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News Reporter Mafikeng

Radio still not up to 2009 levels - RAMS

3 May 2010

In the largest Radio Audience Measurement Survey (RAMS) sample to date, large urban listening levels are stable over recent releases and small urban/rural listening has remained unchanged across 2009, despite the introduction of the first of two new small urban/rural flooded samples scheduled for this year.

With a sample size of 25 861, the large urban sample covers fieldwork done from end-October to mid-March 2010, and the small urban/rural sample stretches from July-December 2009.

Radio listening has remained stable over the past two releases, but the medium has yet to recover to the levels seen a year ago, when radio listening was significantly higher across the week.

The small urban/rural data used for this release covers July - December 2009 period which was released with AMPS 2009AB in March this year. It will be refreshed again in October 2010. The third RAMS release of 2010 is scheduled for 15 June 2010.

Year on year gains

The following stations showed higher listening levels when compared to the year previous (April 2009 - April 2010):

Alfred Nzo Community Radio 98.3/93.8 fm: from 0.7% a year ago to 6.4%

Eden Fm: from 3.2% reach to 4.9%

Icora FM: from 2.2% to 3.2%

Izwi loMzansi 98.0 fm: from 1.4% to 2.7%

North West FM from 1.2% to 2.1%

Radio 2000: from 1.4% to 2.5% currently

Radio Khwezi: from 2.0% to 3.4%

Thetha FM 100.6: from 2.0% to 3.1%

Total radio listening

Past 7 day listening 87.1%, with declines in the small towns/villages sector.

Average Monday-Friday: 68.6%, with declines in the small towns/villages sector and in KwaZulu-Natal.

Saturday: 64.5%

Sunday: 64.7% with gains in the Cape Town fringe and in LSM® 8.

Time spent listening

Time spent listening (TSL) increased by three minutes per day over February 2010, bringing the levels in line with December 2009 survey.

Large urban TSL up by seven minutes per day

Small urban/rural TSL up only one minute

National TSL per day: 3h46

National TSL per week: 26h24

Large urban TSL per day: 3h36 (up in the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, Eastern Cape and Limpopo)

Small urban/rural TSL per day: 3h55 (up in the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo but down in KwaZulu-Natal)

Stations growing over past survey

While the general trend in the radio sector has been one of decline, with the majority of individual station shifts being downward, five commercial/PBS stations managed to grow their audiences over the previous RAMS release.

Station	Increase over previour release	Year-on-year
	RAMS Feb 10-Apr 10	RAMS Apr 09-Apr 10
BRFM	Weekly audience is up from 0.3% to 0.5%, with listeners in total up from 104 000 to 154 000. These gains were seen in East London, females and the 35+ age group. The station also grew its average Monday to Friday audience, from 0.1% to 0.2%.
Capricorn FM	Grew weekly audience from 3.9% to 4.5% currently, boosting its numbers from 1,277-million to 1,457-million, with more female listeners and listeners in the 15-34 age group tuning in.	Average Monday-Friday listening levels are not where they were before however, remaining significantly down from 2.7% to 2.2% currently (despite gains in LSM® 4).
Lesedi FM	Up from 3,353-million listeners to 3,602-million, with a reach of 11.1% (up from 10.3%). Gains were seen in the North West and in LSM® 8.
Munghana Lonene FM	Weekly audience grew from 3.9% to 3.6% (1,154-million listeners), with gains on the Reef and in LSM® 5.	Average Monday to Friday audiences however still significantly down from 2.4% to 2.0% currently), despite gains in LSM® 5.
Phalaphala FM	Improved on both its weekly and average Monday-Friday audience. Weekly listening rose from 1.8% to 2.4%, growing audience numbers from 601 000 to 765 000. Gains came from rural areas, Limpopo and female listeners. While average Monday-Friday figures are still significantly down on the year previous, weekday reach has nonetheless improved over the previous survey, from 1.0% to 1.3%, with gains in LSM® 4.

Community radio growth

Community radio is improving its weekly reach over RAMS February 2010 - from 22.6% to 23.7% and from 7,340-million listeners to 7,713-million now. The sector is also significantly up on the year previous (22.4%). Gains came from the small urban/rural component, the North West province, females and the 15-24 age group. Community radio is also up across weekdays, from 10.8% previously to 11.7%, with gains in the small urban/rural component, the Eastern Cape and North West, females, the 15-24 age groups and in LSM® 2 and 6.

Station	Increase over previous release
	RAMS Feb 10-Apr 10
Radio West Coast 92.3fm	up from 0.5% to 1.1% (34 000 listeners)
Imbokodo 96.8 FM	up from 0.5% to 1.3% (88 000 listeners)
Maputaland Community Radio 107.6 FM	up from 1.1% to 2.0% (130 000 listeners)
Mafikeng Community Radio	up from 1.4% to 6.8% (145 000 listeners)
Moutse Community Radio	up from 1.8% to 3.5% (85 000 listeners)
Motheo FM	up from 5.7% to 8.3% (171 000 listeners)
Vukani Community Radio	up from 1.9% to 3.3% (161 000 listeners)

Individual station declines

Station	Declines over previous release	Year-on year declines
	RAMS Feb 10-Apr 10	RAMS Apr 09-Apr 10
94.2 Jacaranda FM	Down from 7.0% to 6.1% across the week. Losses were seen in small urban/rural areas, in Limpopo, amongst males, and in the 15-24 age group. There were gains in LSM® 5.	Down from 7.3% to 6.1% (p7d). Also down on an average Monday-Friday from 3.2% to 2.7%.
94.5 Kfm	Declines from Monday to Friday from 2.1% to 1.7%. There are lower levels of listeners from small towns/villages and the Western Cape. Also declines in LSM® 6+ and 15-34s.	Down on an average Monday-Friday from 2.3% to 1.7%.
94.7 Highveld Stereo	Stable	From 4.4% to 3.8% across the week, and from 2.5% to 1.9% on weekdays.
Barberton Community Radio	Stable	Down from 5.5% to 3.0% (p7d).
East Coast Radio	Stable	Down from 6.0% to 5.2% (p7d) and from 3.5% to 2.8% (average Monday-Friday).
Gagasi 99.5FM	Stable	Average Monday-Friday audiences down from 3.5% to 2.8%.
Heart 104.9 FM	Stable	Down from 1.1% to 0.8% during weekdays.
Jozi FM	Stable	Down from 8.2% to 6.5% (p7d)
Ligwalagwala FM	Stable	Declined from 2.8% to 2.3% (average Monday-Friday)
METRO FM	Stable	Down from 17.0% to 15.4% (p7d) and from 6.8% to 5.8% (average Monday-Friday)
Motsweding FM	Stable	Declined from 5.6% to 5.0% across weekdays.
QwaQwa Radio	Down from 10.9% to 7.8% (p7d)	Stable
Radio Mafisa 93.4 FM	Stable	Down from 10.0% to 6.0% (p7d).
RMFM	Stable	Listenership is down across the week from 1.8% to 1.0%.
		Also down on weekdays from 0.5% to 0.3%.
RSG	Stable	Down from 6.0% to 5.1% (p7d) and from 3.8% to 3.1% (average Monday-Friday).
Thobela FM	Stable	Down from 9.6% to 8.6% (p7d) and from 5.6% to 4.6% on an average Monday-Friday.
Ukhozi FM	Stable	Listenership has dropped from 20.7% to 18.6% across the week. Listening is also down on an average Monday-Friday, from 13.4% to 11.4%.
Umhlobo Wenene FM	Stable	Declined from 14.9% to 13.0% but with gains in LSM® 5 (p7d), and from 9.9% to 8.6% during weekdays.