radio key facts 2002
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Radio 2002
2nd EditionNovember 2002
2 Radio 2002
Foreword
The International Key Facts – Radio 2002 analyses thesituation of radio in 22 European countries plus the UnitedStates which can be used as benchmarking. The figurespresented are those that are recognised and used by theprofessionals of each country. This does not, however,enable a direct cross comparison of the data to be made.The definitions used in each country vary quite consid-erably. The audience measurement, for instance, is prettydifferent from a country to another: the population of thesample may vary from 9 year-olds and plus to the 15 year-olds and plus. In some other countries, people over 75 or79 are not part of the sample.
Formats have been reduced to main families in order togive indication of the main target group of a radio station,they do not intend to give a strict definition of the sta-tions play-lists.Although by no means exhaustive, the unique gatheringof those sometime heterogeneous information intends togive to the reader a glimpse of the diversity and power ofradio in Europe.In order to register scale, the financial indicators havebeen converted into € at constant value. Those used forthis issue are for January 1st 2002.
Country Currency abbreviation 1 € equalsCzech republic CZK 32.11232
Denmark DKK 7.42858
Hungary HUF 244.687
Norway NOK 7.97286
Poland PLZ 3.5406
Romania ROL 27198.1
Slovakia SKK 42.7163
Sweden SEK 9.3088
Switzerland CHF 1.4779
UK GBP 0.6121
USA USD 0.89139
1st January 2002
3Radio 2002
After a century of existence, radio is still a youthful medium, with enormous growthpotential.
Firstly, though radio has yet to go through its own digital revolution, 25 years after the FM revolu-
tion, with the advent of increasingly available advances in technology, it is nevertheless definitely
moving forward. Several countries (mainly the UK and Northern European countries) have made
firm steps in the Digital audio broadcasting field. But technology is not only about terrestrial broad-
casting. It opens up new opportunities to increase radio consumption through alternative distrib-
ution channels such as digital cable & satellite, Internet or the future mobile telephony applica-
tions. This technology will free radio from the current scarcity of available frequencies and fuel new
offers for listeners.
Secondly, radio is far from having reached its definitive structure. In most European countries the
liberalisation of the airwaves is rather recent. Private radio stations only began to appear as recently
as the 80s or the 90s, most often on a local level. The strong link between radio and the local com-
munities as well as varying national or even regional regulations in Europe explain why radio is a
highly fragmented medium. The challenges posed by new technologies, the listeners’ demand for
more professionalism and clear programming promises, the increase in competition between sta-
tions, and finally, the need for a coherent and simple advertising offer are all factors that will most
likely lead to progressive structural changes and to a certain degree of consolidation in several
European markets.
Radio is healthy enough to undergo these transformations.
Listening is on the rise in Europe, thanks to more diversified and attractive programming formats.
More than ever, radio proves itself to be adapted to the modern way of life, being as “mobile” as
the new generation of Europeans. The increased share of out-of-home listening is a clear demon-
stration of this phenomenon. Radio also benefits from improved financial resources. In most
European markets, investment in radio advertising has grown constantly over the last few decades,
growing more quickly than total advertising investments in nearly all other markets. The end of
the century proved to be a very dynamic time for radio. One of the main reasons for this is a bet-
ter advertising sales offer, and a new organisation of the media in many markets that convinces
many traditional advertisers to use it. Secondly, a growing number of advertisers have turned their
attention toward those elusive target groups that radio reaches so well, such as young adults, work-
ing people and the upper classes. All of this combined with the broadcast media’s effectiveness at
quickly building consumer awareness, it is not surprising that radio rapidly became one of the
favourite vehicles for the so-called New Technology sector. Of course, the 2001 economic slump has
hit radio all over Europe. However, with its high degree of reactivity and its enhanced advertising
attractiveness, radio is nevertheless well placed to weather the current downturn and profit from
the rebound. Encouraging signs are already appearing in 2002 in several markets, notably in France,
one of Europe’s largest radio markets.
RTL Group, Europe’s leading broadcaster and content provider, together with IP, Europe’s leading
advertising sales network, are proud to present the third edition of their International Key Facts - Radio
report. The International Key Facts - Radio 2002 will provide you with a concise overview of the current
radio markets in 22 European countries. It is a reference tool to help you better understand a media
with strong local specificity, which has undergone profound changes over the last 20 years: a media
that will continue to evolve and grow in the coming years with more sweeping changes ahead.
