Colombia. In order to characterize the sound broadcasting sector in Colombia (in the AM and FM bands) and identify the possible needs and regulatory actions that promote the development of the sound broadcasting sector, the Communications Regulation Commission, CRC, in 2021, carried out a study of the sector in Colombia.
The results obtained include a characterization of the value chain of the sector, as well as the interaction of the agents that are part of it in the country. Likewise, the analysis carried out includes an evaluation of international experiences in technical and regulatory aspects, and the identification of new technological trends in the provision of the sound broadcasting service, including those related to digital transmission.
According to the information analyzed, in mid-2021, 1,588 stations were authorized, which according to the orientation of their programming are distributed in commercial (42%), community (39%) and public interest (19%).
Taking into account the results of the study, the Commission preliminarily identified a set of potential regulatory initiatives structured in four axes: market access and regulation; audience and content production; business models; and new platforms.
"For the CRC it is of great relevance to address studies of the sound broadcasting sector, and the results obtained constitute a valuable input for the regulatory activities that are proposed for its execution in the short term and for public policy in general. In the same vein, the knowledge of the dynamics of these services allows us to identify their needs with greater veracity, so that our efforts are focused on promoting the development of this sector from a regulation by markets, "said Paola Bonilla Castaño, Executive Director of the Commission.
Results of the study
The information of the study was obtained both from secondary sources (for example, the study of the Colombian Media Research Agency of Colombia (ACIM), and from primary sources through surveys and interviews with agents of the sector.
The main results found focus on the following areas:
Revenue: During 2020, the majority of commercial and community broadcasters surveyed reported having had more expenses than revenues, the latter decreasing by around 47%. This behavior is due to the fact that spending on the guideline was reduced due to the restrictions derived from the COVID-19 pandemic, taking into account that the main advertisers for these stations are private companies.
The advertising pattern represents 67% of the revenues of the commercial stations evaluated, and about 58% of the revenues of the community broadcasters that were part of the study. On the other hand, public interest broadcasters, given their nature, do not receive income from advertising and their main source of income is constituted by the budget assigned to them by the respective entity holding the concession.
Additionally, the multiplicity of media results in the fragmentation of audiences, which means that advertising investment in radio is in the process of transformation and evolution.
Contents: Music programming corresponds to about 50% of the content of commercial stations, and in community stations it represents 43%. On the other hand, in public interest broadcasters this content is close to 29%.
Audiences: The results in terms of audiences show that community broadcasters have their largest audience (78% of respondents) in rural areas, while those of public interest concentrate their audience in urban areas (67%). On the other hand, commercial stations are distributed with about 50% among those who consider their largest audience is in the rural or those who think it is in the urban.
As for the distribution of the audience throughout the week, the study showed for all the stations a greater concentration from Monday to Friday compared to weekends. In the case of community and commercial broadcasters, the day with the highest audience is Friday, while in those of public interest it corresponds to Thursday and Friday. Likewise, the slot with the most listeners is the morning (6am-12m.) and, secondly, the afternoon (2pm-6pm) for all types of stations.
When looking at audiences by socioeconomic stratum, most of the commercial and community broadcasters surveyed consider that they are most listened to by strata 1, 2 and 3, while public interest broadcasters indicate that their largest audiences are concentrated in strata 3 and 4.
Ages and genres: Radio in Colombia is mainly listened to by adult audiences. For the three types of broadcasters, the age range with the highest audience is young adults (18-30 years) and middle-aged adults (30-60 years) with percentages above 90%, for both age ranges.
In terms of gender, 82% of the public interest broadcasters surveyed indicate that no particular genre has a larger audience, and a similar opinion has 57% of commercials and 52% of community ones.
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