Radio Audience United Kingdom

Overview Audience Research Audience Interactivity Audience Interactivity and Democracy References

UK Audience Research RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) Official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK Partially owned by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Partially owned by the RadioCentre On behalf of the commercial sector Represents interest and views of commercial radio Latest Data release was on 2 February 2012 Quarter 4 of 2011 October – December 2011

UK Audience Research 310 individual stations on the survey and results are published every quarter. 46.7 million Adult weekly listeners 89.8% of the UK population Adult = 15 years and older Listens at least 5 minutes a week Platforms FM and AM transmissions, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), or the Internet. RAJAR is based on a diary, where a listener records (either on paper or online) their radio listening.

UK Audience Research Top 10 Stations (Most amount of listeners) 1. BBC Radio 2 (14.3m) 2. BBC Radio 1 (11.7m) 3. BBC Radio 4 (10.8m) 4. Heart (7.5m) 5. Capital (7.0m) 6. BBC Radio 5 live (6.3m) 7. Classic FM (5.4m) 8. Kiss (4.2m) 9. Magic (3.9m) 10. Smooth Radio (3.3m)

Audience Interactivity “Public voting is a central factor in many BBC television and radio programmes. It is an extremely popular way for our audiences to interact with BBC content and programmes. ” - BBC © 2012 Audience is encouraged to interact Favourite Song to most loved children’s character. Raising money for charitable purposes. Interactive radio programming and drama. Competitions, talent search, BBC awards.

Audience Interactivity Methods Online Mobile Fax (or letter) Digital Radio Digital Television Importance “Multiplier effect” Radio is “a friend” Immediate Selective Credibility

Audience Interactivity and Democracy Public Participation Political Process Broader Listening Political Debates Radio contributes to democracy Anytime Anywhere Be in contact Let your voice be heard Societal integration Learn to deliberate

References http://www.radiocentre.org/membership http://www.rajar.co.uk/ http://www.mediauk.com/article/32695/the-most-popular-radio-stations-in-the-uk http://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/page/guidance-interactivity-votes#introduction http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio/what-we-want/interactive.shtml http://ripeat.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/hibbert.pdf http://www.onadvertising.co.uk/Radio-Advertising-Benefits.html