London Rajar - Q1/2013

As always the dynamic London radio market never fails to surprise at Rajar time.

One thing I've noticed when looking at the charts was that there's been more of a 'coming together' of the stations on weekdays. Go back a few years and there would be a fairly clear gap for much of the time between the main London stations - Capital, Magic, Heart and Kiss - and the rest, with Absolute falling roughly in the middle. This time there seems to be less 'white space', mainly because those 'Big Four' have all seen a drop in their figures, while Absolute is ahead of both Capital and Kiss at one point. In particular Capital, despite having London's highest commercial audience, has just registered its lowest-ever Hours.

Meanwhile Kiss have seen their audience tumble at Breakfast, while both Neil Fox on Magic and Nick Ferrari on LBC 97.3 have both done well.  Capital still tops the pile at the all-important 8 o'clock peak but it falls away fairly quickly afterwards.

As usual LBC continues to dominate the night-time hours. In some previous quarters it's had other stations, especially Magic, snapping at its heels but in this quarter the competition has fallen away. The figures here are purely for 97.3 and do not include those for the simulcast with 1152AM.  There's also a strong performance at Drivetime - James Whale left the station at the end of February so these figures will be a mix of mainly his plus the first month of Iain Dale.

(Click on charts to enlarge)

 

 

 Note: Figures used in all charts for Absolute are those for 'Total Absolute Radio (London)

Survey period - 31st December 2012 - 31st March 2013. Source: Rajar/Ipsos Mori/RSMB.

As usual I issue my standard 'health warning' about not taking a single quarter's figures in isolation - a year-on-year comparison is the better one - you'll find the charts for Q1/2012 here and Q4/2012 here.

There is also, as always, some excellent coverage and commentary from Matt Deegan (who has compiled some excellent facts and figures) and Adam Bowie, as well as Media UK and Radio Today.

Lucky Numbers

As the euphoria - and hangovers - of the Sonys gradually fade the radio industry climbs back aboard the Rajar rollercoaster tomorrow for this year's first set of figures (i.e. Q1/2013 - 31st December 2012 - 31st March 2013).

There will, no doubt, be the usual mixture of smiles, tears and bewilderment when the figures are released to the stations at 10.30 on Wednesday morning - with the public release embargoed until just after midnight.

Once again I'm hoping to compile my usual chart showing how the main London commercial stations have fared and "cutting through the hype" as one person described it, as well as other commentary and follow-up results.

So please remember to check back here on Thursday morning.

(Gratuitous plug: While you're waiting you could always buy and read my new book - see link on the right)

Doctor Feelgood

Last night in Blackpool it was the National Hospital Radio Awards.

Sadly I was unable to be there this year but I've been a judge for the Awards for the past few years and always been impressed by the overall standard of those who have made it through to the nominations stage and, especially, into the final three. Hospital radio people may be amateurs in the true sense of the word but they are producing some good radio.

Congratulations to all those who triumphed in Blackpool, especially Whipps Cross Hospital Radio, who won Station of the Year,  and Dave Nicholson MBE of Radio Tyneside for the John Whitney Award which recognises an outstanding contribution to hospital radio over a period of years.

A full list of winners, as well as audio, is available here.

The Awards and the annual weekend conference also marked the start of 'Hospital Radio Week'. Organised in association with the Hospital Broadcasting Association - the national charity that supports and promotes Hospital Broadcasting in the UK - this has become a regular annual event and a good opportunity for hospital stations around the country to gain valuable publicity.

It was through hospital radio that I gained what I often refer to as my ‘apprenticeship’ for several years at Radio Northwick Park in Harrow, where I was part of the 'Day One' team back in 1971.

Their names may mean nothing to most of you but for me, Len Elman (L) and Marty Rose (R) - seen here at the station's 40th anniversary dinner - who ran the station at the time I consider to be two of the most important and influential people in my radio career.

Of course back in the early-1970s there was nothing like the same choice of listening we have today; just four BBC national networks, a cluster of BBC local stations and Luxembourg in the evening. ILR, in the form of LBC and Capital, was still a couple of years away.

RNP provided 'full-service' programming consisting of magazine shows, features, interviews, OBs and local news, as well as the obligatory record requests - all produced using very basic equipment (and, by today's standards, rather primitive) - so, my time there provided me with a very good introduction to many basic radio skills.

