Week 39, 2017 was the first full week after NRK closed its FM transmitters in Oslo and three adjacent counties. On PPM measurement, in week 39 NRK total support had 40.3%. The corresponding week the previous year it was 49.0%. This means that NRK support fell by 18% in one year. NRK P1 loses most listeners from 33.2% during week 39, 2016 to 26.6 during the same period of this year. Most dramatically, youth oriented NRK P3 is almost halved, decreases from 11.6 to 6.3%.
Total national radio listening has decreased by 10% in a year. At week 39, 2016, the total was 68.2, in week 39, 2017 it became 61.7%.
Commercial networks P4 and Radio Norway have done better than NRK, which can be explained partly by continued FM in Oslo, Akershus, Østfold and Vestfold. The main channels in the two companies have lost many listeners. P4 has gone from 20.9% support in week 39, 2016 to 16.2% during week 39, 2017. During the same period Radio Norway has gone from 12.3 to 8.9%. In other words, they have both lost 20 and 25% of listeners.
Other measurements indicate local stations that continue to broadcast on FM have increased support. In many places there are reports of more than a doubled listening for local radio.
Read more in Radionytt.no
The presented listening figures will not reveal the share of listerners going on-line or switching to radio via the television network. Thre are no measurements of the listening share of cross-border Swedish FM broadcasts. The Norwegians are still keen radio listerners but they are increasingly turning their back against the national channels. Still two million cars are not DAB-equipped.
According to unconfirmed information, national commercial companies are considering a request to delay of at least six months their transition from FM to DAB + in this metropolitan area where one third of the Norwegian population lives. Much points to the fact that listening losses are getting larger than expected. Unlike in the case of government owned NRK, a decrease also will result in loss of revenue for the advertising-funded companies owned by two foreign media groups Swedish MTG and German Bauer.
Also read
DAB-transition in Norway: Public Radio Down, Up for Local FM Radio
Demands For a Review of the Political Decisions Regarding DAB in Norway
DAB Vision for Alternative Use of FM Band Fades Away
The Illusions of the DAB Radio World