We hope this publication will help you to enrich your knowledge of this exciting media.
Didier LEFEVREHead of IP’s International Marketing Committee
Editorial
4 Radio 2002
5Radio 2002
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Radio in Europe, a young, traditional media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Western Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Austria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Belgium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Denmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Finland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Greece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Ireland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Luxembourg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Netherlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Norway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Portugal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Sweden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Switzerland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
United Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Central Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Czech Republic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Hungary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Romania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Slovakia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Non-European country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Table of contents
6 Radio 2002
7Radio 2002
European Radio is like Europe itself. In the media world
it has a long history established during the last century.
This has ensured it is the subject of a strong cultural
recognition in European society. No matter how old we
are we all have a nostalgia for our own “Radio Days”. But
this memory is in fact specific to our home country, as
Radio is a part of our local history. Radio is closely
linked to our local past, our local culture and our local
tradition. Everyone has their own special programme,
special presenter, special Radio event. European Radio
is made of all those local cultural differences. But
although loaded with history and tradition, European
Radio is also a young and dynamic media. It is only in
the last twenty years that the modern media we enjoy
today was created. And this latest part of history is not
over. Radio is still on the move, offering new choices
every day, adapting itself to our new habits, our new
ways of life, using - and sometimes even preceding - new
technologic developments.
European Radio is like Europe itself. Built on tradition,
imbued with local cultures, reflecting a wide variety of
contexts, but at the same time, modern and dynamic
and all moving in the same direction. This makes it a
major and powerful media, with a massive population
reach, but at the same time remaining our own per-
sonal and intimate friend.
Local regulations have created a varying landscape
Public or private sector
The local organisation and regulation of radio reflects
profound historic and political concerns. Some countries
have traditionally given higher importance to their Public
Services. We have had to wait until the last ten years to
see the emergence of private commercial radio stations.
Northern Europe dominates in this picture, mainly the
Nordic countries with a dominant local state-owned radio
organisation, with a strong involvement in the commu-
nity and not carrying advertising. It was the case for many
years in the UK, where commercial television was allowed
before commercial radio. Whilst commercial radio has
expanded in recent years, it has remained mainly regional
with strict regulations governing station ownership. The
planned changes in the law here should lead the way for
a major consolidation of the market.
Luxembourg
Portugal
S.Belgium
France
Spain
Czech Rep
Hungary
Poland
Italy
Romania
Netherlands
Ireland
Slovakia
UK
Finland
Germany
Sweden
Denmark
N.Belgium
Austria
Norway
2.7%
9.2%
18.8%
22.7%
24.2%
28.0%
28.0%
31.1%
32.9%
46.4%
46.7%
47.0%
47.1%
52.6%
53.0%
53.0%
65.0%
66.5%
82.2%
83.0%
95.0%
Radio in Europe, a young, traditional media
AUDIENCE SHARES PUBLIC SECTOR
8 Radio 2002
National or local
A national or local organisation of the media is also one
of the key differences between our various countries. A
federal country like Germany has a regional organisation,
with a variety of audiovisual regulations depending on the
different Landers. There it was not possible to establish
nationwide coverage, or national programming or branded
networks of stations. The reality remains local or regional.
National advertisers had to wait until the creation of
national advertising packages, developed by the sales
houses, to increase their use of the media. In Austria,
where the public service - which carries advertising - is in
a monopolistic situation at the national level, it is at the
regional scale that private radios have expanded. Here
national advertising packages have also provided an effec-
tive means of increasing advertising revenues. Some other
countries, like France, have a long tradition of centrali-
sation and so it is no surprise to observe that the national
program networks lead the market here.
A rich variety of formats
The programme offer is especially rich in Europe. Again
this is closely linked to the variety of cultural expectations
and it remains rather difficult to classify this offer within
a clear format segmentation as can be done in the US. The
most significant point is certainly the dominance of the
“Generalist” format. This has historically been the shape
of the European radio and has been broadly favoured by
the various Public Service stations. General interest, full
service, “conventional”, “talk and news”, the actual real-
ity certainly covers a range of concepts. But this form of
radio programming, mainly talk based and oriented
towards news and services, today represents the majority
of the European offer. It has not been hit by the develop-
ment of music orientated FM stations, as it has been able
to create new, more modern and dynamic forms. It is
worth noting that this format also seems to be on the
rise in the US.
