ABC radio is struggling to reach the masses; new data suggests the Canberra power brokers are not tuning in either
Welcome to Tuesdata, our weekly analysis for Unmade’s paying members.
Below, we examine newly released radio ratings for the ABC in Canberra amidst rising pressure on the broadcaster to recapture departed listeners. We also report on a poor day on The Unmade Index in which ARN Media’s market capitalisation fell back below $300m.
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What the new Canberra data tells us about the ABC’s radio exodus
Seja Al Zaidi and Tim Burrowes write:
The ABC’s senior management have been told by the broadcaster’s board that it must urgently address the decline of its radio performance. The directive, revealed in the Australian earlier this month, followed an internal report into the publicly funded broadcaster where it was found that radio listeners have been dropping off consistently in recent years.
The ABC has argued in recent weeks that coverage of Radio National, including by Unmade, “grossly misrepresents its listenership”. It issued a statement claiming what it described as its “five capital cities” listening was above 300,000. To reach that number, the ABC included cumulative listening in Canberra, Gold Coast and Newcastle.
These three regional markets are surveyed less frequently than the five capital cities which get eight surveys a year. Canberra, the GC and Newcastle get three surveys. Last week saw the release of Canberra’s second survey of the year, the first to be released since the furore.
Because the ABC has been using these regional numbers to bolster its claims about the health of its five capital cities audiences, it is timely to give more attention than usual to what’s going on in the Canberra market.
The argument has long been made that when it comes to ABC Radio National, part of its importance comes not just from overall national audience but from its influence over the political class in Canberra.
However, by that measure, Radio National is also in trouble. The new numbers reveal that Radio National has hit an all time low in Canberra too.
