Rother FM - Ofcom Licensing

Section 105 (D): Evidence of local demand or support
f) A summary of the main findings from the research, showing how these demonstrate evidence of
demand for the service proposed
Radio listening habits
The first series of questions aimed to establish radio listening habits in Rotherham. 61% of
respondents described themselves as regular listeners, with the figure highest amongst 15-34
year olds. The other 39% said they sometimes listened to the radio. 27% of respondents
chose Hallam FM as the station they listened to most often. This was followed by Galaxy 105
(15%), BBC Radio Sheffield (14%), BBC Radio 2 (11%) and BBC Radio 1 (9%). Hallam FM
was the most popular choice with all age groups between 25 and 64 – including, perhaps
surprisingly, 55-64 year olds. 15-24 year olds preferred Galaxy 105, with 55% choosing it as
their most listened-to station. BBC Radio Sheffield was the most popular choice among the
65+ age group. However, it’s worth pointing out the strong showing by BBC Radio Sheffield
with all groups over 45. 14% of 45-54 years olds chose it as their most listened-to station, the
same number as those who chose Radio 2. And with the 55-64 year olds, BBC Radio
Sheffield is challenging Hallam FM as the most popular choice. These figures show a strong
propensity to listen to local radio, and in particular, commercial local radio such as the
heritage station Hallam FM.
Satisfaction levels are currently very high with the current selection of commercial stations
available, with 70% of respondents saying they were “fully satisfied”, and just 3% expressing
any level of dissatisfaction. The challenge for Rother FM is to offer a new choice that will be
able to make an impact on a marketplace in which potential listeners are already well satisfied
with their listening choice.
Music
As outlined in our account in Question 4. Programming Philosophy we tested five music
groupings by artist name rather than music genre title. These five types of music accounted
in a general way, for the types of music played on the RSL and on the other group stations.
They were Chart Pop (Kylie Minogue, McFly, Girls Aloud); Adult Contemporary (Dido, Robbie
Williams, Joss Stone); Urban (Black-eyed Peas, Mario, Justin Timberlake); Contemporary
Rock (U2, Coldplay, Oasis) and Classic Adult Contemporary (Elton John, the Bee Gees,
Queen).
Classic Adult Contemporary scored most highly for total likelihood to listen, with 62% of all
respondents showing some likelihood. Adult Contemporary, Urban and Modern Rock all
scored just under 50% and Chart Pop was the least popular, with 40%. With the core target
audience of 25-54 year olds, while Classic Adult Contemporary remains the most popular with
63% likelihood to listen, it’s more closely followed by Modern Rock (62%), Adult
Contemporary (57%) and Urban (56%). Chart Pop now climbs to 45%.
Respondents were also given a list of other music genres and eras and asked to tell us which
they’d like to hear more of on the radio. The list was: 60s music, 70s music, 80s music, 90s
music, current pop music, dance, R’n’B, soul, rock, country and jazz. “Current pop music”
39