Traditional Strategies Bend As Millennials Flee

Michael Hedges May 16, 2019 Follow on Twitter

Radio is but another medium brought to change as its listeners adopt new ways of using it. Look what happened to newspapers; Google News. Look what happened to television; Netflix. Consumers of audio product - once known as listeners - like streaming, podcasts and having what they want when they want it. Nothing gets in the way of change.

Total radio listening continued its downward slide, according to the Q1 listening estimates from the RAJAR measurement committee, released this week (May 15). Year on year total national listening declined 0.4%, almost a reprieve from the 0.9% Q4 2018 loss. Radio listening drops have been recorded in several countries over the last two years. The greatest UK losses come from younger people, those under 45 years. That would be the Millennials. (See 2003 to present BBC v commercial ‘gap’ chart here)

Like newspaper publishers, radio broadcasters have come up with various ideas to capitalize on the change. In the UK there are two prevailing strategies. Commercial broadcasters, generally, are throwing all they have into multi-platform national delivery of aggregate audience for advertisers. Public broadcaster BBC is consolidating ever shrinking resources into its main radio brands while developing non-traditional platforms.

BBC Radio, on aggregate, still leads; 51.4% audience share, down from 51.9% one year on. UK commercial broadcasters are gaining; aggregate audience share up to 45.7% from 44.9%. Both sectors lost listeners 15 to 45 years while gaining with listeners over 45 years. National BBC Radio channels’ audience share was up, slightly, to 44.8% from 44.6%. National commercial radio channels’ aggregate audience share jumped to 19.9% from 17.5% mostly on the ever increasing number of channels, mostly brand extensions. Local radio in the UK, generally, is in dire straits. BBC local stations dropped to 6.6% audience share from 7.3% and the broadcaster economizes, trading local news for more music. Aggregate audience share for local commercial stations sunk to 25.9% from 27.4%.

In the national radio audience estimates, BBC Radio 2 and Radio 4 took the top rankings, respectively. Radio 2 was off slightly to 17.4% audience share from 17.6% year on year. Radio 4 was off a bit, 11.9% audience share from 12.0%. Commercial channel Magic and BBC Radio held the next two spots, respectively 5.8% and 5.7% audience share; both slightly up.

Classic FM, Smooth and Capital Network, which shared 5th place and 3.7% audience share a year ago, spread out a bit with 3.8%, 3.7% and 3.6%, respectively. All-sports BBC Five Live placed 8th, again, with 3.4% audience, up from 3.1%. KISS followed with 2.6% audience share, down from 2.8% one year on. BBC 6Music was unchanged; 10th spot at 2.4% audience share.

Commercial channel Magic moved up to 11th place; 2.3% audience share up from 1.9%. Among the top 20 ranked national channels, only BBC Five Live and Magic moved more than 0.2%, both up. Bubbling under the top 20 is Virgin Radio, 22nd at 0.8% from, essentially, nowhere. Virgin Radio has been the subject of considerable notice among UK radio watchers as owner News UK poured considerable marketing power into the arrival of former BBC Radio 2 star Chris Evans, not to forget being ad-free to avoid scaring former BBC listeners. Virgin Radio has two brand extensions. (See UK national radio listening share trend chart here)

The London radio market being quite distinct, there were several winners and losers. BBC Radio 4 and Radio 2 kept the top two slots, both up noticeably. Radio 4 posted 15.4% audience share, up from 14.4%, and Radio 2 hit 12.1%, from 10.7%. Commercial news-talk station LBC 97.3 placed 3rd, again, with 5.7% audience share, up from 5.4%. KISS London took the biggest hit in the Q1 RAJAR London audience estimates, dropping to 10th place from 6th, year on year, following a change in its morning (breakfast) team. (See London national radio audience trends chart here)

See also in ftmKnowledge

Digital Transitions

Media's transition from analogue to digital has opened opportunities and unleashed challenges beyond the imagination. Media is connected and mobile yet fettered by old rules and new economics. Broadcasters and publishers borrow from the past while inventing whole new services. This ftm Knowledge file explores the changes. 88 pages PDF (March 2012)

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