1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,200 Hello, I'm James Cridland, the radio futurologist in every sort of month or so. I mean, it's supposed 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:10,080 to be weekly, but every month or so I write a newsletter all about the future of radio 3 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:15,040 and international radio trends and all of that. And this is it for the 10th of October 2023, 4 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:21,680 called Careful What the Numbers Tell You. For the last four years in Australia, commercial radio 5 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:28,000 and audio, the CRA, has been publishing audience figures that break down online audio, adding 6 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:34,480 two extra pages marked by radio type to the number pack for each capital city. And they're 7 00:00:34,480 --> 00:00:40,320 interesting to read, I'll link to them in my show notes and the newsletter at james.crid.land. 8 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:46,640 Australia is the only radio market, I think, which publicly splits out broadcast versus online 9 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:53,520 per station. And as you might guess, speech-led radio does very well streaming online. At breakfast 10 00:00:53,520 --> 00:01:02,720 in Sydney, for example, 27% of all radio streaming is to right-leaning talkback station 2GB and 12% 11 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:10,160 to ABC Radio Sydney. The old platform Breakfast Market Leader, the Music Station Kiss 1065, 12 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:16,160 can only manage a 9.8% online share, which is about half of what it is on broadcast radio. 13 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:22,160 Now that leads to some changes of priority for radio stations, and I'm not entirely sure how 14 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:27,120 helpful they are to audiences. So this week, for example, I'm waking up to ABC Radio Brisbane with 15 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:32,560 a big ticket giveaway for Sir Paul McCartney, who's playing Brisbane on November the 4th. No, 16 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:37,520 November the 1st in a concert that went on sale in August. Still, weirdly, isn't anywhere near 17 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:43,520 sold out. Anyway, the only way to enter the giveaway for these tickets is to download the ABC Listen 18 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:49,360 app to find ABC Radio Brisbane, to scroll down to the picture of Paul Thumsiloft Paul McCartney, 19 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:53,760 and enter the code word of the day into the app. It's a fairly transparent push to get more 20 00:01:53,760 --> 00:02:00,000 installations of the app and therefore to grow ABC Radio Brisbane's online share. 8.4% in case 21 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,440 you're wondering, as opposed to 6% overall. It also sounds really clunky on the air. 22 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:12,560 Mine Radio, the owner of 2GB, gives streaming share equal prominence to overall share in its 23 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:17,200 press releases, which is fine. They've certainly got something to shout about, but it's quite a lot 24 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:21,680 focused to give a relatively small platform because, and I think this is a little bit misleading, 25 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:30,240 the share of listening between broadcast radio, AM, FM, DAB and online isn't given anywhere 26 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:36,640 in the CRA's releases. Now there's a little bit of a glimpse at the truth with the cumulative 27 00:02:36,640 --> 00:02:43,520 audience figure. So 2GB, that's the number one for streaming, let's not forget, reaches 701,000 28 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:53,760 people weekly on AM, FM, DAB plus. Just 169,000 people online, that's 24% of their total, and in 29 00:02:53,760 --> 00:03:01,600 total 2GB reaches 756,000 people, which means that 15% of people listen to both. But the total 30 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:06,080 number of hours spent with online versus broadcast, well that's no way to be seen at all. 31 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:11,600 And now somebody quietly contacted me with those numbers late last year, and at that point 32 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:17,760 the figures suggested that online radio listening in Australia was just 18% of the total. But looking 33 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:23,840 at the CRA figures, you'd never know that online radio listening was so small, just 18%. It's given 34 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:29,680 equal prominence to broadcast radio, which is still more than four times as large. And it's a bit 35 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:35,600 more misleading when you look at the DAB plus survey numbers, which the CRA publishes separately. 36 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:42,880 Those contain a long list of barely listened to radio stations, only quoting CUME since total 37 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:47,360 share would look slightly embarrassing. And you'd assume by looking at these numbers that the number 38 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:56,480 one DAB station in Brisbane is smooth with 88,000 listeners, followed by 973 Kiss 90s with 60,000 39 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:02,400 listeners. But that's misleading as well, because the majority of DAB listening is to the big 40 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:08,880 simulcast stations also carried on AM and FM. But you'd never know, because those figures don't 41 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:16,160 mention the biggest stations on DAB plus, which must be 4BC and ABC Radio Brisbane, B105, NOVA, 42 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:23,120 all of those. So as a result, many radio journalists or even radio executives think that DAB 43 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:27,680 plus is a failed experiment and that nobody bothers with it. So it might be interesting to know that 44 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:34,960 while online radio accounts for 18% of all radio listening in capital cities, DAB plus accounts for 45 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:41,920 20%. It's quite hard to listen to the radio for any length of time without hearing a promotion 46 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:48,240 for ABC Listen or the iHeart Radio app or listener or the 4BC app. You'll never hear DAB though, 47 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:53,760 mentioned on air by any of the big services. But in spite of that free promotion for apps every 48 00:04:53,760 --> 00:05:00,560 hour, all day, DAB plus does better than online streaming, except no one wants you to know that, 49 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:05,120 not publicly anyway. Those numbers are of course available directly to the stations. 