Radio listeners changing habits

KPLA now No. 1 in key rating

People are tuning into the radio less and instead are spending more time logged onto the Internet and listening to music on their iPhones and iPods. It’s a national phenomenon, but it’s also affecting the local radio market.

Overall, they’re listening to the radio nearly three hours less per week now than they were in 2006. In spring 2007, survey participants spent around 18 hours and 45 minutes a week listening to the radio. In spring 2009, radio listeners were only spending around 16 hours tuning in.

“There are more choices today,” said Jack Miller, president of True Media, a media strategy and communications company. “More choices result in a dilution of consumers exposed to any one media.”

The CBT, with Miller’s help, analyzed statistics from Arbitron, a research firm that surveys radio listeners. The statistics were from two listening periods, or ratings books: fall 2008 to spring 2008 and fall 2008 to spring 2009. The analysis used surveys of listeners ages 25-54, the demographic of most interest to advertisers, and measured time spent listening as well as each station’s share of radio listeners in the market

KCLR, a country music station owned by Zimmer Radio Group that had been No. 1 in the local market for years, had the largest drop in time spent listening since 2006. KCLR fell to No. 2 in market share, behind KPLA, an adult contemporary station owned by Cumulus Broadcasting.

In spring 2006, KCLR’s market share was 14.3 percent. In the fall 2006-spring 2007 ratings period, its share fell to 12. 8 percent, but it remained on top of the market.

Over the next two years, the station’s market share fell to 11.4 percent and then 8.9 percent, and the time spent listening fell from 10:15 to 7:45 to 6:15. In the latest survey, KCLR’s market share bounced back a bit to 10.4 percent, but its market share still fell 9 percent.

In spring 2006, KPLA’s market share was 6.1 percent. In the fall 2006-spring 2007 ratings period, its ratings share grew to 8.1 percent.

The station’s market share continued to grow over the next two years. By fall of 2007-spring 2008, KPLA’s market share was at 10.1 percent. It grew to 12.7 percent in the next rating’s book. The station’s time spent listening was at 7:00 and grew to 7:45. In the most recent survey, KPLA’s market share dropped a bit to 11.7 percent, and its time spent listening fell a bit as well to 7:00.

KFRU, a local AM news/talk radio station, saw its time spent listening measurement drop 17 percent from one year ago. However KFRU’s share of the market increased slightly, from 5.1 to 5.2 percent.

KFRU’s main competitor is another news/talk station, KSSZ, an FM station better known as the Eagle. The Eagle’s time spent listening increased 4 percent from one year ago, according to the Arbitron statistics.

Programming Manager Nicci Garmon said the Eagle had good books for the demographics it was looking for.

KBIA, the University of Missouri-Columbia’s radio affiliate and local National Public Radio station, had a 26 percent decrease in time spent listening and a 38 percent decrease in market share since one year ago. The station’s market share dropped from 6.3 to 3.9 percent.

The radio market has been suffering the same fate as the rest of the media world. Commercial stations are dependent on advertising revenue, and stations are experiencing decreases nationally, Miller said.

But Mark Mills, Cumulus’ local market manager, remains optimistic.

“We’re lucky in the fact that we’re still a small market,” Mills said.

Being a small market allows the sales staff members to talk to their customers every day and work with them to maintain a profitable business plan.

The Eagle is also doing “pretty well” with advertising, Garmon said. Although advertising revenue for the entire industry is down, the Eagle is not one of Zimmer’s struggling stations, she said.