Within the music offer, it should be noted that aside from
the “classic” music formats (such as European Hit Radio
- EHR - or Adult Contemporary - AC -), some countries still
have a significant share that is a specific national variety
offer, such as folk music and Italy’s Solo Musica Italiana, the
many German Schlager stations and Spain’s Radio Ole. Yet
further proof of European culture specificity in terms of
Radio.
Netherlands
UK
Hungary
Portugal
Ireland
Italy
S.Belgium
Romania
France
Denmark
Poland
Finland
Norway
Slovakia
N.Belgium
Czech Rep
Spain
Sweden
Luxembourg
Austria
8.5%
11.3%
27.0%
30.0%
37.0%
37.0%
40.0%
40.0%
40.1%
41.3%
43.5%
46.0%
46.0%
47.9%
49.0%
49.5%
49.7%
50.0%
76.5%
79.0%
AUDIENCE SHARES GENERAL INTEREST
9Radio 2002
TalkGeneral interest RTL (France)
Talk & News Expres (Czech Rep.)
All News Radio 24 Il Sole 24 Ore (Italy)
Theme Culture NDR/ORB Radio3 (Germany)
Sport Talk Sport (UK)
Ethnic R.Beur (France)
Religious R.Maryja (Poland)
MusicClassic Radio 4 (Netherlands)
Jazz Jazz FM (UK)
Easy Listening NRK P4 (Norway)
Variety
Local music R.Ole (Spain)
Middle of the Road (MOR) R.Nora (Germany)
Oldies RTL Die Oldie Sender (Geramany)
Gold Spreeradio 105,5 (Germany)
Adult contemporary (AC)
Oldie base AC Antenne Wien (Austria)
Current base AC Berliner Runfunk (Germany)
Euro AC Radio Contact (Belgium)
Hot AC Capital FM (UK)
Contemporary/European Hit Radio (CHR/EHR)
Mainstream NRJ
Dance 8FM (Netherlands)
Rock Arrow Rock (Netherlands)
Alternative
Dance Galaxy (UK)
Urban HR XXL (Germany)
Techno/House Planet Radio (Germany)
Rap Sky Rock (France)
FORMATS EXAMPLES OF STATIONS
Listening on the rise
Each time something happens in the world, each time
the news has a personal relevance, Radio is turned on. The
year 2001 was - unfortunately on certain occasions - rich
with spectacular headlines. No surprise then that radio
listening reached new peaks. Compared to 1999, listening
was up in most of our countries. There are, of course, sig-
nificant differences in the consumption of the media. For
instance, daily reach ranges from 56% in Spain to 87.2%
in Hungary. The average listening duration per listener
ranges from 182 minutes a day in Italy to 330 minutes in
the Northern part of Belgium. And of course one must be
careful when trying to compare data, as it does not nec-
essarily cover exactly the same things. Europe is still dis-
tinguished by a number of different audience measure-
ment methodologies. And this can sometime explain cer-
tain differences in listening scores.
Romania*
Spain
Portugal
Norway
Italy
Belgium S.
Czech Rep.
Luxembourg
Belgium N.
Poland
Sweden
Netherlands*
Slovakia
UK
Germany*
Finland
France
Denmark
Austria
Hungary
Ireland
Switzerland G*
46.4%60.2%
56.0%56.2%
57.5%58.5%
66.9%66.1%
67.8%67.7%
68.1%67.0%
70.6%75.3%
70.7%65.9%
76.8%67.0%
77.4%66.4%
77.5%80.4%
78.2%72.5%
80.0%80.9%
80.2%
81.8%84.3%
82.0%81.0%
83.6%83.3%
84.2%86.0%
84.8%82.8%
87.2%85.9%
88.0%88.0%
93.1%77.2%
2001
1999
DAILY REACH
* change in audience measurement
10 Radio 2002
11Radio 2002
Switzerland G
Sweden*
Italy
Spain
France
Romania
Finland*
Norway*
UK*
Luxembourg
Germany
Denmark*
Netherlands
Austria
Czech Rep.
Hungary
Belgium S.
Poland
Belgium N.