It’s all too easy, and sometimes fashionable, to knock hospital radio for its “old-fashioned”, MOR-style programming and playing nothing but Perry Como and Jim Reeves for “Mabel in Ward C”. I think that’s often a rather unfair image; it’s also increasingly inaccurate. One of the most important things any good station does is to be listener-focussed and through its teams of ward visitors and request collectors hospital radio is probably the only broadcaster that carries out face-to-face research with its target audience on a daily basis. No callout research or auditorium testing for them!

Which means hospital radio stations are using their own research to get to know their audience and make programming decisions based on that knowledge; just like any other station really.

The development of affordable computer-based playout systems has made it possible for hospital radio to use automation to extend broadcasting hours as well as build and equip studios that are comparable with many small-scale commercial and community radio stations in terms of facilities.

I do feel rather concerned, though, when some hospital stations boast about sounding “much more professional” and having “better jingles” than some local commercial stations. I’ve never understood why this is quite so important; especially when those concerned seem to think that’s all that matters.

While there’s nothing wrong in striving to sound the best you can there’s far more to radio than having ‘hot’ jingles, the latest studio technology and ‘professional-sounding’ presenters. If those hospital stations don’t remain listener-focussed they end up being little more than a group of wannabes ‘playing radio’, where the emphasis is on providing what they want to hear rather than what their audience wants.

While it should not be seen purely as a training ground or stepping-stone to professional radio, hospital radio is still a great way to learn your craft, try out new ideas, get involved with many different aspects of radio, make mistakes (and hopefully learn from them) and generally have some fun while doing it; for many volunteers it’s simply a great hobby.

Most importantly you’re helping your listeners feel better.

The Camera Never Lies

Do radio stations still produce ‘photocards’ for their presenters, or is this a part of radio life that has now gone forever? After all, if you want to see what your favourite presenter looks like this can easily be done on the station’s website. There’s no longer a need to turn up at the station’s reception or send a stamped addressed envelope in the mail.

Actually those last two are also not as common as they were. The reception area at one client station has no receptionist but does have a couple of farily comfy sofas and a coffin! Really! It was used about four years ago as part of a publicity stunt and nobody really knew what to do with it afterwards. I should point out that it is unoccupied.

Anyway, I digress.

While photocards would vary from station to station there seemed to be some unwritten rule that required the presenters to be photographed with a pair of headphones round their neck or even, on occasions, wearing them ‘properly’. Even at a time when branding was not as important as it is today, some stations made sure their logo was in the photo; even if it was just the presenter wearing a station t-shirt.

Something else that some of those old photos show is how people – and fashions – have changed over the years. Whether it’s mullets or big glasses, there’s no escaping the fact that such photos still exist.



When it came to getting press coverage for the station it seemed to be another unwritten rule that all radio presenters are ‘wacky' and must, therefore, be photographed in that way.  So we would have photos of a new breakfast jock with obligatory alarm clock or, if someone was moving off breakfast, seen ‘smashing’ the clock. Similarly a new late-night presenter would often be seen in a nightshirt and cap carrying a candle or a mug of cocoa.

Another example of a 'wacky' photo is demonstrated here by the legendary Les Ross who was celebrating winning a Sony in 1989 (or it might have been his excitement at learning I would be joining BRMB/Xtra for a couple of months in summer 1993!).

The station photocards may have been 'killed off' by the web but at least many examples can still be found online  - for example Geoff Lumley's website has a very large selection of LBC presenters from the 70s and 80s.

I was also interested to find a signed photocard for former BRMB presenter John Slater being auctioned on eBay - available at the 'Buy It Now' price of £12.99!

Finally, having probably embarrassed a number of people, including several friends and former colleagues, in this blog post maybe it’s time to come clean on something.

This week marks the 25^th anniversary of Comic Relief.  At the time of the very first Red Nose Day in 1988 I was working as a presenter at Ocean Sound in Hampshire and the local press carried this ‘wacky’ shot.

Oh dear!

PS. This is one of my favourites. It was from a series of presenter cards produced by Capital and was a marked departure from the usual.

You're Fired!

As part of changes to its programme schedule LBC 97.3 has decided not to renew James Whale's contract and he has left the station.

One of the hazards of being a radio presenter is that you are usually employed on a fixed-term contract which may, or may not, be renewed at the end of the period.

