Radio Ratings
BY Staff Writer April 18, 2024
Radio Ratings July 30, 2021
CRA delays release of radio ratings survey 5
The fifth metropolitan radio ratings of the year will no longer be released on August 24.
Industry body Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) said ratings provider GfK had requested an additional week to process the data as a number of the organisation’s administration and data processing staff live in the eight Local Government Areas (LGAs) of concern, which have recently become subject to stricter COVID-19 lockdowns.
CRA had last week issued a media release reassuring the industry the ratings were on track for their scheduled release, however the escalating situation in Sydney has necessitated the change.
The first wave of fieldwork for survey 5 began on May 23 and concluded on June 26. The second wave – from July 11 to August 14 – is currently being conducted.
Ratings will now be released on Tuesday, August 31.
CRA chief executive, Joan Warner, explained the delay.
“GfK has been impacted by the new rules which restrict travel out of the eight LGAs of concern to authorised essential workers only. The actual survey work itself is not affected, but a short extension of time is required for processing the results given the challenging circumstances,” she said.
“GfK is well prepared with contingency plans already in place but to take into consideration any delays due to the hard lockdowns, CRA agreed to allow a little more time for the processing of the results.”
CRA said an increased proportion of respondents will complete the survey online where necessary, a contingency measure which was put in place by survey provider GfK after last year’s disruptions.
Radio ratings surveys were paused last year throughout COVID-19 lockdowns and uncertainty, and returned for Survey 6. Throughout parts of last year, all of Melbourne’s respondents were moved online and completed e-diaries.
Each year, more than 60,000 respondents are surveyed across the eight metropolitan radio ratings markets of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Newcastle, Canberra and the Gold Coast.
Radio survey five for the five capital cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth) is now scheduled to be released on August 31.
Related news
Radio Ratings
BY Sarah Patterson March 14, 2024
Radio Ratings
BY Staff Writer March 14, 2024
Radio Ratings
BY Staff Writer December 19, 2023
This is an absolute joke because they should not have been using paper diaries in the first place.
It is not 1980 Joan.
Television does not have this problem.
In depth ratings data every morning.
When you buy radio, you’re only buying to outflank competitors; there is no accurate audience measurement.
Move to electronic, real time audience measurement. Accept the audience fall that electronic reporting will reveal.
Enough with the excuses CRA.
I like the contingency planning we have in our industry, Survey 5 2011 in Brisbane was skipped due to flooding. 10 years on, we still don’t have a fully functional alternative to people walking anti-clockwise around a suburb dropping off diaries.
GFK have wearable and app technology that allows the data to be collected. CRA are just scared to admit, perhaps there will be a drop in Cume as we transition to more accurate forms of measurement. Sure, the sensitivity of the mic picking up the station may mean someone isn’t actively listening… but the same goes for the people who fill out their consumption once a day, there would be an element of brand recall in there, not active listening.