A steeply sloping spring.
Between April and June, 39 million French people listened to the radio, a million lost listeners compared to the first three months of the year.
And a new historic low for this medium.
This winter, the radio stations had already lost 2 million listeners globally ... The massive use of teleworking, the closures and a curfew which were only gradually lifted in May and June are all conditions that penalized listening to the radio on the move, during journeys to work or study places.
GPs in decline
As a result, almost all general practitioners are down compared to early 2021. France Inter has certainly managed to maintain its leadership. But, with 11.3% of cumulative audience, it is however down by one point and undergoes the strongest erosion. RTL retains the second place on the podium, but it loses 0.5 point of cumulative audience at 10%. With 5.8% cumulative audience, RMC retained its third place. The Altice group radio station even managed to remain stable, despite an unfavorable health context. France Bleu for its part loses 0.4 point to 5.6% of cumulative audience. Nothing is going any more for Europe 1. Already very badly in point, the Lagardère group radio closes the list of generalist stations and lands at 4.3% of cumulative audience, that is to say a fall of 0.7 point. France Info shows a similar loss,rising from 8.9 to 8.2% of cumulative audience.
Musicals are doing a little better.
NRJ loses only 0.1 point to 8.4% of cumulative audience.
Skyrock follows with 6.3% of cumulative audience, up 0.1 point.
Ditto for Nostalgie, which also gained 0.1 point to 5.2% cumulative audience.
Fun Radio, it landed at 3.7% of cumulative audience, down 0.1 point.
In short, the 2020-2021 season is coming to an end and all the stations are relieved.
The year has been trying with two lockdowns which diverted, between September and June, 1.865 million listeners in total, from the radio market, due to restrictions on car travel.
Grueling season
The season was marked by the domination of France Inter which monopolized the first place of French radios from the start of September to the end of June. The formula patiently constructed over the past five years by Laurence Bloch, the director of the station with a powerful morning show, high-level news appointments, entertainment shows and comedians who have swarmed on social networks, works, despite some signs of wear. Its rival, RTL firmly maintains its second place. Driven by the hot news, France Info, the continuous news station of the Radio France group completed the podium.
Behind, the other stations are tiring.
RMC has had a difficult season with a hole in the morning since the departure of Jean-Jacques Bourdin.
It has dropped back below the 6% cumulative audience mark.
Especially Europe 1 has stalled.
After several recovery attempts and a succession of early risers, the Lagardère group resort was weighed down by months of rumors of a takeover by Vivendi.
In the end, it remains well within the bosom of the Lagardère group but has resolved to join the Canal + group (a subsidiary of Vivendi) to reinvent a future for itself.
Prepare for the presidential campaign
This time, Europe 1 does not try to patch up its grid, it changes it from top to bottom for the start of the school year. Patrick Cohen, Julian Bugier, Matthieu Belliard, Bertrand Chameroy, Pascale Clark, Anne Roumanoff, Wendy Bouchard, Émilie Mazoyer or even Sophie Larmoyer are excluded. At the start of the school year, the grid will be emblazoned with Europe 1, Canal + and CNews. In the morning, we will find Dimitri Pavlenko, and Laurence Ferrari at the information hub in the evening for a joint program with CNews. Finally, the hosts Mouloud Achour and Laurie Cholewa land on Canal +.
In this month of July, spirits are already turned to spring 2022 and the presidential election. France Inter, radio leader, is approaching this season at high risk by recruiting columnists representing all political sensibilities from Natacha Polony (Marianne), to Cécile Duflot (the NGO Oxfam), via Étienne Gernelle (Le Point) and Alexandre Devecchio (Le Figaro) to "revive the debate of ideas" according to the words of Laurence Bloch in Le Parisien. For its part, RTL is strengthening its antenna both on information, humor and proximity to the French. Thus, Julien Courbet and Pascal Praud increase their airtime.
The season that will start in August 2021 is important. Because at each presidential election, the cards can be reshuffled. It will be necessary to know how to find the right tone, to understand the concerns of the listeners and to avoid any slippage.
