Radio broadcasting in Sofia - a year of dinamic changes
date: 20.05.2000
During the year 1999 radio broadcasting in Sofia showed every feature of a developed media market:
· Great number of broadcasting radio stations;
· Variety of program formats and strategies;
· Variety of audience preferences;
· High audience mobility of radio listeners;
· Dynamic restructuring of the distribution of radio stations' audiences.
Last year outlined three major trends:
First, Horizont - the program of the Bulgarian National Radio, the national medium - has reduced its audience in comparison with 1998. The average percentage of listeners for 1999 is 30-34 per cent. The medium still has its share on the market among middle-aged and elderly generations. The 'niche' opened among younger and middle-aged people even is the object of competition among all other radio stations. Although Horizont still retains its leading position, it has not more than one quarter of the radio market in Sofia.
Second, private radio stations like FM+, Darik, Viva and Vitosha keep up steady shares of the audience. Depending on the month and the season, Darik and FM+ alternate in occupying the top places among radio stations in Sofia. Viva, followed by Vitosha, has been making steady progress for the whole period.
Third, more considerable hesitations have been observed among the audiences of Tangra, Express, Signal+, Vesselina and Radio 99. Significant parts of their audiences come within the so-called 'soft' audience, i.e. the respective radio comes as second or third choice in the listener's preferences. The presence of a larger soft audience could be an initial symptom for a stable growth in the sum total of radio listeners who are more mobile in their behavior, which explains the fluctuations in the monthly ratings.
The most obvious distinction among the different radio stations is based on their program format - whether it is information-based or music-based. In some cases the station's format is firmly fixed as one or the other, in others it is characterized by the relative predominance of either music or information.
Preferences for stations with music-based format dominate among radio audiences in Sofia. During the last six months of 1999 listeners who prefer music were by 17 per cent points more than those who prefer information.
Audience preferences vary depending on the social and demographic characteristics of the audience groups. Age differences account for the most considerable differences. The greater the age of the listener, the greater the interest in information. In the age group 61 and over, those who prefer music are twice as little as those seeking information and comments. In the youngest age group the ratio is not only the reverse, but it is much more definitely expressed - those who prefer music are ten times more than those showing any interest in information. The factor determining the choice of a specific radio station is the kind of music the listener prefers. This is discussed in greater detail below.
A radio station's format is most accurately described by the structure of the preferences of its audience. The radio stations Horizont, Free Europe, BBC and Deutsche Welle have a definitely information-based format. Among the audiences they share the percentage of listeners who prefer music is considerably smaller than the average percentage for Sofia. A common characteristic of the audiences of these stations is the high average age of listeners. With the exception of Horizont, these radio stations have listeners with specific preferences and audience behavior, thus forming relatively small audience groups.
Darik Radio defines itself as information-oriented radio station. At the same time, the structure of preferences of its audience shows that interest in information is not the unquestionably dominant factor. The percentages of listeners preferring music or information are equal - 42 per cent each of the total audience, which reflects the various types of audience the radio station attracts.
The audiences of all other radio stations have a clearly expressed priority - music. Musical preferences are particularly prevalent among the audiences of FM+, Viva, Radio+, Practice, Canal Com, Signal+, Tangra and Mila. With these seven radio stations the percentage of listeners preferring music is about 70 per cent, and of those preferring information - less than 20 per cent. Having this format, these radio stations attract mainly young people and form audiences with the lowest average age.
Among radio stations with music-based format we witness the formation of another group, where the percentage of those seeking information is relatively high - over 20 per cent. Such is the case with Radio Vitosha, Express, Radio99 and Vesselina. They are characterized by a wider presentation of the different age and social groups within their audiences. Putting the emphasis on music, these radio stations respond to the interests of the youngest listeners, and the specific presence of information helps them keep their audience form the middle-aged groups.