It's not uncommon for presenters to be taken off-air once they've been told their contract isn't being renewed, or the presenter has said they're leaving for pastures new. In these circumstances they'll be paid-off for the rest of the contract period and put on 'garden leave' rather than keep them on-air.

It does, of course, raise the question as to whether presenters should be allowed the chance to say “Goodbye” on their last show when leaving a station.

It could be argued that presenters achieve audience loyalty through forging a ‘friendship’ with their listeners, so it’s only right they should be able to let those 'friends' know they are moving on; especially if they have been a regular fixture in the schedule for many years.

It's understandable why this rarely happens, though.

While I'm sure James would have been totally professional to the end it is not unknown for presenters who have been 'let go' to use their final show to slag-off the station and the management. Danny Baker's departure from BBC London 94.9 is a good example of this - entertaining though it was at times.

If the person is moving to a competitor they might start promoting their new show and station while still on the old one.

I knew one person who was ‘let go’ and spent the last five minutes of his final show giving a rather long, and extremely self-indulgent, speech outlining his time at the station (including some thinly-veiled criticisms of the station's management) and then, at the end, proposed on-air to his girlfriend, which gained some press coverage for his departure.

If the presenter has decided to leave, it’s sometimes better to let them go straight away as there's a chance they might become ‘demob happy’ and are no longer fully-focused on their present job. As a result, they can be a distraction to the other members of the team.

There are, obviously, exceptions to this. It all depends on the person and the circumstances; and I’ve worked at places where some people have been taken off-air immediately while others have been allowed to stay on until the end.

It's a sticky problem and one which has been with us for as long as I can remember; and I'm certain will probably be around for many more.

Read Any Good Radio Books Lately?

I'm often asked to recommend some books about radio so here are a few favourites from my shelves:

First of all...

'Team: It's Only Radio' by John Myers

Starting off as a disco DJ trying to make the break into radio through to becoming Chief Executive of one of the UK's major radio groups - and beyond -  John's account of that journey is always interesting, at times funny, but never dull. He also gives fascinating insight into some of those multi-million Pound deals.

(Available from John's website for £10 (+ £3 postage) - all proceeds are being donated to charity).


Not Quite Altogether Now: The Pioneering Days of Radio Clyde by Tony Currie

A very interesting, and highly enjoyable, account of the early days of Radio Clyde, which was notable for being something of a success story almost from the beginning; especially as both LBC and Capital had both come close to financial disaster in their early months on-air.

Tony’s book also reminds us that the way we make radio has changed considerably since then.



'Radio 1: The Inside Scene' by Johnny Beerling

Another "I was there" book is Johnny Beerling's account of his long career at the BBC, and especially as his time as Controller of Radio 1.

On the subject of Radio 1...

‘The Nation’s Favourite’ by Simon Garfield.

Probably one of the best books ever written about radio. A frank look behind the scenes of Radio 1 during the Bannister/Dann era of major change. Simon Garfield was given unprecedented access to managers, producers and presenters, as well as sitting-in on playlist and promotions meetings. An excellent read.

'Rocking America' by Rick Sklar 

Of all the behind-the-scenes books about radio, this is undoubtedly one of the best.  As Programme Director  Rick Sklar was the genius behind WABC/New York throughout the 60s and 70s;  when the station was one of the most listened-to and most imitated on the planet!!

Which leads me nicely into...

'KHJ - Inside Boss Radio' by Ron Jacobs

If WABC New York was one of the most influential US radio stations in the 60s/70s then KHJ Los Angeles was the other, when Consultant Bill Drake and Programme Director Ron Jacobs unleashed 'Boss Radio' with a now-legendary on-air team, inding Robert W Morgan and 'The Real' Don Steele.

I've been after a copy of this for years. The hardback and paperback editions have been out-of-print for years but the book is now available as a Kindle e-book from Amazon. Hurrah!  It's a fascinating read with first-hand recollections - not only from Ron Jacobs but also from Bill Drake, the DJs and many of the other people who helped turn Los Angeles into 'Boss Angeles' -  as well as photos, promotional material and internal memos. Even Ron's letter of resignation to [station owners] RKO is there.

