Latest RAJARs

[french frank]

And all the time Music is threatened and dealt mortal blows in SCHOOLS, the notion that the young are going to 'flock' to R3 any time soon becomes as credible as Boris Johnson at the Dispatch Box in Parliament.

I think the thread title was altered when one set of figures was said to have indicated that. The last figures I saw for average age of R3 audience was that it was increasing - which suggests either that the flock was not big enough to bring down the average age or the middle-aged were simultaneously deserting, leaving just the flock of young people and the somewhat larger old guard of senior citizens.

[french frank]

I’m not sure you can infer anything about people’s precise listening habits from the 95/21 comparison.

Possibly not, but looking at the schedule for March 1992, the most striking feature is that between 7am and 1pm there are a) more individual programmes and b) fewer pieces of music. In those days people could consult Radio Times and choose to listen to a shorter programme than now and with fewer but longer pieces. We know from commissioning briefs why Radio 3 moved over to fewer, longer programmes (and shorter pieces): it was because it encouraged people to listen for longer because there were no regular 'junctions' between programmes when people might turn off and go shopping/do some gardening/paint the larder.

The 'selective' listener was precisely the type of listener that the Third/Radio 3 expected to attract.

Also Rajar always has a health warning on comparisons between years so far apart.

It does indeed. But it depends how you're comparing them. To say 'people listened for fewer hours' then is - surely - indisputable. It's a matter of working out why they listened to the radio far less than now. Understanding that doesn't alter the fact that they did listen less.

That said looking at Genome it’s fair to say that between 06.00/ 07.00 and 12.00 more short pieces are broadcast.

As far as I can see, the March 1992 schedule seems to list all the pieces played (judging by the timings, which seem to correspond with that). Leaving aside the 11.25 concert (Bruch violin concerto No 1, Elgar Symphony No 1), even the Morning Concert and Morning Sequence programmes didn't shy away from playing pieces of 20-25 min duration.

You are right about the move to “background “ listening . There’s been quite a lot of audience research into this. I don’t know much about the radio side of things but TV viewing is often “the background” to activities like reading , ironing , drinking , texting, chatting etc. The whole idea of doing one thing at a time in your leisure hours is very 19th century

Yes, one thing I don't dispute is that that is how people listen and view and live. And that is what is what radio provides along with other outlets - tune in and out when you feel like it. But it isn't how everyone wants to listen. I'm philosophical about it: it's not for me so I find other things to do. In fact, debating matters like this on the forum - in complete silence - is more agreeable. In a moment I shall stop to get my lunch, in silence. But I shall continue thinking … about something.

Further thought: the timing of CotW then and now is significant!

Forgot the link to the schedule I was quoting: Feb 28 1992

[antongould]

Radio 3 has 2.02m listeners …. Should I be very excited ….. ?????

[hmvman]

Radio 3 has 2.02m listeners …. Should I be very excited ….. ?????

Just been reading about this on David Taylor's blog: https://www.david-taylor.org/blog/cl...f-the-pandemic

R3 has remained sort of steady but interestingly, CFM has seen a big drop and Scala even more so. Presumably CFM's and Scala's listeners haven't gone to R3 so where have they gone? Is Classical music losing its audience in the UK?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Radio 3 has 2.02m listeners …. Should I be very excited ….. ?????

That’s 2 million listening for at least 15 minutes in a week . Not really exciting to be honest - the share quarter on quarter has fallen slightly and it’s all pretty much within the margin of error to be honest.

[french frank]

Radio 3 has 2.02m listeners …. Should I be very excited ….. ?????

The BBC/R3 always breathes a sigh of relief if the weekly figure is 2m, so it has made it - just. So it's not bad, but not excitingly good given that the intention has been to attract new listeners. The (stated) aim was always to attract new listeners without losing the older ones. If what they have done is attract new listeners to the evening programmes with Elizabeth Alker, Laufey, Tokyo Myers et al, then they have lost classical listeners (to one fate or another) but not attracted/made (m)any new ones.