131
163
182
185
191
191
200
201
205
212
218
225
229
251
252
302
313
325
330
LISTENING DURATION (in minutes)
M to F, * M to S
An audience measurement patchwork
Many countries use the personal diary methodology. Most
of them can be found in the north of the Continent. The
latest one to finally adopt this technique is Belgium, with
the first audience results being published in October 2002.
Elsewhere, Day-after-recall remains the rule. But even
within this single methodology, there are differences that
need to be underlined. Telephone and face-to-face inter-
views are varying local choices. This is certainly not neu-
tral as the slight decrease in daily reach that may have
been observed in Germany, contrary to the global trend,
is undoubtedly explained by the fact that this country
has switched from face-to-face to telephone interviews.
The difference between being a mono or a cross-media sur-
vey (as is the case in Spain) is also important, as well as
the minimum recorded listening period (generally 1/4
hour in most countries but 1/2 hour in Spain). All those
differences clearly have an impact on the final result.
Another major difference within the various audience
measurement surveys in Europe is the age range.
Depending on the country, the interviewed population can
be from 9+ to 15+. Most of the time this reflects the his-
tory and the organisation of the local radio landscape.
Some countries have recently changed their universe. This
is the case for the Netherlands, which two years ago
changed from 13+ to 10+. And it is also the case for France
which is changing from 15+ to 13+.
Austria Telephone 24 000 10+ twice a year
Belgium Diary* 10 000 12+ twice a year
Czech Rep. Face-to-face 30 000 12-79 Quarterly
Denmark Diary 23 000 12+ Quarterly
Finland Diary 4 930 9+ Quarterly
France Telephone 75 250 13+* 2 months/Quarterly
Germany Telephone 54 888 14+ twice a year
Greece** Face -to -face 17 000 13-70 Quarterly
Hungary Diary 28 000 15+ Monthly
Ireland Face-to-face 5 000 15+ twice a year
Italy Telephone 72 000 11+ twice a year
Luxembourg Telephone 3 500 12+ Yearly
Netherlands Diary 15 000 10+ Monthly
Norway Telephone 52 728 9+ Weekly
Poland Telephone 111 788 15-75 Quarterly
Portugal Telephone 20 160 15+ Quarterly
Romania Face-to-face 2 000 nat. 15+ Weekly
Slovakia Face-to-face 2 140 14/79 3 times a year
Spain Face-to-face 71 174 14+ Quarterly
Switzerland Peoplemeter 22 843 15+ Daily
United Kingdom Diary 130 000 15+ Quarterly*As from September 2002** Several surveys
AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT SURVEYS
Methodology Sample Age limit Publication
12 Radio 2002
13Radio 2002
A media that follows our way of life
Northern Europe is the heaviest listener
Traditionally, radio consumption has been stronger in
the North East of the Continent. A surprising parallel can
be drawn with daily newspaper readership. Countries in
Central Europe - the former-people’s democracies - still
have a tradition of heavy radio listening and Hungary
continues to lead with overall audiovisual media con-
sumption, since it is not only among the major TV radio
countries but was also one of the very first radio listen-
ing countries. History and culture have their own roles in
audience building, as well as weather condition. Being out-
door more often does not result in heavy radio listening.
Thus most of the Southern countries post under-average
listening scores. This is the case for Spain, Italy and Greece.
A more detailed analysis would show that even in these
countries, the Northern areas listen to radio more than
the Southern parts.
But the methodological patchwork that Europe repre-
sented is now getting even more complex with the arrival
of the Personal Peoplemeter. The Swiss are pioneering the
technology with their “Watch peoplemeter” which daily
records every sound the panel members are exposed to.
These are then compared to the recorded tracks of each
radio station. So Radio is entering into the passive audi-
ence measurement era. This is leading to fundamental
shift within the audience results, favouring the recording
of more numerous but shorter listening periods. Higher
daily reach, shorter average listening time. Switzerland is
the first country to have taken this route. But it is not the
only one working on this new kind of survey. In the US,
Arbitron is running tests in several markets with a “pager
PPM” and in Europe, many other countries are experi-
menting with various techniques. All these new develop-
ments are obviously being closely watched by the adver-
tising community, as their implementation would have
a major impact on media planning and buying. But from
a small market such as Switzerland to the other bigger
markets on the Continent, there will be a long route and
we will undoubtedly have to come back to this issue in
the coming years.
But even if comparing audience results from different
countries can be hazardous, it does not change the fact
that radio listening remains closely linked to local ways
of life.
