Latest RAJARs

[Russ]

Some very encouraging Q1 results for R3.

A record high reach of 2258k was up nearly 2%, and the total hours listened of 13791k up nearly 13%, compared to the previous quarter Q4 2010 (whose figures were good anyway). 2011 Q1 figures were healthily up compared to 2010 Q1, and healthily up on the 2010 average (2061k reach, 11842k total hours), so the underlying trend is up.

Russ

[french frank]

Some very encouraging results for R3.

A record high reach of 2258k was up nearly 2%, and the total hours listened of 13791k up nearly 13%, compared to the previous quarter Q4 2010 (whose figures were good anyway). 2011 Q1 figures were healthily up compared to 2010 Q1, and healthily up on the 2010 average (2061k reach, 11842k total hours), so the underlying trend is up.

Russ

We've been discussing this on the Playlist progs thread.

Virtually all listening is substantially up this quarter, with a number of stations (e.g. R1, R1Xtra, 6M, R4, R4 Extra among others) all hitting record figures.

The only question is, why?


[Interesting that both Breakfast and the Today programme had record audiences, and the R2 audience was at the top end too, with over 9million.]

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

The only question is, why?

dab and satellite radio and telly is cr&p innit and after xover radio gets left on .... radio is very comforting to have on ... company round the house ... and dead cheap ... so in the recessionary and austere times .... a wave of listeners listening more ...alas this is not evidence that 360 multiplatform is working ... unless r3 beats the rising tide it's not doing better is it ...

[aeolium]

The only question is, why?

Public sector redundancies increasing the potential listening audience? Cuts starting to bite, driving up unemployment levels. As Calum says, no-one in their right mind would watch daytime TV, so radio is an easy fallback.

[Russ]

We've been discussing this on the Playlist progs thread.

Sorry, ff, I hadn't visited that area.

Russ

[french frank]

It's interesting that breakfast programmes have been particular beneficiaries. If, overall, unemployment is the reason, it suggests that early morning listening attracts those who aren't working rather than those who are rushing around getting ready to go to work - as we're told (by those who rush off to work).

But you wouldn't expect that to benefit Breakfast particularly, since only a minority of R3 listeners are in full-time employment anyway ... Andrew will probably correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to think the RAJAR sampling only identifies 35-40 Breakfast listeners per week, so excessively large falls and rises can be due to variations in samples. But this time the rise also fits the general pattern.

By the way, I've just seen that S Heffer is leaving the Telegraph to pursue journalism [sic] and broadcasting. He's done one series for R3 (in The Essay), likes classical music and is usually fulsome in his praise of the station. Place your bets - will he become a regular presenter?

[Edit: Roger suggests Mozartmania might perhaps have been one reason for the increase last quarter ]

[Norfolk Born]

Please don't forget that there is another category of listener (among whom I number), i.e. people who work at home, some of whom (again, among whom I number) would listen - or in my case return - to 'Breakfast' if it was more nourishing.

[Andrew Slater]

... Andrew will probably correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to think the RAJAR sampling only identifies 35-40 Breakfast listeners per week, so excessively large falls and rises can be due to variations in samples. But this time the rise also fits the general pattern.

No, you're quite right: the average number of listeners per week (out of a sample of 2109 (average) per week) recorded as listening to Breakfast is 36.89, those listening to R3 at all is 92.26. The reach figures of 903000 and 2258000 are extrapolated from these. The ratio of Breakfast reach to R3 main reach is 0.40. In quarter 4 of 2010 the ratio was 0.37, so that in general terms the rise in Breakfast reach matches the rise in R3 reach.

[Russ]

Not specific to R3, but Feedback this Friday is likely to include an item on RAJARs. (And you might hear me if my soundbite is included.)

Russ

[johnb]

Out of curiosity I've resurrected the Excel chart that I did a year or two back.

[Russ]

I know who I'm going to ask about doing Excel charts in the future! (That's dead flash, johnb.)

An interesting chart though: notwithstanding the Proms peaks, it seems to indicate that R3 fares significantly better in the colder months. The hibernation station?

Russ

[DracoM]

Why was there a 'hump-up' in figures around 2003-ish?

[french frank]

Why was there a 'hump-up' in figures around 2003-ish?

Speculative.

By 2000/01ish we had the four editions of Late Junction, Brian Kay's Light Programme, Stage & Screen, more daytime jazz than previously, World Routes, a slightly extended Mixing It, Making Tracks and, eventually, Andy Kershaw. I'd assume that was at least partially responsible for a gradual rise as new listeners found out about them.

Autumn 2003 marked the 'New Season' when various changes came in. And there did seem to be creeping criticism even from those who would be expected to appreciate the new programming. Within a matter of months of achieving a 'record high' the reach slumped down for the best part of four years, with no clear recovery until last autumn.

[MarkG]

A bit of background on those "record-breaking" radio listening figures.

http://grantgoddardradioblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/when-uk-radio-listening-figures-are.html

[french frank]

A bit of background on those "record-breaking" radio listening figures.


http://grantgoddardradioblog.blogspo...gures-are.html

I was nearly caught out by that one! After the sentence 'Total radio listening hours reach 1,058 million per week – new record' the RAJAR press release has a little diamond symbol which refers to a footnote reading: 'Since new methodology was introduced in Q2, 2007' And all the higher figures given were before that date, so RAJAR has a get-out. Grant Goddard does actually concede that - in a small note at the foot of his article

But he's right about the fact that RAJARs are used to talk up the radio broadcasting industry - everyone trumpets the best news they can find for their company and ignores the bad news.

Last quarter there were some apparently big increases (for Radio 3 and CFM among others). But I'd be as sceptical as Grant Goddard probably is about the reason for that.