So "very excited" would, in my view, be … I'm just short of an adjective here Depends what excites you.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Just been reading about this on David Taylor's blog: https://www.david-taylor.org/blog/cl...f-the-pandemic

R3 has remained sort of steady but interestingly, CFM has seen a big drop and Scala even more so. Presumably CFM's and Scala's listeners haven't gone to R3 so where have they gone? Is Classical music losing its audience in the UK?

Speech radio has seen a decline as well. The general feeling is it’s all to do with a return to the workplace where having the radio on all day isn’t acceptable ( unless you work in Radio where it is on all day and to be honest it just adds to the general noise level and is a bit of a pain).

[french frank]

Classic FM has dropped below 5m, and at a quick look that may be a first in recent times. There has been a sustained decline from a high point at about 6.9m. I don't think this fall in reach can be attributed in any way to the pandemic. Where it seems to me to be reflected in R3's figures too is that, short of being provided with conclusive proof to the contrary - kept well under wraps at R3 -I'd say R3's classical music audience has probably been declining too. The increase in 'popular music' programmes** would account for the fact that listening hours also remain steady, and this type of programming lends itself to sustained 'listening' - the radio on as background listening with half an ear, switching on when it begins and off when it ends.

The thing to remember about these raw figures is that, as they remain steady, the number of potential listeners has increased considerably. New stations pick up some and others, like 6 Music, increase steadily. R3 had approximately the same number of listeners in 2006, but the radio audience has increased by 7m. R3 takes the desperate course of trying to hold on to its 2m listeners by playing any sort of music they think will attract listeners.

** I use the description 'poular music' to refer to non-classical, non-jazz, non-world music which attracts 30-40 somethings in higher numbers than do the specialist genres mentioned. 6Music listeners increase at pace.

[french frank]

Also just noticed: is this the first quarter ever that all commercial radio listening has overtaken all BBC radio listening? If so, that would be another milestone.

[oddoneout]

Also just noticed: is this the first quarter ever that all commercial radio listening has overtaken all BBC radio listening? If so, that would be another milestone.

Milestone for commercial radio perhaps, but more of a headstone for BBC?

[french frank]

Milestone for commercial radio perhaps, but more of a headstone for BBC?

Indeed. In fact, I see The Guardian had the story: actually, the first time since the 1990s that there has been less BBC listening than commercial. Put down to deep cuts at the BBC. Only found that as I was looking for the BBC's coverage. I suppose it's there somewhere, but I couldn't see it on Entertainment and Arts.

Looks like there was a 'make the best of things' BBC press release, not reported by BBC news itself.

And R3's Breakfast dips below 700k at 696k.

[antongould]

Indeed. In fact, I see The Guardian had the story: actually, the first time since the 1990s that there has been less BBC listening than commercial. Put down to deep cuts at the BBC. Only found that as I was looking for the BBC's coverage. I suppose it's there somewhere, but I couldn't see it on Entertainment and Arts.

Looks like there was a 'make the best of things' BBC press release, not reported by BBC news itself.

And R3's Breakfast dips below 700k at 696k.

Ah but, ah but, Lizzy Alker - a very reliable source - has just tweeted “ because Saturday Breakfast Rajars are ⬆️ Thank you to everyone who tunes in.“ ….. it’s my pleasure ….

[french frank]

Ah but, ah but, Lizzy Alker - a very reliable source - has just tweeted “ because Saturday Breakfast Rajars are ⬆️ Thank you to everyone who tunes in.“ ….. it’s my pleasure ….

There's no way to judge since the daily figures are not published. However, up on what exactly? Because the overall average Breakfast figure appears to be down (this quarter, Q2 22, 696k, Q1 22, 724k, Q4 21, 700k, Q3 21, 708k). So the corollary would be that Petroc's weekday figures must be very much down. No year-on-year figure because Covid interrupted the data collection. Do we know whether Martin's figures were exactly the same,or did one of them do better than the other?

[cloughie]

Ah but, ah but, Lizzy Alker - a very reliable source - has just tweeted “ because Saturday Breakfast Rajars are ⬆️ Thank you to everyone who tunes in.“ ….. it’s my pleasure ….

So the croissants need to be on her this Saturday.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Also just noticed: is this the first quarter ever that all commercial radio listening has overtaken all BBC radio listening? If so, that would be another milestone.

No commercial radio were ahead in the 90’s