow in living rooms. A new management organization for all media measurement launches, officially, this week.

Dismal Ratings Spur Austrian Radio Relaunchs - February 24, 2007
The recently released Radiotest radio listening survey of the second half 2006 looked, at first, rather similar to the last. After closer consideration, three stations announced major relaunches, ad campaigns and, even, new jingles. “City Radio” is the new direction for Vienna stations.

Task Force Established To Develop Newspaper Readership Measurement Standard For Print And Web that Answers Advertisers’ Increasing Demand To Track They Get What They Think They Are Paying For - February 23, 2007
Here’s one of the biggest problems a newspaper faces today, as explained by a Houston car dealer, when trying to convince an advertiser to stay with print rather than switch to the Internet: “We can pretty much measure an online cost per head. But if you put an ad in the Sunday paper it will probably cost more than $2,000 and you have no idea who comes through the door because of it. We’ve wasted a lot of money that way.”

Arbitron/Nielsen Signal that Apollo Not Lost - February 7, 2007
That “beep-beep-beep” you are hearing is the signal from Project Apollo, just returned from the dark side of the moon. The ambitious plan to create a state-of-the-art (or, at least technology) American media and marketing research panel has been powered up – then down – so many times since first hinted in the last century it is a wonder the battery isn’t worn out.

New Platforms Drive Up UK Radio Listening - February 4, 2007
RAJAR delivered a major blow to UK media conventional wisdom: radio listening is up. You can almost hear screams from newspaper publishers – with declining circulations – and TV executives – with declining audiences, except for the occasional scandal. Bloody Hell!

Swiss Public Radio Powerhouses Continue Increasing Shares - February 2, 2007
Winter arrived finally in Switzerland, blanketing all regions in white, fluffy snow. Skiers rejoiced. With the lush powder in the mountain resorts came more good news for the rich and powerful in Swiss broadcasting: the 2nd half-year radio ratings for 2006.

Secrets of French Women Revealed - December 4, 2006
For centuries, poets and philosophers, long dead, have fawned over them. The new poets and philosophers – media and advertising people - fawn over them now. It’s the lifestyle, says Médiamétrie.

When Deciding Where To Spend, The Most Important Buzz Word For Advertisers Is “Measurement”, And Since Newspapers Still Can’t Quantify How Many And What Demographics Actually Look At Their Print Ads, Then Expect The Spend To Flow To Mediums That Can - December 1, 2006
The last week was full of headlines on how television and Internet advertising viewership will be better measured, but that still leaves newspapers out in the cold. Just citing circulation numbers or general readership numbers, including the Internet, is not doing the job.

UK Radio Relieved That Summer is Over - October 29, 2006
Summer radio surveys are always the pits. Programmers know that listeners are distracted by, well, summer. And managers don’t want to waste the marketing budgets when nobody is around.

Is Anybody Home? More Mobility Hits Media Measurement Hard - October 2, 2006
The hot prospect exciting the advertising people today is mobile media. They will not sleep until ads appear on your mobile phone. Their simple logic: the most desirable audience is not at home.

TNS Scores GfK Exec for RAJAR/BARB Service - August 28, 2006
The new head of TNS iTRAM is Andrea Mezzasalma, who departs GfK Eurisko in Milan where he served as partner and vice-president. He takes over the iTRAM (Internet, Television and Radio Audience Measurement) unit from Mike Gorton, who is retiring.

Capital Radio Self-Immolates or Much Ado About Being Number Three - August 8, 2006
Wall-to-wall music stations – and BBC Radio 1 – win the latest London radio audience survey. Capital Radio resembles a cinder. Ah, the perils of a mature radio market in the midst of a smokin’ hot media market…

Austria Radio Audience Drifts - July 30, 2006
Radiotest audience results for the first half of 2006 didn’t exactly raise alarms but there were no fireworks either. Public broadcaster ORF edged lower, raising questions about the trends.

