NEWS: COMMERCIAL RADIO SAYS IT IS "VERY EFFECTIVE" AT DELIVERING YOUNGER LISTENERS by GRANT GODDARD

www.grantgoddard.co.uk March 2006

The Commercial Radio Companies Association [CRCA] has hit back at critics, who have dwelled on commercial radios declining share of radio listening, by releasing RAJAR data that demonstrate the sectors dominance amongst listeners under the age of 45. The campaign has resulted in positive press coverage, such as an article in 'The Guardian' newspaper headlined 'Commercial radio claims lions share of younger listeners'. A CRCA spokesperson said the figures proved that commercial radio was doing its job very well and added: "Traditionally, the core commercial radio audience is 15 to 44 year olds and, within all of these individual age breaks, we exceed the BBC both nationally and in London. These are the demographics that our advertisers want to reach and, therefore, for the most part, the people that our stations aim their programming at, so it's gratifying to see that we are still very effective at delivering these audiences. It's also good to see the BBC, as you would expect them to, providing for those audiences who are currently not catered for, to such an extent, by commercial broadcasters." The audience for commercial radio has always had a considerably younger profile than that of the BBC, because of the dominance of public stations (Radios 'Two', 'Three', 'Four' and local radio) aimed deliberately at older audiences. A BBC spokesperson explained: "BBC local radio is for older audiences, who commercial advertisers don't want. Although commercial radio has said it is growing the commercial radio generation through younger listeners, when they grow up they continue to come to the BBC. Commercial radio doesn't serve the older audience, we superserve them."
% LISTENING SHARE OF ALL COMMERCIAL RADIO WITHIN UK age 2000Q4 2001Q4 2002Q4 2003Q4 2004Q4 2005Q4 64% 64% 63% 65% 65% 61% 15-24 60% 58% 59% 60% 56% 51% 25-34 56% 55% 56% 55% 53% 52% 35-44 45% 42% 43% 44% 43% 45% 45-54 34% 31% 32% 31% 32% 32% 55-64 24% 23% 26% 25% 25% 24% 65+
[source: RAJAR]

RAJAR data show that, in recent years, even the dominance of commercial radio amongst younger audiences has declined. It is likely that, by the end of this year, 15-24 year olds will be the only remaining age group in which commercial radio still has a share greater than 50%. The data demonstrate that the challenge facing commercial radio is not only to attract older audiences who have already switched to BBC stations, but also to stem the steady flow of 30- and 40-year olds who are finding less and less of interest to them in commercial radio programming.

[First published in 'The Radio Magazine' as 'CRCA Says Commercial Radio Doing Well', #726, 8 March 2006]

News: Commercial Radio Says It Is "Very Effective" At Delivering Younger Listeners 2006 Grant Goddard

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Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk

News: Commercial Radio Says It Is "Very Effective" At Delivering Younger Listeners 2006 Grant Goddard

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