1 of 1- RadioActive
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What's The Most Popular Radio Format In Canada?
If you believe the latest numbers from the CRTC, it's not music. It's supposedly talk and information radio, as outlined in a comprehensive annual survey called The Communication Monitoring Report. It covers everything about Canadian media in 2018, the latest year for which figures are available.
There's literally a ton of facts, figures, and stats in here, covering everything from Radio, TV, the Internet, and the pricing of "Communications Services." You could spend hours deconstructing everything, but I chose their format conclusion on radio just to pinpoint one segment. From the report:
"The top 3 formats in the English-language market garnered approximately 45% of the tuning share, with talk radio (CBC Radio One and News/talk) leading with 24%, followed by the Adult Contemporary and Country formats, garnering approximately 11% and 10%, respectively, of the tuning share."
And that's my problem with their conclusion. They're lumping news/talk and the CBC together as one format, which clearly isn't accurate. By hours tuned, music still rules on radio, with - non-commercial CBC aside - AC attracting the most ears for the longest time.
There's a lot more there if you're a by-the-numbers type. You can find the home page here.
- RadioActive
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Re: What's The Most Popular Radio Format In Canada?
By the way, with the government and the CRTC both trying to constantly remind us about how important CanCon TV is to all of us, the figures show otherwise. Outside of news, which is understandably the most watched Canadian type of programming, non-Canuck shows and other foreign-made entertainment continue to outdistance our own locally originated shows by miles. Or should that be kilometres?
(To be fair, there's more available from other sources than what we churn out here, but the figures show we'd probably watch U.S.-originating shows in any case.) 
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Thread Starter- mace
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Re: What's The Most Popular Radio Format In Canada?
Can you really blame Canadians for preferring U.S. programming to ours. From 1948-52 WBEN ch 4 was the only station available to GTA viewers. With a four year head start, it is difficult to get people to change their viewing habits. Particularly if they like the programs being offered by ch 4. Is there any reason Canada couldn't have a station up and running in 1948 or 1949? Government dithering and fence sitting perhaps?
- paterson1
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Re: What's The Most Popular Radio Format In Canada?
Interesting stats. I guess with the call from the CRTC to review CBC radio and television programming won't bring many changes to CBC radio 1 since it looks like they are quite popular, and numeris usually shows the same. Looks like people are relying on radio less for music and more for talk and information, but there is a lot more talk radio now than 30 years ago. Country music and classic hits are really strong. There isn't really much difference between two categories, mainstream top 40/CHR and Hot Adult Contemporary.
TV isn't surprising, but I thought in the news category some US programming would have shown up with the popularity of CNN. Maybe CNN is coming up in the Other Information category. Game shows, no brainer since nobody produced any Canadian game shows back in 2018, maybe Family Feud Canada will change all that? Same with music dance and variety, not much, if any cancon is produced. Comedy and Drama, true we prefer US product, but it is also true that again Canada doesn't produce that much, so that is certainly going to effect the total as much as anything. In some of these categories for TV sort of looks like it is a question of the amount being offered along with popularity.
- TheConsultant
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Re: What's The Most Popular Radio Format In Canada?
Don't these radio stats closely follow those of tv? Talk radio is akin to sports on television. One can get their music from a myriad of places eschewing the need for a terrestrial signal. On TV, sports is the last bastion of a hook that is keeping many from cutting the umbilical cord and subscribing piecemeal.
- RadioAaron
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Re: What's The Most Popular Radio Format In Canada?
RadioActive wrote:
And that's my problem with their conclusion. They're lumping news/talk and the CBC together as one format, which clearly isn't accurate. By hours tuned, music still rules on radio, with - non-commercial CBC aside - AC attracting the most ears for the longest time.
I get that that's not perfect, but it's probably the best fit. The majority of the programming on Radio 1 could be described as news or talk. The graph separates them, at least. I wonder where they put sports? Either lumped into news/talk or not big enough to register.
The other issue is most people would interpret the chart as "more people are listening to Radio One than the next format," but it's based on hours tuned rather than number of listeners. CBC listeners are notoriously loyal, and will leave it on all day. If it were based on tune-ins, or simply people answering "what's your favourite format/station" CBC would be a lot lower. Not saying one way is better than the other, but I'd bet generally people would interpret "most popular" as "the most people who listen"
- the original hank
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Re: What's The Most Popular Radio Format In Canada?
By the way, with the government and the CRTC both trying to constantly remind us about how important CanCon TV is to all of us, the figures show otherwise. Outside of news, which is understandably the most watched Canadian type of programming, non-Canuck shows and other foreign-made entertainment continue to outdistance our own locally originated shows by miles. Or should that be kilometres?
(To be fair, there's more available from other sources than what we churn out here, but the figures show we'd probably watch U.S.-originating shows in any case.)
are they (crtc types) trying to save their own jobs? could fewer regs = fewer crtc jobs? i wonder?
- Radiowiz
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Re: What's The Most Popular Radio Format In Canada?
are they (crtc types) trying to save their own jobs? could fewer regs = fewer crtc jobs? i wonder?
The day it's about jobs is the day CBSC and CRTC merge.
That, or if Quebec separates. The french side will have jobs in an all new QRTC...
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- paterson1
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Re: What's The Most Popular Radio Format In Canada?
I don't see the TV chart as being anything that negative about cancon. Music, dance, variety there isn't much cancon really to speak of that is produced regularly. Games shows? A cancon game show, name one. I guess there might be a couple from the 80's on Game TV?
And the drama and comedy, even general entertainment categories are about right. If you tallied up a week of scheduled programming from all stations and networks, the amount of locally produced product is not that high, so the chart is pretty much accurate. Really it is a question of the amount of product offered and produced as much as popularity. When there isn't that much in the first place, or primarily reruns on a few specialty channels, the graph in some of the categories for cancon is going to be low.
Just a question, does anyone know roughly how many people the CRTC employs? I actually have no idea. I have been to a few hearings over the years but never really heard anything about the number of people that work there.