Listening curves ref lect ways of life
History, culture and weather, radio consumption are also
closely linked to everyday life. In our last issue we empha-
sised the close link between the daily listening curve and
the local organisation of the working day, whether lunch
is taken at home or not, the commuting time and all the
other practical aspects that impact on our day-to-day
timetable. We then identified five different shapes for
the daily listening curves. These are still applicable. Nordic
countries still have a regular audience curve between 7:00
and 17:00 (Type 3). Latin countries show two audience
peaks and audience falls at lunchtime and early evening
(Type 4), unlike Luxembourg and Hungary which show
strong “lunchtime peaks” (Type 5). The classic shape is still
with a strong morning peak, dropping gradually until
the early evening, with the more or less pronounced morn-
ing peak that differentiates type 1 from type 2.
What is striking is how these listening curves comple-
ment the TV viewing curves. These two media have per-
fectly opposite modes of consumption. TV viewing takes
place when people are relaxed and comfortably settled at
home.
M to F
TYPE I - UK
Radio TV
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
23 h21 h19 h17 h15 h13 h11 h9 h7 h5 h
M to F
TYPE II (N. BELGIUM)
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
21 h19 h17 h15 h13 h11 h9 h7 h5 h
14 Radio 2002
15Radio 2002
M to F
TYPE III (SWEDEN)
Radio TV
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
23 h21 h19 h17 h15 h13 h11 h9 h7 h5 h
M to F
TYPE IV (FRANCE)
Radio TV
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
23 h21 h19 h17 h15 h13 h11 h9 h7 h5 h
5M to F
TYPE V (HUNGARY)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
23 h21 h19 h17 h15 h13 h11 h9 h7 h5 h
The media for people on the move
Radio listening accompanies every single active moment
of the life, from the bathroom to the kitchen, from the
car to the working place. Radio is mainly listened to by
active people. No surprise then than its reach is higher
among the working population, generally between 20 and
55. No surprise either that, as listening is higher during
the working hours of the day, it is also higher on work-
ing days during the week than at the weekend, a more
relaxed period of time when TV is preferred.
More and more out of home listening
Following listeners at every moment of their active lives
has always been a typical advantage of radio. It is inter-
esting to note that this fact has become even more evident
in recent years. The share of out of home listening has been
on the increase since 1999, and in the large majority of
the countries surveyed. Several explanations for this are
possible. First, people are increasingly active and spend
less time at home on weekdays. This is mainly the case
for women, who are ever more likely to have active out-
side lives. Secondly, people spend longer periods of time
commuting. There is a direct link between radio listening
and the time spent driving. It is also interesting to observe
that outside listening is less developed in the smaller
countries, like Belgium, where most commuting times
are shorter. It is also worth noting that outside radio lis-
tening increases as in-car equipment improves. Poland
has been a spectacular example of this.
Thirdly, new technological developments lead to new
opportunities for consumption. It is the case with the
Internet, which is clearly a factor in favour of radio lis-
tening in the office. And this trend will undoubtedly
increase in the coming years.
Finland
Netherlands
Germany
France
Poland
Spain
Hungary
UK
Austria
Romania
Czech Rep.
Belgium N.
Belgium S.
22.5 12.7 46.2 18.6
51.2 13.9 28.1 6.8
55.0 14.2 27.1 3.7
55.7 22.8 17.0 4.5
60.7 9.6 24.0 5.6
67.1 14.8 7.7 10.4
68.3 6.7 22.1 2.9
69.4 15.8 13.3 1.5
69.5 9.4 17.0 4.1
75.2 6.0 17.3 1.5
76.0 5.0 17.0 2.0
85.8 5.1 8.6 0.5
86.9 3.8 8.8 0.5
LISTENING PLACES
LISTENING PLACES - FRANCE - 2001
HOME 55.7%CAR 22.8%
WORKING PLACE 17.0% OTHERS 4.5%
LISTENING PLACES - FRANCE - 1999
HOME 62.3%CAR 18.5%
WORKING PLACE 13.3% OTHERS 5.4%
Home Car Work Other
16 Radio 2002
17Radio 2002
LISTENING PLACES - GERMANY - 2001
HOME 55.0%
CAR 14.2%
WORKING PLACE 27.1% OTHERS 3.7%
LISTENING PLACES - GERMANY - 1999
HOME 62.3%CAR 12.9%
WORKING PLACE 15.6% OTHERS 3.2%
LISTENING PLACES - NETHERLANDS - 2001
HOME 51.2%
CAR 13.9%
WORKING PLACE 28.1%
OTHERS 6.8%
LISTENING PLACES - NETHERLANDS - 1999
HOME 58.1%
CAR 11.6%
WORKING PLACE 22.8%
OTHERS 7.3%
LISTENING PLACES - POLAND - 2001
HOME 60.7%
CAR 9.6%
WORKING PLACE 24.0%
OTHERS 5.6%
LISTENING PLACES - POLAND - 1999
HOME 73.1%CAR 3.9%
WORKING PLACE 21.3%
OTHERS 1.7%
The new technologies
The Internet
The new technologies have not pushed Radio out of the
game.