50 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:11,440 Now Radio Days Asia, one Australian radio executive I spoke to was baffled that I was telling them 51 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:16,160 that DAB plus was bigger than streaming in Australia and who can blame them if the only 52 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:21,680 numbers they have are presented in this way. So I linked to how the UK does it and I quite like 53 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:26,480 that in Australia, if that's possible please, that'd be nice. And a plea to all radio broadcasters out 54 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:34,080 there please, don't focus on growing the 18% to the detriment of the 82%. Owning a big stick that 55 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:39,600 transmits free to your local area is your unique point of difference. There are maybe 40 or 50 56 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:44,000 other radio stations out there. Why would you want to promote listening on a device that costs 57 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:48,480 your listeners money to listen? It's the same place as you can listen to Spotify and YouTube music 58 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:52,240 whether there are thousands of other radio stations and where you have no competitive advantage 59 00:05:52,240 --> 00:06:00,000 whatsoever. Now to give them their due, the CRA release for Survey Six does point out that in 60 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:06,800 the latest survey period nearly 4.2 million people listened to commercial radio via a DAB plus radio 61 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:12,960 and nearly 3.6 million listened via live streaming. So it is there but you've got to really know to 62 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:18,720 look. Not that I can listen to commercial radio on DAB plus in Brisbane in my car anymore, mind you 63 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:23,840 because after a software upgrade to the commercial radio multiplexes my Toyota car can no longer 64 00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:29,440 pick them up and I can no longer listen to any commercial radio in this city. I linked to a 65 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:33,520 rather tedious video if you can help me understand what on earth is going on. Apparently it's just 66 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:40,000 my car. One set of people slightly evasively tell me it's just my car. Another set of people tell me 67 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:44,640 that it's an issue for all 2015 Toyota vehicles and they've had multiple reports. Don't really know 68 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:51,040 what the truth is. Frankly I'm losing patience to find out. The ABC stations though are on a 69 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:56,640 separate multiplex. ABC uses Panada rather than commercial radio, Factor and Radio Escape and 70 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:01,680 they sound just fine and as an added bonus none of the ABC radio stations contain advertising for 71 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:07,840 tiles. So I've resigned myself to the fact that I can no longer listen to any commercial or 72 00:07:07,840 --> 00:07:12,960 community stations on DAB plus any longer in the car and that's a shame but that's progress I guess. 73 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:18,800 Other things going on in the news. Happy 50th birthday to commercial radio in the UK with 74 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:25,600 LBC and Capital celebrating this month. Also happy 100th birthday to Radio in Australia with 2SB 75 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:31,280 which is now known as ABC Radio Sydney celebrating next month and if you'd like an LBC documentary 76 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:37,600 I linked to a 10 year old one hosted by Clive Bull. In my newsletter it's got me in there 37 77 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:43,040 minutes in if you're lucky and LBC's 50th tinged with a little sadness for me because my friend Paul 78 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:50,000 Eastern would have loved to have celebrated it. Talking of LBC I love the 404 error page that 79 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:54,800 you get when you try finding a page that doesn't exist on the LBC website it's worth a peek. 80 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:01,760 I'm ashamed to see UK DAB networks which is a small-scale DAB operator in the UK in places like 81 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:07,040 Winchester and Basingstoke go into liquidation. Ash Elford is an excellent man with his heart in 82 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:13,600 the right place and he sees this as a failure but I see it as a success for running those services 83 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:19,520 for as long as he has and doing some excellent education so congratulations Ash. I also linked 84 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:24,720 to a random Dutch man walking around IBC in Amsterdam if you missed it it's very good. 85 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:28,880 Disappointed to notice that lots of people are leaving BBC local radio at the moment because 86 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:35,520 of cost-cutting particularly disappointed given that the BBC is also currently advertising 87 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:41,120 on Elon Musk's hate-filled Twitter website or X or whatever the thing is called these days. 88 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:44,480 Why the BBC is funding that? Haven't only knows but anyway it's up to them I suppose. 89 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:50,160 The Nikki Campbell Radio 5 Live on BBC News Channel show has been halved in length. You might 90 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:55,040 remember I took a long look behind the scenes not so long back. Everybody says it's absolutely 91 00:08:55,040 --> 00:09:00,240 perfect and it's the way that it should have been so that's all okay then. Matt Deegan listened to 92 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:05,120 a radio station running AI-generated local news. Now in Australia there's an AI voice doing news 93 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:10,560 on disrupt radio as well. I'm a little reticent I have to say about using AI to produce editorial. 94 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:17,920 Radio GPT which is Futuris AI service has clear human oversight throughout the process. I do 95 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:23,840 think that that's required. I think Kerry Jones has the right idea. He tweeted not so long ago that 96 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:30,160 we should treat AI as an intern who needs their work checked. Yes congratulations I would 97 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:36,160 hardly agree with that. In Australia SPS Radio has a new schedule. It's removed BBC World Service 98 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:42,480 from DAB between 11 and 5. 11 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon which probably means that more 99 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:46,960 listeners will find the excellent ABC News Radio though so that's all okay. Nothing to do with radio 100 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:53,120 but if you like travel blogs I link to my latest travel blog there and I've also been rather enjoying 101 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:58,640 using pay for search engine as a replacement to Google. It's called Caggy I think. Anyway there's 102 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:04,800 a free trial which is worth giving it a go if you wanted to. Now I'm speaking at the I'm speaking 103 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:11,360 at a few events. So Media and Target in Munich in October also Audio Days in Denmark and PodCon 104 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:17,760 MX in Mexico City in November it would be excellent to see one of those and thank you to Broadcast 105 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:24,000 Radio to Clyde Broadcast Richard Hilton and James Masterson. Brun Audio Consulting, Somer FM 106 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:28,400 and Media Realms Meta Radio for your support. If you'd like to support my work in any way you 107 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:32,560 can buy me a coffee. Become a member to give regularly or just give a one-off coffee or five 108 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:39,280 you can do that at buymeacoffee.com slash jamescridland. I'm on Master Don as well just give me a search 109 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:44,400 james at crid.land you should find me there and my professional website has a little bit more detail 110 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:48,880 about who I am and what you what I do and all of that and whether I can help you further that's 111 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:58,880 james.cridland.net and until next time keep listening.