French Radio Audience Drops. Radio France Suffers - July 20, 2006
The lowest radio listening levels in three years shock French broadcasters

OYE ! Spain Turns Off Media - July 13, 2006
All media – except the internet and TV – falls and free sheet 20 Minutos becomes the top daily newspaper. Radio results are ugly and hard to read as Cadena COPE is delisted.

Tin Foil Hats at UK Radio Festival - July 6, 2006
With the World Cup wrapping up and summer holidays set to begin the UK’s Radio Festival finally gives us the media news we’ve been waiting for : CONSPIRACY THEORIES.

New Headache For Arbitron. PPM Not Certified in US - June 14, 2006
Not that long ago US audience measurement company Arbitron was poised to revolutionize the system. That was then. Today that revolution just got delayed…again.

In France Blogs Are Pas de Blagues - June 6, 2006
Blogs are seen by their fans as the quintessential example of new media, universal access to an interactive, searchable medium. To bloggers, mainstream media is both target and nemesis. But blogs – web logs – are going mainstream.

RAJAR Shows RAJAR Works - May 29, 2006
Upgrade and improve were the key words used by RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) Managing Director Sally de la Bedoyere when announcing the long awaited new contract for UK radio measurement. Times are tough enough in the UK commercial radio industry without inflicting new trauma. RAJARs delicately prescribed measurement homeopathy provides a regimen for well-being, mental and physical.

With 61% Of All US Babies Under The Age Of One Watching Television No Wonder a 24-Hour Baby Channel Has Launched. As They Say, It Could Only Happen In America - May 25, 2006
An amazing study released this week says that 61% of US babies less than one-year-old watch TV every day for at least an hour, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics says children under the age of two should not be watching TV at all.

RAJAR Results: the UK Radio Reality Show - May 15, 2006
First quarter UK radio audience figures contained some of the predicted damage but also considerable relief to public and private broadcasters. The BBC’s audience continues to climb against commercial radio. Magic 105.4 spent £1 million and reached #1 in London while Capital FM was hammered into third place.

French National Radio Audience Softens - April 27, 2006
Think of the French national radio market as an automobile. Each quarter Médiamétrie measures the amount of air in the tires. Those front tires, on which the power-train puts most pressure, are slowly going flat.

Dear Dan Brown : Have We Got a Plot Line For You ! - March 13, 2006

Spanish radio network COPE caught cheating the EGM survey, then confesses, saying it was justified “journalism.” This story has everything, Dan: arrogance, deceit, expose, outrage and more.

Research Companies in Ad-land: Nielsen Says “NO,” Arbitron Says “OH,” TNS to Analyze - March 9, 2006
Timed for maximum ad agency appeal, major audience and market research companies sent signals about media measurement. Ad-land luminaries were aghast: how dare these simple suppliers visualize a separate reality.

All Fall Down – Internet Levels Spanish Media, Except Free Sheets - March 3, 2006
The internet marches on in Spain, attracting more and more daily use, according to the Estudio General de Medios (EGM) report. Television, radio, magazines, weekly newspapers and cinema have declined in daily or weekly use. And, for the first time in five years daily newspaper use does not grow. Worst hit was cinema attendance, falling to 7.1% from 11% in 2001.

Ipsos Cellphone Radio Measuring Thing Maybe Included in RAJAR Tests - February 24, 2006
Bells are ringing at RAJAR headquarters as Ipsos reported its new electronic measurement device for radio passed the functionality test, the same test passed by ARBITRON’s PPM and Eurisko’s Media Monitor early last year.

BBC Radio Surges in Ratings! Wait! Wasn’t That the Headline Last Year? - February 4, 2006
Radio listening estimates released last week by the UK’s Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR) for the fourth quarter 2005 gave yet another boost to BBC Radio. Commercial radio has mixed results and mixed reaction.

New and Local Stations Slam Networks in Paris Radio Survey - January 24, 2006
Distinct from the total of France is Paris and surrounding areas, the Ile-de-France. It is both broadly urban and, well, Paris. The Mediametrie 126,000 September to December regional survey released a week after the national results shows more about smaller. VOILA!