Listening to the radio through your computer is becom-
ing increasingly widespread. In 2001, according to the
Measurecast measurement institute, the time spent lis-
tening to streamed radio quadruped. The most listened to
station is the London-based Virgin Radio, competing with
the US Clear Channel station network. It seems that for the
time being the core target for Internet radio is the 15-24
age group which accounts for 29% of total listening time,
with a clear majority of male listeners (70%). Internet
radio listening remains mainly dominated by working
hours since 80% of total listening occurs during this period
of time. Top streaming countries are the US, UK, Canada,
Japan, France and Mexico. Although the change in the
law concerning broadcasting royalties in the US has put
some kind of a brake on the expansion in the number of
Internet radio stations, the phenomenon is on a rising
trend even if the listening volume is still rather marginal.
One of its possible consequences would be to free some
stations from their regional limitations and increase lis-
tening time during working hours.
Cable and TV platforms
But the Internet is not the only technical development that
radio is facing. Other broadcasting means have been used
in those countries where regulations limited the num-
ber of stations potentially available to the population. For
instance, cable has played an important role in commer-
cial radio development in Germany and the Netherlands.
TV digital packages also offer a wide choice of radio sta-
tions with an excellent reception quality. But these recep-
tion modes are limited as they are bound up with TV set
in-home usage, which - as we noted - does not comply with
the global trend in radio listening.
18 Radio 2002
19Radio 2002
The DAB
But, without any doubt, the major element in terms of
radio broadcasting development is Digital Audio
Broadcasting (DAB).
DAB allows a better quality of reception, rivalling a CD,
without any interference, ensuring an uninterrupted sig-
nal whilst driving. Digital broadcasting also makes it pos-
sible to provide different kinds of information on a sin-
gle frequency, whether sound or data. It may widen the
offer of programmes delivered to the listener while reduc-
ing broadcasting costs for operators. As DAB can be deliv-
ered either by terrestrial or satellite services, it can deliver
programmes at a regional, national or international level.
A number of European countries are leading in DAB devel-
opment. It is generally reliant on a strong governmental
commitment. It is thus not surprising to find among these
countries most of the Nordic countries in which public
service radio is dominant. It has also been one of the
major projects in those countries where the programme
offer has so far been restricted by a strict legal frame-
work. The UK is one of these, with DAB giving broadcast-
ing groups an opportunity to develop their programme
offer. Most of the radio stations specifically created for DAB
are thematic. The latest project in the UK is a joint ven-
ture between Capital and Disney to launch a targeted chil-
dren’s station: Radio Disney.
But whilst terrestrial technical coverage is increasing in
Europe, very few European listeners can so far receive
DAB. Although there are over 30 different kinds of DAB
receivers available to the consumer, these are still expen-
sive and very few private households have so far bought
them. The receivers are in fact still more expensive than
traditional radio sets. And although the industry in Britain
launched a receiver under £100 last summer in order to
promote the new reception technology, it is estimated
that there are currently no more that 70,000 equipped lis-
teners in the UK. In another attempt to promote DAB in
the Nordic countries, the priority has been changed from
technical coverage to the enhancement of the programme
offer.
So, in spite of the strong potential of this new broad-
casting technique, it would seem that it will take many
years before it becomes a widely accepted means of radio
reception. Unlike television however, it already seems
that in many countries the offer is actually there and
responds well to listener expectations. This is clearly not
a factor in favour of additional personal expenditure in
order to receive any more programmes. So it is expected
that this issue will remain in the news for some time to
come.
