RAJAR Results Q3 2003: BBC Radio 1 Feels The Pressure
Year on year analysis of listening for national radio services during the third quarter of 2003 reveals a poor performance for BBC Radio 1, which continued to see its audience decline. The flagship youth station saw its weekly reach drop by 9.4% year on year and its share of listening slip by 0.8% points during the same period.
Radio 1 has had its fair share of headlines recently thanks to the antics of breakfast show host, Sara Cox, who is famed for her laddish nature and outspoken comments. The station recently announced plans to replace Cox in the breakfast slot with acid tongued Chris Moyles (see BBC Radio 1 Drops Sara Cox From Breakfast Show). Media planners will anxiously watch the effect the new presenter has on the BBC’s commercial rivals in the lucrative breakfast market.
Meanwhile, BBC Radio 2 easily maintained its position as the UK’s most popular radio station, despite its weekly reach slipping by 0.1% year on year. The station, which targets a broad audience with big name presenters such as Jonathan Ross and Mark Lamarr, saw its share of listening decline by 0.2% points.
Meanwhile in the commercial sector, speech-based radio station, talkSPORT, suffered a sharp 20.4% year on year decline in weekly reach. The station, which saw listening surge during last year’s World Cup Finals, also saw its share of listening drop by 0.2% points year on year.
There was also less than impressive news for GWR’s Classic FM, which saw its weekly reach decline by 3.2% year on year. However, the station’s sales house recently revealed the findings of a study which claims that Classic FM listeners respond better to advertising than their pop music counterparts (see Classic FM Listeners Respond Better To Ads).
Total Virgin Radio also wavered in the third quarter of this year following its successful court action against well-known personality Chris Evans. The station saw its weekly reach decline by 4.9% year on year.
However, the station recently appointed former Capital Radio marketing director, David Andrews, to head up its marketing team, as it increases its efforts to attract new listeners in the face of growing competition (see Virgin Radio Appoints Former Capital Marketing Chief).
The third quarter of 2003 also heralded the launch of a number of new digital stations, reflecting the increasing popularity of the medium. Emap’s decision to take a variety of its flagship magazine brands onto the digital platform proved successful and Smash Hits Radio secured a weekly reach of 977,000, whilst Kerrang! came in at 864,000 during the same period.
The BBC’s digital radio stations also made an impact and urban music offering 1Xtra recorded a weekly reach of 331,000 after receiving extensive media coverage over its decision to broadcast Victoria Beckham’s first foray into hip hop music.
The BBC’s director of radio and music, Jenny Abramsky, recently asserted that the future of radio as a medium is under threat unless the industry embraces digital technology. She warned against the dangers of taking radio for granted in a future when the next generation of listeners face more choice about how to consume their media (see Abramsky Claims Future Of Radio Is Under Threat).
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