RAMS June 2011 paints healthy picture

The higher Large Urban levels that emerged in the RAMS April 2011 release have been maintained.

Highlights

• TSL per day: 3h42
• TSL per week: 25h54
• Repertoire: 2.1 (national average)
• LSM audience profile: LSM 1-3 has declined over RAMS June 2010, with growth in LSM 6 and 7. The LSM 5 audience declined over the previous survey.
• Total 7-day reach: 88.9%
• Total average Monday to Friday reach: 69.3%
• Total Saturday listening: 66.0%
• Total Sunday listening: 65.0%

Individual results

Individual stations are looking healthy, with a number showing good developing up-trends, including 5FM, 94.7 Highveld Stereo, Jacaranda 94.2, Algoa FM, East Coast Radio, Gagasi 99.5 FM, Good Hope FM, Munghana Lonene FM and Heart 104.9 FM.

When it came to stations showing any significant change over the previous survey, there were few. Only stations showing statistically significant audience changes are reported on here. A full list is available on www.saarf.co.za.

Only two stations reflected significant changes over RAMS April 2011.

• 567 CapeTalk has grown its average weekday audience over RAMS April 2011, up from 0.1% to 0.2%, with 54 000 listeners in total.
• Radio 2000 also made a better showing over the previous RAMS, with its weekly reach up from 2.3% to 2.7%. The station's audience is now approaching 1-million, at 912 000, up from 794 000 a year ago, with gains primarily in metros, Cape Town and in LSM 9.

Of the 10 commercial stations which showed significant audience shifts over the previous year, nine were from the SABC stable. The audiences of four of these stations fell over RAMS June 2010:

• Ikwekwezi FM - down from 5.1% to 4.3% across the week (and especially on the Reef), and from 2.7% to 2.1% on an average Monday to Friday.
• Lesedi FM - down from 11.0% to 10.1% (past 7 days).
• SAfm - from 1.9% to 1.4% (past 7 days)
• Umhlobo Wenene FM - from 13.1% to 12.1% across the week, and from 8.7% to 7.6% on an average Monday to Friday, but the station showed some Large Urban growth over the previous period for both 7-day and Monday to Friday listening.

Five other SABC stations fared better.

• Metro FM, whose audience figures improved significantly in the previous RAMS release, continues to improve its standing with radio listeners. The station now has over 6-million weekly listeners, up from 5.198-million a year ago to 6.172-million currently. Its national reach is 18.1% of all South Africa's adults (15+), up from 16.0% in the year previous. Much of this growth came from large urban areas, and from LSM 6-10. Its Monday to Friday reach also grew year on year, from 6.0% to 7.0% (with growth in large urban areas).
• Ligwalagwala FM grew its weekly reach from 4.1% in RAMS June 2010, to 4.6% currently.
• Motsweding FM's average Monday to Friday reach is up from 5.0% in the year previous, to 5.6%.
• Listening to Phalaphala FM is up across the week, from 2.4% a year ago to 3.0% currently (although audiences declined in metros and Gauteng). Average Monday to Friday listening is also up, from 1.2% in June 2010 to 1.9% currently.
• Thobela FM grew its weekly reach from 8.5% in June 2010 to 9.2%, despite losses in metro areas.

Capricorn FM rounds off the list of year-on-year movers, dropping from 4.5% to 3.5% across the week, and from 2.2% to 1.5% on an average Monday to Friday.

Community stations

Total community remained stable, at 24.6% across the week. Several community stations showed significant changed listening levels over RAMS June 2010.

The fourth installment of RAMS for 2011 will be released on 12 August 2011.

For more:

• Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB): RAMS April 2011