Latest RAJARs

[Ein Heldenleben]

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?

She’ll have access to the individual show figures. I think weekend breakfast audiences are smaller than weekday- that’s certainly true of most radio. So if the overall figure appears to be down , yet Weekends are up , that doesn’t mean that Weekdays have lost a lot. The loss they make will be a big proportion of the average loss. Also weekdays make up 5 / 7ths of the average so they are much more important in determining the average across a week.

[kernelbogey]

So the croissants need to be on her this Saturday.

Mais non... Martin!

[french frank]

No commercial radio were ahead in the 90’s

As I mentioned in #701, along with the Guardian's explanation of the current situation as the deep cuts at the BBC not reflected among the commercials!

On your other points:

She’ll have access to the individual show figures. I think weekend breakfast audiences are smaller than weekday- that’s certainly true of most radio. So if the overall figure appears to be down , yet Weekends are up , that doesn’t mean that Weekdays have lost a lot. The loss they make will be a big proportion of the average loss. Also weekdays make up 5 / 7ths of the average so they are much more important in determining the average across a week.

Yes, she will have been supplied with the figures. I have no recent figures for M-F v weekends and as I said elsewhere, I started chucking all my documents yesterday (waste paper collection this morning!). However, what I did find came from DCMS data suggesting that the Saturday listening was higher (9am peak of c 200k) than weekdays (peak at 9am c 160k). I see nothing dramatic in the figures at all, though overall weekly Breakfast reach is down, so I am sceptical of Saturday Breakfast reach being appreciably up, and if so, up on what?

But let's concede everything: i.e. Elizabeth Alker's Breakfast reach is significantly up on what it has been (in spite of the fact that on this - unrepresentative - forum, more people tune OUT on Alker Saturdays than on weekdays/Martin Saturdays), what would that mean? To me it would suggest that the R3 strategy of bringing Elizabeth Alker over from 6 Music to Radio 3 had been successful in attracting more listeners. The problem with that is that for many of us the problem has been the strategy, successful or not, not the presenter.

I quoted on the Essential Classics thread the casual listener who tuned in to Lunchtime Concert and declared it 'interesting' but as he didn't know much about classical music, he preferred the presenter-led programmes. I suspect that the R3 strategy is to attract precisely that sort of listener and that is the listener for whom much of Radio 3 now caters. Which is why it's the strategy that is challenged.

[cloughie]

As I mentioned in #701, along with the Guardian's explanation of the current situation as the deep cuts at the BBC not reflected among the commercials!

On your other points:



Yes, she will have been supplied with the figures. I have no recent figures for M-F v weekends and as I said elsewhere, I started chucking all my documents yesterday (waste paper collection this morning!). However, what I did find came from DCMS data suggesting that the Saturday listening was higher (9am peak of c 200k) than weekdays (peak at 9am c 160k). I see nothing dramatic in the figures at all, though overall weekly Breakfast reach is down, so I am sceptical of Saturday Breakfast reach being appreciably up, and if so, up on what?

But let's concede everything: i.e. Elizabeth Alker's Breakfast reach is significantly up on what it has been (in spite of the fact that on this - unrepresentative - forum, more people tune OUT on Alker Saturdays than on weekdays/Martin Saturdays), what would that mean? To me it would suggest that the R3 strategy of bringing Elizabeth Alker over from 6 Music to Radio 3 had been successful in attracting more listeners. The problem with that is that for many of us the problem has been the strategy, successful or not, not the presenter.

I quoted on the Essential Classics thread the casual listener who tuned in to Lunchtime Concert and declared it 'interesting' but as he didn't know much about classical music, he preferred the presenter-led programmes. I suspect that the R3 strategy is to attract precisely that sort of listener and that is the listener for whom much of Radio 3 now caters. Which is why it's the strategy that is challenged.

anton and I are regular listeners - Croissant corner is the magnet for me! (Even if it is just the early morning cuppa for me). However it does appear that Radio Cornwall bucks the independent’s trend! David White, whose afternoon programme has nationwide and indeed beyond these shores, listeners thanked listeners for the increase in listeners!
Maybe the most worrying factor bending towards independents is the trend of defectors from BBC, and the desire of ‘fans’ to follow their favourites.
Classic FM seem now, maybe to attract their traditional listeners back, have axed Full Works evening concerts.

[Old Grumpy]

anton and I are regular listeners - Croissant corner is the magnet for me! (Even if it is just the early morning cuppa for me). However it does appear that Radio Cornwall bucks the independent’s trend! David White, whose afternoon programme has nationwide and indeed beyond these shores, listeners thanked listeners for the increase in listeners!
Maybe the most worrying factor bending towards independents is the trend of defectors from BBC, and the desire of ‘fans’ to follow their favourites.
Classic FM seem now, maybe to attract their traditional listeners back, have axed Full Works evening concerts.

