What role does radio have in today’s media landscape?

“Radio is the theatre of the mind, as it speaks to the listener’s imagination. Through its live coverage and delivery of breaking news, the medium plays an important role in society. And it’s an important source of entertainment. Every week, an average of over 13.4 million people listen to the radio, for an average of 2 hours and 15 minutes per day. That’s huge and it means radio is still an interesting medium for advertisers to reach their target audience.”

In what ways do you try to keep radio appealing?

“Because of the lack of visuals, radio commercials need a creative approach. At DPG Media, one of the ways we support advertisers is with the Boosting Audio Creativity training programme. We also study how to increase the effectiveness of commercials. In addition, commercials for the radio are quick and relatively cheap to produce compared to those for television. This means radio holds appeal for a wide range of advertisers. At the same time, radio is a secondary medium, ideal for advertisers who want to reach a broad group of people who like listening and doing something else at the same time.”

So how does the advertising market work for this medium?

“The advertiser’s marketing and media plans are always the point of departure. Together with media agencies, they select channels that align with the target audience, schedule airtime and produce commercials. Then the impact of campaigns is analysed – for example by measuring sales figures. Our account team is made up of three disciplines: the media agency team, the direct client relations team and the branded content team. Each team is focused on creating effective campaigns and building strong relationships with advertisers.

Was 2024 a successful year for Qmusic and JOE?

“It most certainly was! The focus in the past year was on the expansion of DPG Media’s radio brands. Qmusic, the market leader amongst hit stations, continues to successfully concentrate on 20- to 49-year-olds, a small majority of whom are women. But we now also have JOE, a pop-classics channel targeting 30- to 59-year-olds with a slightly more masculine profile. Our portfolio strategy is for these two channels to be complementary. JOE has grown dramatically since its launch in September 2023 and is now the sixth largest channel in the Netherlands. That’s unprecedented in an overcrowded radio market.”

What are radio innovations that keep advertisers interested?

“Digitalisation has transformed radio as a medium. The Nationaal Media Onderzoek Luisteren (national listener survey) is a good example of this. The measurement method has changed: from active to passive measurement. Reporting is done weekly instead of monthly and at the minute level. The data is more reliable and detailed, making it very interesting for advertisers of course. Digitalisation has also created interactive opportunities: listeners can vote, comment and participate in competitions. This has made the medium even more appealing. For advertisers, programmatic advertising – buying airtime in real time – offers new opportunities to target specific groups. Last but not least, radio can be accessed on many more platforms. That’s why radio is and will remain hugely relevant.’’

What’s your personal experience of working in this field?

​​​​​​​“DPG Media’s radio stations employ many young and creative people. It’s great to join forces with them and work our mission: to entertain and energise listeners and make them feel good. I’ve been working at Qmusic for over 19 years now and I still find it special to pursue that mission together with my colleagues and those at JOE.”