Radio levels not recovered yet over 2008 - latest RAMS

Both the number of listeners and the length of time these listeners stay with the medium are down on the year previous.

Time spent listening (TSL) is still not back to the levels seen in 2008 - in April last year, people spent 13 minutes more per day listening to radio. TSL is moving in the right direction though, up four minutes on the previous RAMS release, to four hours and seven minutes. Across an average week, people listen to 28 hours, 48 minutes of radio, up 24 minutes on the previous survey.

Compared to RAMS Feb 2009, listening levels have declined significantly across the week (past 7 days). Radio currently reaches 92.6% of adult South Africans each week, down from 93.7% previously. These declines were seen particularly in metros, cities and large towns, in Gauteng, and in LSM 7, 9, and 10.

Average Monday to Friday listening has stayed stable over RAMS Feb 2009, at 76.0%. Listening in metros is down.

On Saturdays, listening has declined from 70.9% in RAMS Feb 2009 to 69.5% currently, with losses coming through from metros and in Gauteng. Saturday listening is also down over RAMS April 2009, when it was 71.9%.

Sunday levels are stable over the previous survey, although down year on year (from 69.8% to 68.4% currently, with losses in metros, Gauteng, and in LSM 10).

These results, off a sample of 18 570, are based on fieldwork from mid-October to mid-December 2008, and mid-January to mid-March 2009.

Who's up?

Several stations are looking better than they did a year ago, although only one has achieved increased listening levels over RAMS Feb 2009.

Following extensive formatting changes in 2008, Radio 2000's weekday audience has been slowly creeping up. The latest gains in weekday audience are significant: from 0.3% reach in the previous survey, to 0.5% currently, with a Monday to Friday audience of 142 000, from 108 000 in RAMS Feb 2009. This audience is also significantly larger than in April 2008, when it was 0.3%.

The station has significantly grown its weekly audience over April 2008, taking it from a reach of 0.9% to 1.4%, with a total audience of 430 000. Much of this growth has come from cities and large towns.

Stations which have gained more listeners year on year are:

• 5FM: from 4.6% to 5.9% across a week, with growth especially in Soweto, and from 2.1% to 2.8% during weekdays. The station has 1.836-million listeners per week.
  
• 99.2 YFM has improved its weekly reach from 3.9% to 4.6%, giving it an audience of 1.429-million.
  
• Gagasi 99.5 FM now has 1.864-million listeners a week, with a reach of 6.0%, up from 5.2%.
  
• Izwi loMzansi in KwaZulu-Natal continues its growth spurt seen in the previous RAMS, growing its weekly reach from 0.7% to 1.4%, with an audience of 91 000.
  
• QwaQwa Radio is up significantly, from a reach of 6.7% to 10.6% currently, with a weekly audience of 213 000.
  
• Talk Radio 702 has a weekly reach of 1.8%, up from 1.4%, with an audience of 569 000.

Total community radio has strengthened its reach into South African society, driven largely by growth in the Eastern Cape, North West, Free State and Limpopo. In April 2008, community stations reached 19.9% each week, a figure which has now grown to 22.4%, with 7.007-million listeners in total.

And who's down?

• 94.2 Jacaranda has lost weekly listeners (8.3% to 7.3%), as well as average Monday to Friday listeners (4.2% to 3.2%). RMFM has lost weekday listeners, causing its reach to drop from 0.8% to 0.5%.
  
• Radio 786/Voice of the Cape: down from 7.6% to 4.7% across the week.
  
• Radio CCFM 107.5: down from 4.1% to 2.6% (p7d).
  
• Thetha FM 100.6 is down across the week from 3.3% to 2.0%.
  
• Thobela FM's average Monday to Friday reach is down, from 6.5% to 5.6%.

The third release of SAARF RAMS for 2009 is scheduled for 12 June 2009.