RAJAR Q4 2006: National Press Perspective
Yesterday’s Q4 RAJAR results were quickly seized on by commentators in the press, all keen to give their opinions on what the latest figures mean to the main industry players.
One of the big themes picked up on was the performance of GCap Media, with the Financial Times reporting that although Capital Radio suffered year on year declines (see
Heart 106.2 FM Retains Top Spot In London Hazlitt Takes MD Role At GCap), and the re-signing of Johnny Vaughan as presenter of its breakfast show (see Johnny Vaughan Signs New Capital Contract).
The Times appeared to be singing from the same songsheet as the FT, as it questioned the reasoning for Ralph Bernard, chief executive of GCap to go for celebratory drinks on a day when Capital had been overthrown as king of the breakfast audience, although it too was not totally pessimistic, ending on a high note when it pointed out that with his wealth of experience, Bernard is more than capable of turning the group’s fortunes around.
The Guardian, meanwhile, quoted Steve Orchard, group operations director of GCap, as saying that Capital has “stabilised after years of decline.”
He added: “What we have got to do now is start communicating to people who have drifted off to the BBC that we have changed. The station is sounding really good and Johnny is sounding really good. We have to rebuild the relationship Capital used to have with Londoners.”
With the waning of GCap’s powers – which the papers were so keen to comment on – came the rise of Chrysalis, as Heart surged into the top spot at the London breakfast table (see Breakfast Battle Sees Heart 106.2 FM Come Out On Top), and the Guardian was once again on hand, this time with a quote from Barnaby Dawe, managing director of Heart.
Dawe said: “We have invested very heavily in breakfast which is always the jewel in the crown for any station. We have put a lot of effort into a high-quality production and lots of interaction with listeners.”
On a different note, the Independent was upbeat about the future of radio as a medium, saying: “The digital revolution and the expansion of new ways of accessing information through the internet has given a huge boost to one of the older and more traditional forms of electronic media – the radio.
“According to figures released yesterday [Thursday], the digital age has created a new golden age of radio, with the number of listeners in Britain at a record high of more than 45 million every week.”
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