All of these ongoing developments do prove, as if this was
necessary, that Radio is a dynamic media, applying new
technologies and still in touch with changes in our
lifestyles.
Austria 19%
Belgium 98%
Czech Republic 12%
Denmark 75%
Finalnd 40%
France 25%
Germany 70%
Hungary 30%
Italy 30%
Netherlands 40%
Norway 50%
Poland 8%
Portugal 70%
Spain 50%
Sweden 35%
Switzerland 58%
UK 80%Source: The World DAB Forum, October 2002
DAB TECHNICAL COVERAGE IN EUROPECountry Population
The hot advertising media
This is one of the many reasons why European advertis-
ers, as well as their US counterparts, have trusted radio
as a powerful communication media for many years and
continue to increase the share of this media in their adver-
tising plans.
Local and National, the search for the right balance
The radio advertising market in fact operates at two lev-
els. It is both regional and national. And the scale of adver-
tising revenues is closely linked to the right balance
between those two markets. If in the US the local market
is dominant, representing almost 80% of the total, its
share in Europe averages only 1/3. Radio efficiency is
widely recognised by local traders and service providers.
But the global weight of the local markets in the Old
Continent is not comparable to America’s. European local
budgets are far more volatile and to generate long-term
advertisers it is necessary to ensure the development of
the national market. This has clearly been a handicap in
those countries where the radio landscape has been built
on a regional base. That was the case in the UK. The com-
mercial dynamism of sales houses originating from strong
and professional communication groups has provided an
answer to this challenge. National packages, syndication
and bartering have been able to draw in national adver-
tisers. On a regularly rising trend over a number of years
now, the advertising market share of radio has risen above
the 5% level. It was a similar case in Germany. There, radio
advertising was not only suffering from regional frag-
mentation but also from a multitude of owners with radio
stations mostly being owned by the local daily papers. A
consolidation into two major national sales houses has
allowed the development of targeted national packages
which have eased radio buying for national advertisers.
Today radio scores a 4.5% advertising market share and
certainly has a strong potential for growth in the coun-
try.
USA
Denmark
Romania
Sweden
Finland
Norway
Greece
Italy
Germany
Hungary
UK
Poland
Czech Rep
Portugal
France
Ireland
Netherlands
Austria
Spain
Slovakia
Belgium*
Luxembourg
13.2%
1.1%
2.9%
3.2%
3.8%
3.8%
4.0%
4.3%
4.4%
4.9%
5.5%
6.3%
7.0%
7.2%
7.5%
8.0%
8.2%
8.6%
9.2%
10.3%
10.6%
16.3%
RADIO ADVERTISING MARKET SHARES
20 Radio 2002
21Radio 2002
A specific part within communication plans
National advertisers trust Radio as a fast acting media.
Thanks to its very special relationship with its listeners,
it has an incomparable power to push them to action such
as traffic building for retail or telephone calls for direct
marketing operations. This hot and effective media was
quickly recognised by the telecom and Internet related
budgets, as well as the financial services, in the boom at
the beginning of 2000. The media was thus one of those
that benefited strongly from the growth of the New
Economy. As a consequence it was also one of the first to
suffer when the dot.com bubble burst. Along with the
advertising market as a whole, radio was hit by the crisis
in 2001 and 2002. It then had to fall back on its tradi-
tional advertisers like the automotive industry and food
and specialised retail stores. But these tend to be rather
conservative with their budgets. Nevertheless, as radio
remains in close proximity to reality, it is also one of the
very first media to recover when the economic situation
improves and when consumer purchasing recovers. The
trend for radio should thus be positive over the coming
months especially during a period when most advertisers
are convinced of the benefits of the media complemen-
tarity. Not only has radio proved to be efficient as a hot
and fast acting media, it is also the ideal complement for
television because, as we noted, the consumption of the
two media covers two very specific moments in consumer
life.
An old, traditional and friendly media, radio has also con-
tinued to evolve, adapting to the new technologies, new
life styles, new listener expectations. It could well have dis-
appeared with the arrival of television, but this was not
the case. It has on the contrary managed to talk to us at
other moments of the day, following us throughout our
active lives in order to remain in non-stop contact with
us. And it is continuing along this route.
For our greater pleasure. For the maximum satisfaction
of the advertising community.
22 Radio 2002