Really? Shame on them. Perhaps Ardcarp's bestie, "Botty" will be back!

[antongould]

Article by Kate Chisholm in this week’s Spectator under the headline Never Let It Go and sub headline - if there is such a thing - Radio 3’s ambition is not to reach as broad an audience as possible but to be as broad-ranging as possible ….

[french frank]

Radio 3’s ambition is not to reach as broad an audience as possible but to be as broad-ranging as possible ….

I wonder where she gets her information from? They stated to a parliamentary committee a while back that they were "redefining their target audience." Even then, there is little difference in effect between 'reaching a broad audience' and becoming 'broad-ranging', with their pop culture presenters and material. They're not doing that for their existing audience!

[french frank]

BBC doesn't seem to have much to say about the Q3 figures, but Radio Today does.

R3 down to 1.708m which must be one of the lowest figures ever. Breakfast figure 595k, down from 708k in Q3 last year.

At a quick glance, the previous lowest ever was 1.783m in 2007.

[hmvman]

According to Slipped Disc CFM has also had a drop in audience. No mention of Scala.

I hope the BBC's response won't be even more dumbing-down.

[french frank]

According to Slipped Disc CFM has also had a drop in audience. No mention of Scala.

I hope the BBC's response won't be even more dumbing-down.

I think the Telegraph had a piece which suggested all classical music stations had seen a drop. But R3's appears to be bigger than any of the others - certainly the worst reach since current records began, in spite of the increase in population. It's not easy to make direct comparisons because of changes in the output, but since 1999, the listening population has increased from 47m to 55m, but since 1999, R3's reach has gone down from 2.3m to 1.7m.

[oddoneout]

According to Slipped Disc CFM has also had a drop in audience. No mention of Scala.

I hope the BBC's response won't be even more dumbing-down.

Well it's already a good way along that path. Afternoon Concert is similar to the morning schedules now, with slightly less chat but more and more bits and pieces, single movements, odd juxtapositions. Concert it ain't as far as I'm concerned. This was yesterday's https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001d6b8 I didn't hear the beginning part so don't know if the Saint-Saens was a complete repeat(although strictly speaking it was the second airing later on that was a repeat...) or just the organ bit first time round - or just another bit of info carelessness, such as is all too frequent.
The insertion of an overexcited young DJ type into the Early Music Show to give the "news" is the latest attack.

[french frank]

Afternoon Concert is similar to the morning schedules now, with slightly less chat but more and more bits and pieces, single movements, odd juxtapositions. Concert it ain't as far as I'm concerned.

I just don't understand that. They must have plenty of available concert recordings, but even if they can't afford the rights fees they could play, say, three complete works 'of the usual number of pages' as publishers used to say. One can only assume that the format is deliberately chosen as another "entry point" [BBC speak] for 'beginners'.

The insertion of an overexcited young DJ type into the Early Music Show to give the "news" is the latest attack.

The current controller defended the twofer format for Building a Library by saying it made for 'livelier listening'. Yes, I suppose boring programmes do need to be 'livened up'.

[oddoneout]

I just don't understand that. They must have plenty of available concert recordings, but even if they can't afford the rights fees they could play, say, three complete works 'of the usual number of pages' as publishers used to say. One can only assume that the format is deliberately chosen as another "entry point" [BBC speak] for 'beginners'.



The current controller defended the twofer format for Building a Library by saying it made for 'livelier listening'. Yes, I suppose boring programmes do need to be 'livened up'.

Oh they use available concert recordings - cut up and sprinkled through the two and half or three hour slot. That nasty habit started quite some time ago and was discussed (criticised) on the relevant thread.
The EMS "livelier listening" is for me the need to access the mute button and then guess when normal service has been resumed and it's safe to unmute...

[french frank]

Oh they use available concert recordings - cut up and sprinkled through the two and half or three hour slot.

That's what I don't understand. If they're concert recordings, why not just broadcast the whole concert? Last Monday's wasn't even a 'concert': it was a mix of orchestral, chamber music, operatic, choral. Eleven pieces in all. Why not return to calling it Afternoon on 3, which ironically usually was a concert?

Even In Concert seems to be going that way.

Reach last quarter (since this is the RAJAR thread) lowest ever …

[smittims]

I suspect that Radio3 is being run by people who don't really know the difference between a 'concert' and a 'programme'; people to whom all pieces of music are 'songs'.