Nasty Trends for French National Radio - January 22, 2006
Médiamétrie results for November-December show general interest radio down, music channels down, youth channels down. Blame TV. Blame the internet. Voila!

RAJAR Results – Digital Payoff - October 27, 2005

In 18 months the percentage of UK households with digital receivers has nearly tripled to 10.5%, according to the Q3 RAJAR radio audience survey released October 27. Listening via digital TV has risen to 35.1%, internet to 13.5% and mobile phone to 6.1%.

Basic Numbers / Hungary - October 14, 2005
The fundamental question of trust opened a wide ranging discussion with radio advertising specialists from Eastern Europe in Budapest.

Arbitron Reports PPM Trial Results, Prepares Broadcasters for “Currency Change.” - September 26, 2005
The US media research company shared results from the extensive Houston, Texas trials. Measured with the Personal People Meter (PPM) people “tune into more stations more frequently but they listen for shorter periods of time,” said Arbitron/PPM President Pierre Bouvard. This was no real surprise as earlier Arbitron test results were similar. And, if broadcasters bothered to ask, electronic measurement for radio in Switzerland, now in its fifth year, has shown the same patterns.

Adding up the Audience, from A (Afghanistan) to Z (Zimbabwe) - September 15, 2005
FTM caught up via email with Allen Cooper, Research Director of InterMedia Survey Institute, with questions about the changing nature of international broadcasting, how that has changed the audience research done by the broadcasters and, inevitably, the role international broadcasters play in public diplomacy. Not an easy task as he’s more often the person doing the asking.

RIX FM Leads Sweden’s Commercial Radio to Record Shares - August 15, 2005
Shuffling brands and frequencies, consolidating further Sweden’s commercial radio spectrum, yields benefits to large group owners. Modern Times Group (MTG) – owner of RIX FM and Lugna Favoriter - took over the 20 frequencies licensed to NRJ Group. Ten were given to RIX FM and 7 to Lugna Favoriter with one in the three major cities remaining under the NRJ brand and format. Nationally MTG Radio increased market share to 23.8% from 18.1% one year on.

Competitive London Market Stirs Again: Q2 Rajar Audience Figures Released - August 11, 2005
When the music stopped in the latest round of UK radio musical chairs Capital FM was back on top.

Swiss Radio Listeners Turn Off the Hits and Turn On Classical Music - August 8, 2005
Hit music, NRJ Group stations posted losses in both the French and Swiss German speaking regions. Commercial radio gained market share in the Swiss German-speaking linguistic region, to 23.5% from 22.9% one year on, though dropping in French-speaking cantons to 25.5% from 25.9%. Public service broadcaster (PSB) SSR-SRG added audience to general interest and fine arts channels to increase PSB market share in the French-speaking zone to 57% from 56.2% year on year and to 62.6% in the Swiss German-speaking cantons from 61.7%.

ORF Radio Slips Lower - July 28, 2005
Austria’s public broadcaster holds the highest radio market share in Europe. They’re tough, competitive and slipping.

German Radio Audience Shrinks - July 25, 2005
The second phase of the German Media Analyse radio audience survey showed lower audience levels but few other surprises

No Spring Flowers for Radio France - July 20, 2005

Spring quarter Médiamétrie audience figures for French national radio channels showed listener losses for the biggest Radio France channels

New Poll Shows British and Americans Use Media Alike - June 20, 2005
NOP World released last week its Culture Score Index of media consumption in 30 countries. NOTA survey shows TV viewers are looking for “immediate dénouement.”

Movie Box Office Numbers are Down Adding One More Media Woe - June 13, 2005
Movie studio advertising is really big business for newspapers and television. Open the movie section of a major metropolitan daily newspaper on a Friday and Saturday and usually there are pages and pages of studio ads touting their latest releases, let alone all those ads on television. But not as many as last year -- movie studios cut their ad spend by a whopping 11.2% in Q1, 2005.

