GfK Finds Football And Music Topping Radio Charts
The recent European Football Championships helped national speech based station talkSPORT see its audience increase by nearly half a million listeners, according to the latest research from audience measurement company GfK.
According to GfK’s contentious National Broadcast Survey for the six months from 19 January to 18 July, the Wireless Group’s flagship radio station added 432,000 listeners to its weekly reach, notching up a total of just under 5.9 million.
The news will come as no surprise to Kelvin MacKenzie’s talkSPORT, which recently reported massive success during the Euro tournament. The station saw revenues for the second quarter of this year rise by 40%, with a massive 87% increase in June alone (see Euro 2004 Helps Profits Surge By 40% At Wireless Group).
Meanwhile, rival sport station, BBC Radio Five Live remained unchanged with a weekly reach of 8.3 million during the same period. The station was recently forced to withdraw a promotional trailer claiming it had exclusive broadcast rights for the Euro 2004 tournament, following the threat of legal action from the Wireless Group’s outspoken chief executive, Kelvin MacKenzie.
Elsewhere, Gfk reported a prosperous summer for London’s commercial music stations, with Chrysalis Radio’s Heart 106.2 FM adding an extra 163,000 listeners. The station now commands a weekly reach of 2.6 million, but still lags behind its market leading rival Capital FM, which added 128,000 in the same period to just over 2.7 million. Magic FM also increased its listenership, adding 145,000 to give a total of just over 2.1 million.
In contrast, GfK’s research, which uses electronic measuring devices incorporated into participant’s wristwatches, reported a dip in listenership for Classic FM, falling by over 300,000 to below five million listeners per week. Previous GfK surveys have revealed Classic has the oldest listeners of any commercial radio station in London or across the UK (see Classic FM Proves A Hit With The Golden Oldies).
GfK: 0870 603 8339 www.gfk.com
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