Capital FM must make further gains
Listener research Radio Capital stopped the the listener erosion of its predecessor station ExtraBern, but a real turnaround is not in sight.
Radio Capital FM (ex ExtraBern) recently issued a press release in which
the people in charge of the radio station about the first three months of the new
the transmitter set up. The on January 23, 2006
Capital FM, which was launched in the first quarter of its
broadcasting operation "significantly better listener figures than its predecessor station
Radio ExtraBern in the last quarter of 2005", it said in the
Communiqué. ExtraBern had previously worked with the company over a period of around two
continuously lost listeners over the years. "Capital FM was able to
Correct development right from the start of transmission." This is documented with
Radiocontrol data: According to this, Capital FM in the first three months
in German-speaking Switzerland an average daily reach of 75100
people, 12.6 percent more than ExtraBern in the last quarter of 2005
(66700). The average daily usage time of Capital FM
amounted to 37 minutes and was thus 10 percent above the last values of
ExtraBern. In this respect, the title of the press release "Trend reversal
entitled".
But the station managers didn't say a word about the competition
and certainly not about the situation in the Bern region, the
the station's actual home territory. This is where the trend reversal
but, above all, the primary goal of the relaunch could not be achieved,
to become number 1 again will not be achieved by far.
Amazing values
During its first 100 days in Berne, Capital FM was able to
also increase: among listeners aged 15 and over, it has
40600 persons or 11.2 % more than in the last quarter of 2005.
percent more, and in the target group of 15 to 49-year-olds it increased by
by 6 percent to 28,200 people. What is astonishing, however, is that in the
During the same period, rival station BE1 made even greater gains: It won in both target groups
around 10,000 more people and now has 7,100,000 listeners (+14.8 percent)
and 61400 listeners (+19.4 percent). The difference in market share
is also striking: BE1 reaches 9.5 percent of all listeners,
Capital FM to 4.7 percent. Among 15- to 49-year-olds, BE1
even has a market share of 21 percent, Capital FM has 7.2 percent.
percent.
Martin Freiburghaus, Director of BE1, therefore states in an e-mail to
customers and business partners: "Radio BE1 therefore remains the number 1
among the Bernese stations - the relaunch of Capital FM has done nothing to change this.
changed." Which further diminishes the success of Capital FM:
The public broadcasters DRS 1 and DRS 3 also recorded a slight increase in sales.
Bern. At a higher level, like Capital FM, they have now reached the
listeners aged 15 and over around 4000 more. In the target group 15 to
49, on the other hand, DRS 1 suffered a slight decline, while
DRS 3 even outperformed Capital FM by 7,700 listeners or 12.1 percent
was able to increase.
How does the Swiss Radio Pool, of which Capital FM is a member, react to
the first figures? Pool manager Andreas Meili is pleased that the Bernese
pool partner increased both in terms of reach and listening time.
"This shows that listeners still appreciate it when you are in
invested in quality," he says. But what has been achieved is not enough.
"Capital FM needs to make further gains relatively quickly and outperform BE1
catch up," demands Meili.
However, certain reservations about the figures are appropriate: they
should be treated with caution due to the short survey period.
The Radiocontrol half-year figures, which will be available from mid-July, will be
provide more precise information.
Markus Knöpfli
