The new book came out yesterday, and there were some surprises.

The new book is here, so put down that tanning lotion and check who’s hot (or not).

BBM’s first survey of 2007 was released yesterday, and here’s who’s topping the charts . . .

What does the CRTC’s just-released rules regarding radio in Canada mean to the marketing community? Most advertisers will likely greet the decision with a collective shrug of the shoulders, since no fundamental changes to the regulated programming structure have been decreed, says op-ed writer David Bray. What he believes will be intriguing is how new media continue their onslaught and how conventional radio defends its traditional base.

Radio pundit David Bray weighs in with the ups and downs of the latest radio survey.

by David Bray

David Bray is SVP of Toronto-based Hennessy & Bray Communications.

As summer sets in, the race for ratings shows no signs of cooling down, as demonstrated by BBM’s latest ratings.

Satellite what? Terrestrial radio ratings are still healthy, according to the new radio survey released by BBM yesterday. The report is based on the results of BBM’s S1 2006 survey which was conducted January 9-March 5, 2006.

It may be cold outside but the race for radio ratings is as hot as ever according to the new BBM numbers released yesterday.

Toronto: Erin Davis is back and CHFI-FM jumped from 6.4% share to a 9.0% share of hours tuned for A12+, leaving them nipping at the heels of CHUM-FM (which delivered a 9.1% share up from 7.8%) for the number one position in the market. EZRock slipped back just a bit, posting a still substantial 7.9% share of A12+ and a 12.5% share for F25-54. CHUM-FM held onto the number one position for F25-54 with a 16.8% share (up from 15.9%). Q107 retained the #1 spot for males 25-54, posting a 13.5% share, up from a 10.8% share last time out. The Edge remained number one with M18-34, delivering a 14.9% share (up from 14.4%).

David Bray is SVP of Hennessy & Bray Communications in Toronto.

Perhaps it is just the remnants of a long hot summer, but the race for ratings is as hot as ever as demonstrated by the new BBM released yesterday.

Toronto: EZRock climbed back to the top of the heap, posting a formidable 8.2% share of A12+ and a 13.8% share for F25-54. CHUM-FM fell back from 8.6% share in S2 to a 7.8% share of hours tuned for A12+. They held the #1 position for F25-54 with a 15.9% share. Q107 retained the #1 spot for males 25-54 despite a significant drop to a 10.8% share, down from a 13.5 in S2. 680News continued its strong showing with a 5.5% share of A12+.

Media in Canada Op/Ed columnist David Bray is SVP of Hennessy & Bray Communications in Toronto.
Who’s leading Canada’s major markets in radio? A brand new BBM survey (bringing the yearly total to four), which debuted yesterday, answers the question for Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. (Next year that list will include nine markets in all.) Anticipation (with apologies to Carly Simon) was intense.

Toronto: CHUM-FM bounced back from the last book to lead the way with an 8.6% share of hours tuned for A12+ (up from 6.7% in Survey One ) and a 16.7% share for F25-54 (up from 14.0%). A great book for CBC Radio One with an 8.3% share of hours tuned (A12+), up from 6.7%. Despite dropping a bit, Q107 turned in a 6.4% share of A12+ and a 13.5% share of M25-54. 98.1 CHFI-FM had some nice gains, delivering a 6.5% share of A12+ and a 10.0% share for F25-54. Look for the positive trend to continue in the fall with the return of Erin Davis along with Mike Cooper.

Media in Canada Op/Ed columnist David Bray is SVP of Hennessy & Bray Communications.

There are but a few defining moments in the history of any industry. The CRTC decision unveiled at 4pm yesterday maps out a future for radio that will undoubtedly energize listeners from coast to coast. With their approval of three subscription licenses, the CRTC issued an emphatic yes to new technologies which Chairman Charles Dalfen, in a crystal clear (you might say digital) fashion, declared ‘will help to give Canadian talent exposure to listeners across Canada and indeed, North America-both through new Canadian channels and airplay on U.S. channels.’ John Bitove, chairman CEO and founder of Canadian Satellite Radio, the firm that triggered this entire process, said ‘this is a tremendous opportunity for all Canadians and an evolutionary milestone in maintaining our country’s leadership position within the global broadcasting industry.’ Kevin Shea, President & CEO of Sirius Canada remarked that ‘the commission has worked hard to give us a reasonable and creative framework within which we can move toward providing Canadians with an outstanding programming line-up.’

The first critical step took place last November with the CRTC hearings in Ottawa/Hull at which three satellite/subscription applications were presented. These included the XM/Canadian Satellite Radio and Sirius/CBC/Standard satellite proposals along with the CHUM terrestrial/DAB offering. In the room was a who’s who of Radio in Canada. The lobbying for intervention support leading up to all of this was intense. So much hand shaking and arm twisting took place that few people in the radio or music industries were left with shoulder sockets in tact. After that came the hand wringing as everyone awaited the decision which was over seven months in coming.

David Bray is SVP of Hennessy & Bray Communications in Toronto.

As the spring breezes begin to blow, things are heating up in anticipation of the CRTC decision coming out of the satellite/subscription hearings held late last year. For now, the race for ratings is as hot as ever as demonstrated by the new BBM released yesterday.

David Bray is chair of the BBM Continuous/Extended Measurement Committee and SVP of Hennessy & Bray Communications in Toronto.

Some dilemmas require the wisdom of Job. Unfortunately, my name is David. When I took on my role as chair of the BBM Continuous/Extended Measurement Committee, I knew that this issue would prompt a vigorous discussion in all sectors of the radio and advertising communities. Little did I know that ‘extended’ would come to refer to the lifespan of the committee as we sought a compromise position. After more than a year, a series of formal and informal meetings and various presentations, the moment has arrived. Now that we have finalized this matter, we can move on to something simpler like dividing up the Gaza strip.

David Bray is SVP of Hennessy & Bray Communications. He can be reached at (416)431-5792 or davidbray@sympatico.ca
Ottawa was not included in the December release of BBM’s Fall ratings. BBM had discovered an error in its enumeration process that resulted in an imbalance of English and French respondents in this market. After analyzing the returns from the Fall survey, BBM staff determined that the Ottawa-Gatineau data was not within publication standards. Supplementary diaries were sent out for the weeks of Nov. 22 and Nov. 29 to remedy the error. These are the results of the final combined survey.

Majic100 saw solid gains, jumping to an 11.6% share of tuning for A12+ (up from 10.1 in the spring) and an 18.4% share for F25-54. The Bear continues to grow with M25-54, posting a 12.8% share.

A brief overview of share figures from the Fall 2004 Ottawa BBM courtesy of David Bray.
Click here for summary chart.