Essential Radio Skills by Peter Stewart

This is an excellent practical, how-to guide to producing and presenting radio to a professional standard. Packed with day-to-day advice that captures the essence and buzz of live broadcasting; from preparing your show before it goes out, last minute changes to running orders, deciding what to drop in over a track, how to sell a feature or promote a programme, setting up competitions, thinking fast in a phone in- this book will help you do all that and more. It covers network and commercial, music and talk radio skills. It will particularly suit broadcasters at student, hospital and community stations as well as those at local commercial and BBC stations.

Radio Production by Robert McLeish

Written by by a former head of BBC Local Radio Training, this is is a good introduction to the basics of radio production. However, I feel it's somewhat “thin” on contemporary music programming/formatting, computerised music scheduling etc., and, despite several revisions over the years, its 1978 BBC local radio origins are still very much in evidence.

Hang The DJ by Paul Hollins and Paul Chantler

A 'must-have' guide to English law for any broadcaster.  Read my review here.



'Creating Powerful Radio: Getting, Keeping & Growing Audiences' by Valerie Geller
'Beyond Powerful Radio' by Valerie Geller

Valerie Geller has been working with many leading radio stations around the world, helping them not only to understand radio's challenges in the digital age but also to face them head-on and succeed. These two books contain fresh thinking on how we do radio in the 21st century.

‘This Business Of Radio Programming’ by Claude and Barbara Hall. Reckoned by some to be the best radio book ever written this ia a true classic dealing with  US radio in the 1960s/70s. Originally published in 1977, it was hard-to-find but has since been re-issued (but not updated) and is also available via Dan O’Day’s website - www.danoday.com

And finally... seeing as this is my blog I might as well give a brief mention to my own book - Programming Points - The Best of 'The Radio Magazine' Columns (2003-2010)

(Note: I use Amazon affiliate links in my blog. I have not done so with John Myers' book because by buying it from his own website all proceeds are going to charity)

Juggling Act

(This article first appeared in Radio Today's eRadio e-zine)

The Competition Commission’s report, especially the ‘Remedies’ document, has made interesting reading and the resulting speculation on sites such as Radio Today, Media UK and Digital Spy has varied from informed and intelligent to just plain bonkers; via some wishful thinking based purely on personal prejudices.

It’s important to remember that the actual number of stations owned by Global is not an issue as it does not fall foul of the current ownership rules. The CC’s concern is what they consider to be a ‘Substantial lessening of competition’ as a result of the merger which would make Global too dominant in some regions in terms of advertising and listener choice.

Meanwhile Global will obviously want to keep hold of as much of Real & Smooth Ltd. as they can, which means any divestiture of stations will be done where possible for strategic reasons to ensure minimal damage to Global’s brand framework.

I’ve always felt Real was Global’s main target in order to extend the Heart network into areas currently unserved, while the Smooth stations were probably expendable and would be sold as a job lot, or the network broken up, if necessary.

The ‘Remedies’ would seem to suggest that entering into a ‘brand licensing’ agreement with a buyer, as happened for a while with Heart 106 (now Gem) in the East Midlands, would not be an option. Neither would so-called ‘warehousing’, whereby the licences would change hands but Global would continue to run the entire operation under contract would seem to be off the menu.

It would have to be a clean break.

The two main problem areas for divestment would appear to be Yorkshire, where Global would end up with both regional licences, and Wales where there is already Capital in Cardiff and Heart in North/Northwest Wales, plus Real in both areas.

If there do have to be divestments then the Capitals could probably be the ones to go, while in North/Mid-Wales Global would have to decide whether to keep the former Marcher stations as Heart or risk listener confusion by offloading them and getting people to re-tune to the former Real frequencies.

Much of the speculation also seems to think that the offloaded assets would be to existing UK radio owners.

Orion, Celador and TIML (even if they are currently in the process of selling) are relative newcomers to radio ownership. Global only arrived on the scene in 2007 and acquired Gcap the following year. Bauer is also a relatively new name since buying emap in 2007.

Which is why I believe we might see some ‘new entrants’, whether existing foreign radio investors or some further companies formed by radio management with venture capital backing (similar to Orion), appear on the scene. There have been suggestions that France’s NRJ, who have long been interested in gaining a UK foothold, might be a contender; especially if Global considers selling some of the Capital stations. Now that could be interesting!

Remember, though, that the CC’s report is only a ‘provisional’ decision and the eventual outcome could well change; especially if there are some informal meetings between Global and other interested parties over the next few weeks.

I suspect there may still be some surprises in store.