May 13's Swansea Bay Media Highlights

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For all those interested in & working in the Swansea Bay media
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Print South Wales Evening Post Click
Editorial - A Swansea mum has died in a Libyan plane crash which claimed the lives of more than 100 people.
Commercial – Well done to Swansea's Diamond Holidays for the day's most eyecatching Evening Post ad, a British-themed full-page guide to summer coach trips.
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Online South Wales Guardian Click
Editorial - Ammanford Post Office has reopened following its shock closure last Thursday. The Guardian understands the doors were closed following reports of financial discrepancies in the. Click
Commercial – May 20 is due to see the big opening of Ammanford's new Lidl and the chain is rightly using the Guardian to get its messages out. Its home page banner ads have great impact.
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Broadcast Scarlet FM Click
Key local story - Museums across Carmarthenshire are to benefit from a £36,000 boost. The help was announced by Assembly heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones. Click
You heard it here - The official audience of Scarlet FM and sister station Radio Carmarthenshire has risen. Industry body Rajar says the stations now attract more than 40,000 listeners a weeks - up 4,500.
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Community Afan FM Click
Online news (BBC feed)- First lady: A short profile of Cheryl Gillan, the first female Welsh Secretary. Click
Online sport (BBC feed) - Cardiff City: The Bluebirds advanced to the Championship play-off final against Blackpool at Wembley after a penalty shoot-out win over Leicester City. Click
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Links Twitter | Website
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Figures cheer for Swansea Bay broadcast teams

It was sweaty palm time for Swansea's broadcasters on Thursday.
Latest listener figures were being released by Rajar, the Radio Joint Audience Research body.
That means, in the case of our commercial services, advertising messages can be tweaked accordingly.
If you'd like them analysing more closely and as to how they relate to your own enterprise just give me a shout on 07758 745240.
UK-wide headline figues included:

• 46 million adults tune into radio each week
• Digital radio ownership is up 13% year on year
• Listening to radio via mobile phone is up 7% year on year

The Swansea area's local figures included (in alphabetical order for audited stations only, period: 3 months to Dec 2009):

Bay Radio
Potential audience 454,000
Listeners 38,000
% reach 8

BBC Radio Cymru
Potential audience 2,504,000
Listeners 145,000
% reach 6

BBC Radio Wales
Potential audience 2,504,000
Listeners 411,000
% reach 16

Nation
Potential audience 1,405,000
Listeners 89,000
% reach 6

Radio Carmarthenshire
Potential audience 127,000
Listeners 38,000
% reach 30

Real Radio
Potential audience 1,781,000
Listeners 419,000
% reach 24

Swansea Sound
Potential audience 454,000
Listeners 78,000
% reach 17

The Wave
Potential audience 454,000
Listeners 138,000
% reach 30

One or two stations were quick off the mark to celebrate success.
Presenters on Swansea Sound and The Wave busily plugged the fact that figures were healthy.
The older of the two sister stations, medium wave operator Swansea Sound flagged up the fact that its listener figures were up 3,000 (1%) on the previous quarter.
Breakfast show presenters on its more brash FM sibling were over the moon that figures showed them being heard by three in 10 of the Swansea Bay adult population every week.
Andy Griffiths, broadcast director of Bay, Nation and Carmarthenshire's Town & Country Broadcasting, said: "Nation led us to our best ever results. It stormed ahead in the ratings and became the UK’s fastest growing station.
"Nation's listening figures were up almost 300% on this time last year and up over 60% in the past three months."
Town & Country has a total audience of 215,000 weekly listeners across South Wales.
The group’s stations include Radio Pembrokeshire, Llanelli's Scarlet FM and Bridgend's Bridge FM.
All told, a healthy outlook in tough economic times for the local broadcasters. Good reason for the commercial sector to think seriously about using the platforms for promotional opportunities.
For advice, you know where to come.

Swansea Bay broadcaster awaits listener figs

There was much energy and activity at Newby House when Swansea Bay Media Master visited this week.
Neath Abbey's very own broadcasting house is home to many of the good folk from Town and Country Broadcasting.
That's the company which brings us stations such as Bay Radio, Scarlet FM, Radio Carmarthenshire and Nation Radio.
Managing director Martin Mumford, one of the Swansea Bay media scene's brightest forward-thinkers, was relishing the prospect of new listener figures about to be released. The relish was spiced with that most traditional of vital ingredients: nervous anticipation.
His staff, meanwhile, were gathering video testimonials from satisfied advertisers. Expect to see them on the company's website soon.
Martin's excited about 2010 and continues to be inspired by the incredible success of guitar-heavy Nation which lures around 130,000 listeners every month.
He's also upbeat about Bay which targets a population of more than 450,000 and is encouraged that the sister local services, although young, are now an established part of the Swansea Bay media mix.
Martin, good luck with the Rajars!