Katz releases Fall 2006 national format averages
The latest Katz Media Group Radio National Format Averages report for all Fall 2006 markets shows how demos continue to play an increasing role in analyzing the shifts seen among formats. Katz analyzed over 4,000 stations and nearly 50 formats in 298 Arbitron markets to produce the figures for this study. 35 format classifications - some separately for AM and FM stations - are examined in detail.
This year Katz sees a pattern that show more stability among broad-based formats, particularly those targeting 25-54 year-olds. Many formats with broad demographic appeal finish either higher or remain stable from a year ago. These formats include AC, Soft AC, Country, News and News/Talk. A similar trend is seen over the past five years with these same formats. These formats appeal to a wider spectrum of demographics and, as a result, seem to experience fewer peaks and valleys than more targeted formats. Growth takes on a slower, more consistent track and sudden declines or increases are less likely.
The other side to this story appears to be those formats which appeal to highly targeted audiences - either by age or ethnicity. Formats such as Big Band or Adult Standards on the older end, and CHR and Alternative Rock on the younger end all show declines this Fall. Over the past five years each of these formats has shown much more inconsistency - either up or down - than their broad-based counterparts.
The "generational" formats - or those programming to specific decades of music such as Oldies, 80's or the Classic Rock formats - all show a similar instability over time. These formats are more likely to show these inconsistencies due to the fact that they are reliant on a specific age group for their listening.
There could be a number of factors at work causing these patterns, including sub-par survey sampling within specific demos, changing lifestyles among young adults, changing music tastes, the availability of a wider variety of media options, and increased multi-tasking or simultaneous usage of media. "We do know that some overall radio listening patterns have been less stable in 12-24 and 55+ age cells, which can affect relative 12+ share performance. We also suspect that changes in unidentified radio listening, which can include unlisted stations, non-commercial stations, internet radio streams and satellite radio, can affect the shares of listed stations in the local market report. Any combination of these factors could cause changes within specific demos from year to year," said the report.
Additional highlights:
· An exception to the demographic trend noted earlier occurs in Urban Adult Contemporary and Rhythmic CHR. Both of these Urban-based formats see a significant increase since last year. Current shares for each are at the highest level in a decade.
· The Country format continues its slow, but consistent increase over the past five or six years. The format remains the most popular, posting a significant advantage over the number two format. It is worth noting that Country continues to stand out as the one broad format that has not branched out over the years into significant younger- or older-skewing variations that are distinct enough to track as a separate programming category.
· The Hispanic format remains the number two format behind Country. Katz tracked a slight decline from last Fall, but this trend could be a bit deceiving. Spanish-language radio has experienced a huge surge over the past few years in all areas, including the number of stations and the number of markets where the format appears. As the format expanded beyond its traditional core markets, it stands to reason that the total audience share in these new metros is lower than in those with larger Hispanic populations, thus lowering the average market share. Format share trends also tend to flatten out as formats mature. It is important to note that current shares are consistent with or higher than previous years.
