Neil Bierbaum
A NUMBER of radio stations — some of them leaders in the field — have had a decrease in audience figures, according to research just released by the All Media and Product Survey (Amps).
The Amps survey is conducted twice a year by the South African Advertising Research Foundation (Saarf) and provides in-depth information on media usage and product consumption in South Africa.
Its latest figures show SAfm has suffered heavy audience losses, particularly among white, coloured and Indian listeners, apparently as a result of its changes in format. The average daily listenership for the station dropped from 454 000 a day in 1994 (when SAfm was Radio South Africa) to 305 000 in 1995.
It is not clear where these listeners went, as there were no significant increases in the listenership of other stations. Radio 702 and 5FM both lost listeners, as did Radio 2000, Highveld Stereo and Radio Metro.
But there seems to be a trend towards regional radio. Most regional stations gained listeners, which is encouraging for new radio stations. Radio Kfm, based in the Western Cape, for instance, increased its average daily listenership by 41 percent. New Eastern Cape station Brfm, an offshoot of Radio Algoa, experienced an increase of 208 percent, while Radio Algoa dropped by 10 000 to 189 000.
Despite programming changes and very visible advertising, Radio Metro showed a 18,5 percent fall in audience, much of it in the morning drivetime.
SPORT