Week May 1-7 showed significant audience loss of both NRK P1 and NRK P3 as measured by Kantar TNS. For the first time this year, NRK P1 - the basic national public channel - has a daily presence of less than 30%, more specifically 29.5%. This is reported to be the worst measured results NRK P1 ever had in a "normal" week. - Meanwhile, opinion polls show continued strong resistance to the national FM switch-off.
This was the first full week where NRK is no longer on the air with FM in the counties of Hedmark, Oppland, Buskerud and Telemark and therefore likely that it has affected listening figures. But the same week last year, NRK P1 received 33.4% support and it was one of the weakest audience weeks of spring. Thus, it seems that NRK P1 has lost more than 10% of its listeners through FM switch-off in the country as a whole. One should also be aware in several regions NRK still is on FM! In December NRK will be out of FM in all regions.
The NRK P3 also loses listeners and even more. Last year, P3 had 12.6%, but now only 9.1%. This means a loss of about 30% of the listeners for the youth channel compared to last year when all NRK FM transmitters were on air. Even the music channel MP3 loses listeners on a relatively large scale.
On the positive side, there is an increase in channels that broadcast only on DAB. The Senior channel NRK P1+ has received significantly more listeners since last year, but there is no change in connection with current switch-off process.
According to Radionytt newsblogg the conclusion is that the listeners who have left NRK P1 have moved to other NRK channels (on DAB), while young people simply have disappeared from the NRK sphere.
The annual media survey, presented at the Media Days conference in Bergen last week, shows that most of the Norwegians still oppose the FM switch-off for national radio. 55% are negative, 37% positive and 14% uncertain.
Local radio will continue broadcasting on FM after the national switch-off.
Read more
NRK loses youth in FM shutdown (in Norwegian)
About the media survey in daily Stavanger Aftenblad
