Latest RAJARs

[french frank]

Times for a change?

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/m...cle4252064.ece

Must check that. Was there a statement from me cooling the 6 Music digital-only bit? Or was that off-message?

Orf to the Coop to read The Times ...

[Don Petter]

Must check that. Was there a statement from me cooling the 6 Music digital-only bit? Or was that off-message?

Orf to the Coop to read The Times ...

Your only quote was “Radio 3’s current editorial strategy didn’t stand much chance of retaining the station’s audience, still less building it up”.

[french frank]

Your only quote was “Radio 3’s current editorial strategy didn’t stand much chance of retaining the station’s audience, still less building it up”.

Yup, they quoted the one sentence that was 'on-message' for the story that was being written. Not much harm done - what they quoted seems self-evident.

The BBC spokesman tried to shore up the performance. 'Appreciation levels at record levels'. One of the criticisms of AI scores is that listeners who expect to like a programme, listen to it - and like it. Those who expect to hate it don't listen - but they aren't included because AI only includes those who have listened to the programme. Unlike TV programmes, radio shows tend to be long-running strands so listeners have already formed a view of the strand without needing to go on listening to every programme if they don't like it ... On demand listening at record levels? How to interpret that ... the aforementioned 'approvers' listen to the programmes they enjoy, while those who DON'T approve are listening to Through The Night?

[french frank]

If you can bear to check the Mail on Sunday, the same story is here. The comments are interesting as a cross-section of British opinion, but the story is a bit more rubbishy than the one in The Times.

A Facebook fan queried the FoR3 comment (mine) that the latest Rajar figures were 'dire' on the grounds that they were ONLY 11,000 lower than the figure back in 1999 - missing the point entirely that the 1999 was itself pretty terrible and since then Proms quarter had never been lower in 15 years - until last quarter. I could have quoted Proms quarter 2003 when it was 2.214m, making the last quarter (OMG) just over 300,000 lower. But that would have been the figure to quote had last quarter been the highest ever.

[french frank]

I was away from the board yesterday, so missed the arrival of the latest RAJAR results - for Q4 2014. After a miserable Proms quarter, the overall reach has emerged this quarter above the 2m mark - just - at 2.030m. And the Breakfast figure rose a little from 548,000 to 573,000 but is still some way short of the 600k-700k that it was reaching when the slot was first reduced to 2hrs 30 mins in 2012.

The one figure that may get missed by all is the number of hours per listener per week. This went down to 5.3 hours which is the lowest, ever, since comparable figures have been available (Q1 1999). They were down from 5.8 hours the previous quarter. The previous lowest, 5.4 hours was in Q1 2008 when Radio 3's reach was one of the lowest ever, at 1.795m

A relevant fact seems to be that the FoR3 survey asked how much people normally listened to Radio 3 now, and whether that was more or less than previously. The overwhelming majority said they were now listening less, one of the main factors being that such a large slice of the popular radio listening times are now considered to be unlistenable, with, for many, the entire morning schedule wiped out.

This figure does fluctuate from quarter to quarter, but to hit a 'worst ever' in the 16 years of these records is not enviable when back in 2003 Radio 3 was aiming to persuade listeners to 'stay tuned' in for longer.

[Russ]

R3's Q4 2014 results have consolidated into another reasonably healthy set of results for Q1 2015. (I use 'healthy' in comparative terms, of course!)

2015 Q1's reach of 2084k is 6.2% up on the previous quarter, and the hours listened to, at 12508k, is 15.6% up on the previous quarter. The average weekly hours per listener has perked up to 6.0 (not brilliant, but better than the previous three quarters). Breakfast listening is 644k.

There have been exceptions, but Q4 and Q1 tend to be R3's strongest quarters. Nevertheless, R3's Controller will I suspect be not too unhappy.

Russ

[french frank]

Nevertheless, R3's Controller will I suspect be not too unhappy.

Don't forget, you're only comparing Q1 figures with Q4 figures. Q1 completed the 2014/15 year, and comparing year on year figures gives a more accurate trend.

Was not the yearly percentage reach one of the lowest EVER (if not the lowest)? Average reach for the year was 1.978m - but, yes, the new controller can be relieved he had the year's best quarter. Pretty much the same with the Breakfast figures - the year was poor (av 573k), but this quarter better than the rest.

[Russ]

Was not the yearly percentage reach one of the lowest EVER (if not the lowest)?

You're right, ff.

Recent average reaches:

2010: 2061k
2011: 2145k
2012: 2038k
2013: 2043k
2014: 1978k

Recent numbers of total hours listened to:

2010: 47367k
2011: 52866k
2012: 50104k
2013: 49230k
2014: 46447k

Russ

[french frank]

According to my calculations (so E&OE) the percentage reach was 3.697%: if it falls to 3.49% it will be recorded as "3%" for the first time ever. It's usually "4%" for both quarter and year, but if memory serves, there have been quarters in recent memory when it reached "5%" [NB quotation marks indicating that these figures are rounded up or down to the nearest whole number]

This underlines the fact that Radio 3 is not succeeding in finding its 'replenisher' audience, not helped by the rest of the BBC reneging on guarantees to include classical music. I found this from 2004:

“Radio 2 will work with other BBC networks to provide a comprehensive range of music radio for the United Kingdom. Its breadth of musical output will continue to evolve to complement Radio 1's youth shows and Radio 3's Jazz and Classical programming.”

… “The Network also collaborates with BBC Radio 3 in those genres which both networks support. Whilst Radio 3 is able to offer insights into new Jazz composition, Radio 2 offers programming based upon more accessible styles such as The Best of Jazz with Humphrey Lyttleton [sic], a programme that supports new acts and artists (particularly those from the UK), keeps listeners informed about major releases and events and explores the history of long-established performers. The two networks together organise the annual BBC Jazz Awards.

A similar relationship exists between the networks in respect to Classical music. Your 100 Best Tunes, now presented by Richard Baker, has been part of the schedule since 1959. The programme provides listeners with an informal introduction to Classical music, aiming to stimulate an interest that can then be followed up through Radio 3’s broader Classical music output.”

Radio 2’s Vision for the Future

Maintaining and Building Upon Its Current Programming

As far as I can see, Radio 2's classical output has fallen from 4 hours a week (2004) to 12 minutes a week. Autres temps, autres contrôleurs … But I digress …

[antongould]

I know the answer is in here somewhere, but this is one of the 3.7 days a year we have blazing sunshine near Sunderland-by-the-Sea. Is this live listening only or does it include iplayer?

[french frank]

I know the answer is in here somewhere, but this is one of the 3.7 days a year we have blazing sunshine near Sunderland-by-the-Sea. Is this live listening only or does it include iplayer?

It doesn't include On Demand listening, but live listening over the internet (iPlayer), digital, iPhones, iPads, wirelesses &c. On Demand listening is recorded elsewhere.

[antongould]

Cheers

[DracoM]

Well, look on the bright side - this actually gives Allan Davey a much freer hand to engineer changes, since he can point to the fact that RW's jigsaw was not working. Ahem.
Something a number of people had opined more than a few years ago.

[antongould]

It doesn't include On Demand listening, but live listening over the internet (iPlayer), digital, iPhones, iPads, wirelesses &c. On Demand listening is recorded elsewhere.

Could you possibly point/send me to elsewhere.......??

[french frank]

Could you possibly point/send me to elsewhere.......??

No. They used to appear somewhere or other regularly, but then they stopped appearing there and I've lost track of where they're reported. In fact, I'm just presuming they are still reported. At least they are recorded separately from live listening, I do know that, whether still published, I know not.