105 has caught the virus
105 already the fourth strongest radio station in the youth target group
105 already the fourth strongest radio station in the youth target groupTwo and a half years after its launch, Radio 105 has risen to become the fourth strongest private radio station in German-speaking Switzerland among 15 to 29-year-olds, while its competitor Virus is still far behind in its search for a young audience. This is shown by the SRG media study for the first quarter of 2000, in which both youth radio stations have now been surveyed for the first time. Launched in December 1997, 105 reached a general audience of 7.7 percent in the target group in the first quarter of 2000. This puts the youth station in fourth place among the private radio stations in German-speaking Switzerland, despite the handicap of exclusive distribution via cable. Only Radios 24, Z and Argovia reach a larger proportion of 15 to 29-year-olds in their reception areas.
The competitor Virus, which was launched two years later, can only dream of such figures. According to a reliable source, the station reached "only" 1.6 percent of its target group in the first quarter of 2000. Swiss Radio DRS, which operates Virus, would have preferred to keep this figure under wraps. "Because when it comes to sponsorship or bartering contracts, only the current performance counts and not the potential in the future," says DRS media officer Heinrich Anker.
Last November, Virus started no more and no less successfully than 105, which also had a general audience of 1.6 percent in the second quarter of its existence. However, after a still very leisurely upward trend in 1998, things then took bigger steps forward for 105 in 1999. Since the beginning of 1999, the station has almost doubled its share from 3.9 to 7.7 percent. Whether this acceleration in audience growth will also be successful for Virus remains to be seen. However, media officer Heinrich Anker is optimistic and takes Virus' well-frequented website - over 70,000 site visits in April - as an indication of the station's increasing popularity. Daniel Schifferle
The competitor Virus, which was launched two years later, can only dream of such figures. According to a reliable source, the station reached "only" 1.6 percent of its target group in the first quarter of 2000. Swiss Radio DRS, which operates Virus, would have preferred to keep this figure under wraps. "Because when it comes to sponsorship or bartering contracts, only the current performance counts and not the potential in the future," says DRS media officer Heinrich Anker.
Last November, Virus started no more and no less successfully than 105, which also had a general audience of 1.6 percent in the second quarter of its existence. However, after a still very leisurely upward trend in 1998, things then took bigger steps forward for 105 in 1999. Since the beginning of 1999, the station has almost doubled its share from 3.9 to 7.7 percent. Whether this acceleration in audience growth will also be successful for Virus remains to be seen. However, media officer Heinrich Anker is optimistic and takes Virus' well-frequented website - over 70,000 site visits in April - as an indication of the station's increasing popularity. Daniel Schifferle
