Figures don’t lie. That old saying about ‘lies, damned lies and statistics’ is…frankly…bollocks. Particularly in the case of RAJAR, the method used to measure radio audiences in the UK.
OK, so you can’t just use one RAJAR report to judge the successes of a station. But the trends don’t lie. A shop might have one dire January, but if the rest of the year is ALSO void of footfall and turnover you know you’ve got a problem.
Which brings me onto BRMB.
BRMB Market Share Graph
BRMB Listening Hours Graph
A picture like THAT – Can’t lie.
If you’d told Les Ross 10 years ago that Galaxy would Birmingham’s Number 1 commercial radio station, he may very well have ‘had you seen to’.
So, what could BRMB be doing SO wrong? Well, my theories include Australians, Middle aged men, Constant rebrands, a divorce from Birmingham and a couple of school kids.
The appointment of Duncan Campbell to BRMB a few years back BAFFLED many in the industry. His track record with GWR was, at best, meh. My own opinion is his idea of radio was, and still is, outdated.
Then we had a fascinating situation with a 40 something man trying to connect with an audience half his age. Fortunately, Trevor Marshall departed as quickly as he arrived.
Anyone who’s listened to BRMB over the past few years will know that, without fail, it’s had a ‘rethink’ every year and become something slightly different each time. Had it spent the last 10 years being what it’s supposed to be, I fear we’d be in a far better place.
And so we’re in 2009… with the figures illustrated above. What does Birmingham’s Number 1 Hit Music Station use as it’s weapon against the strengthening competition? Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you – Adam and Ruddy. http://www.brmb.co.uk/sectional.asp?id=33348 Two kids, using a music radio station to serve up the kind of drivel you’d expect on a Student Radio station. I URGE you to give them a listen. It is, frankly, terrifying.
However, whilst their ability on air leaves a lot open for questioning, you can’t knock their commitment to ‘Team BRMB’. This picture is moving through the radio industry quicker than Swine Flu. For those not familiar with Adam Newstead and Joe Rudd, here they are urinating on the door of rival station Mercia.
Sadly for Adam and Ruddy, Orion Media now own Mercia… and BRMB. Oh dear. Or to paraphrase the Chuckle Brothers… Oh dear oh dear.
(The usage of the Chuckle Brothers there was purely coincidental)
So, BRMB and Orion: We’re watching you. My advice, get back to basics…play the hits, play them well, and get shot of the two children. They’re not helping.
Adam and Ruddy are there to try and be “down with da kidz”, providing Galaxy listeners with competition.
Saying that, I nearly always hear Beacon’s drivetime show blasting out around the Quinton, Walsall and Pleck areas of Birmingham!
BRMB would do well to get someone like Richard Straffon in for drivetime – he is absolutely wasted under Heart’s tight format.
BRMB needs to be a personality-driven station like it was in 2003-2005, no music-driven shows, all should be personality-driven.
Orion Media could do well to follow this format, it works for Hallam FM, Radio Aire, and also to a lesser extent the Pulse of West Yorkshire.
Joe Rudd is a good presenter, but perhaps could be moved to evenings, and BRMB being networking-free a la Capital FM.
Anyone know what BRMB’s 1993 schedule was, post-Capital takeover?
Capital changed things around very quickly in the space of 6 weeks in July/Aug 1993.
Initially a number of established names (e.g. Phil Holden, Graham Torrington, Andy Hollins, Brendan Kearney) left the station and there was a period where some temporary presenters (e.g. Clive Warren, Paul Phear) were drafted in and some of the new arrivals were gradually introduced . Eventually the weekday schedule settled down from around mid-August and was as follows:
6 – 10 Les Ross (brought back from Xtra am)
10 – 1 Steve Priestley
1 – 4 Mark Benson
4 – 6.45 Phil Upton (the only survivor from the pre-Capital daytime schedule)
6.45 BRMB reports
7 – 10 Carlos (this ran from Sun – Thurs)
10 – 1 Charlie Jordan
1 – 6 Simon Davies (I think. He had previously done the 7-10 evening slot)
I can’t remember the weekend shows but remember the weekday changes vividly as I was living out of Birmingham during the days before the Capital takeover and really looked forward to listening to Brmb on my visits home, the presenters really seemed to ‘get’ the city and its character.
The changes took some getting used to and from a personal view it was never the same after that but it was fascinating to hear what was essentially a brand new station taking shape in such a short period of time and was quite an achievement on Capital’s part.
Hope this helps.
Those lovely graphs are from Media UK, by the way. Visit it today, it’s fab: http://www.mediauk.com/
(Might as well get the credit in…)
***APOLOGIES FOR NOT GETTING THE ACCREDITATION ON***
(Fab? Yes. Yes it is)