Media & Marketing: The release this afternoon of the latest radio listenership figures will have significant bearing on the media plans of some of the largest advertisers in the economy.
Some radio stations may have to make painful decisions based on the detailed figures included in the Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) survey. The survey will allow media buyers to assess the strengths and weaknesses of various stations over 2004.
Agencies warned yesterday that some stations might move to raise their rates based on higher figures, but ultimately, the agencies base their decisions on a cost-per-thousand model - in other words, for how much stations can sell them an audience. While still a poor relation of the television and newspaper sectors, radio remains relatively cheap, and is consequently popular with advertisers.
Mr Paul Moran, managing director of Mediaworks, said this was likely to continue. "New entrants are coming into the sector on an ongoing basis," he said. "The sector is uniquely popular.
"In Britain, the BBC still has a large audience, but they are a non-commercial offering. In Ireland, things are different, particularly with the way RTÉ is set up," he said
"Radio is also a very immediate medium. You can get an advertisement commissioned and produced in a very short time and for relatively low cost. It is totally different from television, for instance."
While there is evidence that national radio is struggling a little, figures released two weeks ago showed that revenue in local radio stations increased by 10 per cent in 2004.
In terms of headlines, today's figures will provide the first official insight into how Eamonn Dunphy is performing at NewsTalk 106. He is believed to be paid a basic salary of about €600,000, and his morning show holds the key to future growth at the station.
Advertisers expect the figures to be reasonably strong, but because NewsTalk lacks a national licence, it is unlikely that the show's ratings will be anything near the audience achieved while he hosted TodayFM's The Last Word.
Nevertheless, advertisers will expect to see a reasonably strong showing among younger listeners.
Mr Moran said that based on the kind of audiences regularly reported for morning time by Dublin stations 98 FM and FM 104, the Dunphy show should be able to post an average quarter-hour figure of 20,000.
Apart from the Dunphy factor, RTÉ Radio One's figures are likely to attract the usual high level of interest. Under huge pressure in Dublin, in particular, the station recently announced a reshuffle, with Ryan Tubridy taking over from Marian Finucane in the key slot after Morning Ireland.
Ms Finucane has decided to move into weekend radio, and Tubridy's replacement show will run between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. during the summer months. What happens after that has yet to be clarified.
If the summer arrangements remain in place in the long term, it would involve shaving an hour off Pat Kenny's show, but the figures this week may influence deliberations at Montrose.
For example, what if the Marian Finucane show showed a strong ratings increase? More importantly, what if Today with Pat Kenny recorded a sharp drop? Would this prompt the director of radio, Mr Adrian Moynes, to stick with Tubridy and effectively downgrade the Today with Pat Kenny show?
Over at TodayFM, the main area of concern is The Last Word, which slipped back significantly the last time. The station has kept faith with presenter Matt Cooper, but the show is facing serious competitive pressures.
In Dublin, the station faces competition from the loyal audience built up by George Hook on NewsTalk.
On the national stage, Five Seven Live remains a strong brand for RTÉ.
With the Broadcasting Commission expected shortly to consider the idea of offering another national licence, TodayFM will be looking to consolidate its current position, especially in the morning with Ian Dempsey.
Saor Communications said yesterday that advertisers would also be watching the fiercely competitive Dublin market to see if 98FM had increased its slender lead over FM104 with the help of its pre-Christmas wedding promotion.
Recent figures from the Institute of Advertising Practitioners of Ireland showed national radio advertising down by 2 per cent in 2004, but it is understood RTÉ and TodayFM may challenge this finding.
Poster Boost
The intense competition between the three mobile operators, Meteor, Vodafone and O2, shows little sign of reducing.
New figures from Poster Management shows all three companies in the top 10 spenders on outdoor advertising in 2004. Based on a 32-county calculation, Vodafone spent €3.3 million during the year, followed by O2 with a €2.5 million spend and Meteor with a €1.5 million spend.
Vodafone was only beaten into second place by Guinness, with a €5 million spend.
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