SAARF: Radio continues to deliver audiences

The South African Advertising Research Foundation (SAARF) released its latest RAMS results today, showing that radio is a “medium that can be counted on to reliably deliver audiences’.

Despite the inclusion of the second new small urban/rural database for 2011, covering Jan-June 2011 fieldwork, radio listening levels have remained stable across the week, both across the previous release and the year previous. This new database was behind most of the overall shifts seen in listening on a provincial basis, but has not influenced listening levels in total.

Across the week, overall listening levels are unchanged over RAMS Aug 11:

Past 7 days (p7d): 88.6% of all adults aged 15+ (growth in the Western Cape and North West, and declines in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga)
Average Monday to Friday: 69.0% (growth in the Western Cape, but declines in the Eastern Cape)
Saturday: 65.9% (growth in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, with declines in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga)
Sunday: 65.1% (declines in the Eastern Cape)

Radio listening in the Provinces

Commercial radio

Six commercial/PBS stations showed statistically significant changes over the previous RAMS release.

Only Capricorn FM grew its audience. Across the week, the station’s national reach has increased to 4.5%, from 3.5% in RAMS Aug 11. Capricorn FM’s weekly audience is now over the 1.5-million mark, with gains coming through primarily from rural areas, Limpopo and in the LSM 5 market.

On an average Monday to Friday, the station’s reach rose from 1.5% previously, to 2.0% in the current release, with a total audience of 675 000. Gains can be tracked back to rural areas, Limpopo, males, and the 35-49 age group.

All other significant changes over RAMS Aug 11 were unfortunately negative:

Jacaranda 94.2 lost audience in KwaZulu-Natal and LSM 8, which contributed to the decline of its reach, from 6.5% (p7d) previously to 5.8%.
Ligwalagwala FM’s weekly reach is down from 4.6% to 3.6%, with declines coming from cities and large towns, rural areas, the 15-34 age group, and LSM 6.
Phalaphala FM’s average Monday to Friday reach across SA declined from 1.9% to 1.4%, with losses in rural areas, Limpopo, amongst males, in the 35+ age group, and in LSM 1-6.
Thobela FM’s national reach across the week dropped from 9.1% to 7.9%, with audience attrition in rural areas, Mpumalanga, the North West and amongst females. The station’s Monday to Friday reach is also down over RAMS Aug 11, from 5.1% to 4.5%, with declines seen in small towns, villages and rural areas, Mpumalanga, and amongst females.
Umhlobo Wenene FM’s weekly reach dropped from 12.1% to 11.3%, a decline seen in small towns, villages and rural areas, the Free State and Mpumalanga.

A number of stations show audience levels that are either improved over the year previous, or that have yet to return to levels seen in RAMS Oct 10.

Please note that all figures for commercial radio reflected in this article are percentaged on a national basis. Only stations showing statistically significant audience changes are reported on here. For a full list of audience figures, please visit www.saarf.co.za, and click on “RAMS^® (radio)”. Results reflect all adults aged 15+.

Community radio

Please note that all figures for community radio reflected in this article are percentaged on a provincial basis. Only stations showing statistically significant audience changes are reported on here. For a full list of audience figures, please visit www.saarf.co.za, and click on “RAMS^® (radio)”. Results reflect all adults aged 15+.

Community radio, like the medium in general, has remained stable over the previous RAMS release, although its current levels are significantly better than they were in RAMS Oct 10.

Across the week, community radio reaches 24.9% of South Africa’s adults (15+), up from 23.1% a year ago. This brings community radio’s total audience up to 8,480-million, an increase of 626 000.

Average Monday to Friday reach is also significantly higher, at 12.8% (compared to 11.8% in RAMS Oct 10).

The sector has benefited from more listeners in the North West, and in LSM 2 and 3.

Eight community stations showed significantly changed reach into their respective provinces over RAMS Aug 11.

Alex fm: UP from 0.3% to 0.7% (p7d)
Alfred Nzo Community Radio 98.3/93.8 fm: UP from 6.2% to 8.2% (p7d)
MOKOPANE FM 100.0 AM: UP from 0.6% to 2.2% (p7d)
Newcastle Community Radio: DOWN from 2.6% to 1.6% (p7d)
SEKHUKHUNE COMMUNITY RADIO (SKFM): UP from 1.5% to 4.0% (p7d)
Soshanguve Community Radio: UP from 0.8% to 1.5% (p7d)
Unitra Community Radio (UCR-FM): DOWN from 7.4% to 5.0% (p7d)
Vaaltar FM (VTR FM): UP from 3.6% to 7.5% (p7d)

A number of community stations show p7d audience levels that are either improved over the year previous, or that have yet to return to levels seen in RAMS Oct 10.