Media Moves into the Personal Space - May 30, 2005
Research in Spain and France show mobile phones and personal MP3 players on the rise. Broad-band, too. Other media: not so good.

Spring RAJARs: Has BBC Radio Made All The Right Moves? - May 13, 2005
BBC Radio has now stretched its lead over commercial radio to more than 10% market share, 54.2% for the BBC and 43.8% for commercial radio.

Big Stations, Well-known Brands Suffer Losses in Médiamétrie National Radio Survey - April 25, 2005
The top three French national channels hold their market positions, Fun Radio recovers, Europe 2 doesn’t, RMC Info and Les Independants move ahead.

"What Gets Measured Gets Done" - April 25, 2005
What and how we measure media is likely to change what media does.

German Radio Audience

Radio audience figures were released March 9 for the whole of Germany by Media-Analyse, the joint broadcaster research institute.
This series of articles on radio in Germany focuses on the Radio 2005 I Media-Analyse results in the individual Nielsen zones.

German Radio Audience: the North
Public broadcasters hold the edge in northern Germany, legacy stations slide.

German Radio Audience: North Rhine-Westphalia
Radio NRW and WDR, no competition.

German Radio Audience: Southwest
Market history no advantage to private broadcasters

German Radio Audience: Bavaria
Big public and private channels post big increases

German Radio Audience: Berlin-Brandenberg
New top station in Germany's most competitive market

German Radio Audience: the East
Targeted local stations gain on market leaders

Observatoire de la Radio: Intensité et attachement - March 8, 2005
IP France offers an extraordinary look at French national radio channels content and the listeners.

CRo 1 Radiozurnal Continues to Slip, Frekvence 1 Moves Closer to Top of Czech Audience Survey - February 21, 2005
Czech survey shows strong audience for public radio.

Contestant Voted Off “Survivor-The RAJAR Edition” - February 15, 2005
And then there were two. GfK withdraws from UK electronic measurement competition after testing failure.

UK Radio Audience: What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? - January 28, 2005
The BBC surges with Radio 2 reaching its largest audience ever, commercial audience shares lower.

Scandinavia Radio Ratings – New Commercial Channels Pressure Public Broadcasters - January 27, 2005
New channels have added to the broadcast clamor in Scandinavia and public broadcasters are feeling the pressure.

Médiamétrie Paris Radio Audience : RTL ! - January 26, 2005
News talk radio channel RTL solidifies its lead in the Ile de France (Paris) Médiamétrie survey for September-December 2004. RMC Info doubles audience share.

RAJAR Surveys UK Industry: Reports Consensus - January 21, 2005
UK radio broadcasters reported satisfaction with RAJAR, its surveys and the march toward portable measurement.

RTL Broadens Lead Médiamétrie Audience Survey, Radio France Channels Continue to Slide - January 19, 2005
The leading French national networks continued to lead while mid-pack stations swapped ranking in the recently released Médiamétrie survey of November/December 2004 French radio listening.

Italian Company Enters Radio Measurement Competition - January 1, 2005
Milan-based Eurisko is the latest market research company to join the quest for state of the technology audience measurement.

UK Judge Dumps Lawsuit Over Radio Surveys - December 20, 2004
Going to court is a great publicity stunt, until you lose.

EGM Spanish Media Study: TV and radio down, dailies and Internet up - December 13, 2004
The annual report on all Spanish media, released December 9, brightened the day for newspaper publishers. Radio network Cadena SER posts biggest national audience in its history.

Finnpanel KRT Radio Audience in Finland - December 6, 2004
YLE Radio Suomi leads national audience poll, Radio City up 60% one year after becoming a national channel.

Moscow Radio Audience: All top 10 stations down but Ekho Moskvy - November 24, 2004
Established stations losing audience in October Comcon radio survey for Moscow

Paris Radio Audience: RTL gains and leads; France Info down, Nostalgie up - November 24, 2004
RTL extends leading position in September/October Médiamétrie radio survey for Paris (Ile de France)

Czech Radio Audience: CRo Radiozurnal slips but still leads; Enough soft A/C? - November 21, 2004
The April-October Czech Media Projekt from GfK Praha-Median-SKMO reports strong increase from Evrope 2, regional stations.

