CBC Radio One leads with radio listeners, A12+, in Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton in David Bray’s breakdown of the new PPM release from Numeris, completing the 13-week period covering Aug. 30 to Nov. 28. In Toronto, CHUM-FM was #1 with Women 25-54, delivering a 16.6% share (down from 19.3%), while boom 97.3 is on top for Men 25-54, posting a 12.6% share (up from 11.5%). In Edmonton, NOW! Radio holds top spot for F25-54 and M25-54, delivering a 13.7% share and 13.0% share, respectively. In Calgary, 101.5 Today Radio takes #1 spot for F25-54 delivering a 10.5% share, while X92.9 reigns with M25-54 at 12.6%. In Vancouver, it’s a Corus sweep with 980 CKNW grabbing #1, A12+, with 12.2% share of hours tuned. Taking top spot for F25-54 is Rock 101 with 11.9%, while CFOX holds the lead for M25-54 listeners, delivering a 16.2% share with that demo. In Montreal, CHMP 98.5 FM is #1 for A12+ (Franco) with a 24.7% share, up from 18.7%. For A12+ (Anglo), CJAD 800 is #1 with a 26.8% (down from 28.4%). Read more here.
Stingray Group is asking the CRTC to waive more than $9 million in tangible benefits for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 broadcast years, citing a cumulative revenue decline of $78 million since the beginning of the pandemic, excluding government subsidies. Stingray says it’s filing the application “to address the serious financial impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Stingray specifically” and “certain trends that developed during the pandemic have the potential to continue long-term, clouding the future of the Canadian radio business.” It also cites a dramatic reduction in subscribers to its pay audio service as Canadians turn to unregulated music streamers like Spotify and Apple Music. Stingray argues that these developments have impacted the value of its Canadian broadcasting assets – the same value determined by the commission at the time tangible benefits were imposed.
The 82nd Annual 560 CFOS Sun Times Christmas Fund Broadcast was held Dec. 5 in Owen Sound. Benefitting 23 local charities in Grey & Bruce counties, the Christmas Fund Broadcast has been an annual tradition in the area since CFOS signed on in 1940. The broadcast usually features live performances from the Roxy Theatre across from the radio station. Due to COVID-19, this year and last year’s performances were held in a “virtual” format with music submitted in advance and played on-air with live MCs and pledge readers from Bayshore Broadcasting’s three Owen Sound stations. By the end of Sunday’s broadcast, $27,000 had been raised with the total expected to rise through the remainder of December.
SiriusXM has launched Neil Young Radio, a new limited-run channel with music and content curated by the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. The new artist-presented channel coincides with Young’s upcoming album, Barn, scheduled for release Dec. 10. Neil Young Radio will span tunes from Young’s half-a-century long catalogue, including his time with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Promise of the Real, through his 50-year collaboration with Crazy Horse. Young will share personal stories about his collaborations and process for writing, recording and performing, sitting down with SiriusXM host David Fricke for an exclusive conversation. Additionally, the channel will feature weekly concert broadcasts from Young’s vaults, celebrity guest DJs and a Barn track-by-track album special. Neil Young Radio is available via satellite (ch. 27) through Monday, Dec. 13.
Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) delivers new radio play, Christmas Thieves (A Small Town Radio Play), featuring AMI-audio hosts. Written by Greg Oliver Bodine and produced with Playscripts Inc., the play takes place on Christmas Eve in America’s heartland with radio host Bjorn Gundlarrsen preparing for the telethon that will keep his tiny, polka-themed radio station afloat. Christmas Thieves (A Small Town Radio Play) stars Kelly and Company’s Kelly MacDonald; Ramya Amuthan; NOW with Dave Brown’s Dave Brown; The Globe and Mail Today reader Mike Ross; and Low Vision Moments host Jennie Bovard. It airs Dec. 24, at 2 p.m. ET and Dec. 26 at 5 p.m. ET on AMI-audio.
Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights have released their Podcast Download – Fall 2021 Report, which finds Spotify is now the number one listening source for podcasts in the U.S. The study, fielded online between Sept. 30 and Oct. 29, was executed from a nationally representative sample of 600 weekly podcast listeners, 18+, who spent at least one hour listening to podcasts in the past week. It found that as the podcast “big three” – YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify – expand share, Spotify is now the single leading listening destination for podcasts with 24% of survey respondents citing the platform as their go-to for accessing podcasts, followed by Apple Podcasts (20%) and YouTube (19%). Read more here.
Stitcher has released a snapshot report summarizing the year in podcasting, featuring insights from some of the top publishers on Stitcher around how they monetize and promote their shows. Key findings include that small dips we saw during the first two waves of the pandemic have fully recovered with listening growing this year to above pre-pandemic levels. Fewer people sought out current events via podcasts — at least via searches, compared to 2020, when we saw a huge spike in search terms related to the presidential race, pandemic, and Black Lives Matter, with listeners returning to using podcasting for entertainment rather than news. 57.7% of creators whose audience is over 25,000 listens/month report self-selling sponsorships or ads to earn money from their show, while 41.5% rely on paid subscriptions and 36.6% use an ad network to help sell ads. For smaller shows, merchandise sales led the way to earn revenue (47.2%), followed by self-sell ads (26%) and soliciting subscriptions/donations (23%).
LISTEN: Hilary Brown knew she wanted to be a foreign correspondent when there were no women on the job. She ended up becoming the first female foreign correspondent for ABC News, reporting from trouble-spots around the globe from the early 1970s onward for more than 35 years, filing from every continent except Antarctica. We welcome Hilary Brown to this episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about her new memoir War Tourist, which documents a well-lived life as well as some of the baggage that comes with a lifetime of covering conflict. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