French Radio Audience: Commercial channels up a point, Radio France channels down a point. - November 18, 2004
September/October Médiamétrie radio survey shows RTL leading in market share, NRJ in cume audience, again.

Audiradio Returns After Technical Glitch, RAI Uno Still #1 - November 17, 2004
Audioradio publishes combined second and third quarter results for Italian radio.

Research Shows, Research Sells - November 11, 2004
Reading through reviews of recent European radio conferences it is striking how thinking small makes broadcasters happy.

Denmark Q3 Gallup Radio Index - P3 jumps, 100FM overtakes Sky Radio - November 9, 2004
Pop channel DR P3 jumps to 20.7% from 17.5% in Q2. 100FM (5.7%) edges past Sky Radio (5.5%).

The Young Choose the Internet for Information, Television for Entertainment and Newspapers For …Well, Actually They Don’t Choose Newspapers Hardly At All - November 8, 2004
The latest US market data makes for very sorry newspaper reading and helps explain why circulation numbers continue their downward spiral. Some 82% of young adults aged 18-24 choose the Internet or television as their primary information and entertainment provider.

French Radio Listeners are Major Consumers of New Technologies - October 28, 2004
More French are tuning in to radio and listening longer, according to the annual L’Année Radio report by Médiamétrie.

London Summer Quarter RAJAR Released; battle of morning shows - October 22, 2004
Capital FM surges at the expense of competitor Heart

Sweden Summer Radio Audience; SR Regains 50% - October 22, 2004
Public network channels in Sweden rise above 50% of total audience

UK Summer Quarter RAJAR Released; BBC up, up, and up - October 21, 2004
BBC national channels BBC1 and Five Live led the public network to widen its lead over commercial station

RAJAR Sets Dates for Measurement Tests - October 13, 2004
Three international companies will face side-by-side tests as RAJAR moves forward in its “roadmap” to replace diary surveys

GfK Praha releases Radiocontrol test results - October 6, 2004
GfK Praha presented the results of tests of the Radiocontrol electronic audience measurement system to Czech media groups.

RAJAR announces “roadmap” to metered surveys - October 1, 2004
A step-by-step plan leading to electronic measurement adoption was announced by the UK radio industry group charged with audience measurement.

Swiss radio audience, SSR-SRG continues to dominate - September 1, 2004
The channels of public broadcaster SSR-SRG maintain dominance over commercial stations, according to studies presented at the annual RadioDay.

UK audience figures are "sensitive" - August 23, 2004
Audience figures affect share prices say UK commercial radio companies

Radio Audience Slides in Sweden - August 8, 2004
Total radio listening continues a slow downward slide according to March-June 2004 audience figures released by RUAB

New Measurement Devices Raise New Questions. Will We Ever Know Who’s Listening? - August 1, 2004
Ratings services in an ever-increasing number of countries are testing electronic measurement, potentially replacing the diaries listeners dutifully fill out or telephone calls that interrupt their dinner.

Europe's Media Rules

Media rule makers are taking strong positions on competition, State aid, public broadcasting finance and advertising. and that's only for starters. As the Audiovisual Media Services Directive takes effect, national rules are changing. Europe's Media Rules has all the background and latest developments. 82 pages PDF (June 2008)

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Media Searches for Business Models

The search for effective business models challenges traditional media and new. From broadcasting to publishing, Hollywood to China, media outlets confront change after change in new terms for revenue creation and value. Media Searches for Business Models is 30 articles on what's real and what's not. 76 pages PDF (May 2008)

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The Beijing Olympic Games and China

The Beijing Olympic Games is the most anticipated media event of the 21st century. ftm is following the run-up to the Games, Brand China, Digital China, media business in China and the state of China's media freedom. 25 articles 60 pages PDF (April 2008)

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