French-Language Music Diversity Study (2015)

Prepared by:

Andrew Forsyth, Operations Consultant, Nielsen BDSradio, Canada

Stephanie Friedman, Vice President, Radio, Nielsen Entertainment

June 2015

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Accuracy on the Methodology

Table of Contents

I. Executive Summary

In this study the stations provide their audience with a wide repertoire of French-language music.

In 2015 songs shared by 94% of the panel stations are performed by 15 artists indicating a concentration of airplay across more stations.

The data indicates the French-language library at the panel stations is an evolving entity that is expanding immersed with new artists which add to, but not displace older performers.

The format networks deliver a music product that is in most cases very similar to that of the corporate flagship station. Generally, the Brands are consistent market to market.

The amount of airplay and titles from Emerging Artists is consistent with the roster of performers replenishing itself over the six year period.

The Top Ten most played titles are played on a higher percentage of the panel stations in 2015 compared to 2009.

The top French-language hits are played more frequently and across more stations in 2015.

Titles common to 6 - 7 stations receive the most airplay in both years of the study.

Format compatibility drives station airplay choices.

The Morning and Afternoon Drive periods see the lowest share of French-language music play.

II. Objectives

Nielsen BDS Radio, Canada (BDS) has been commissioned by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to complete an exclusive analysis exploring the level of music diversity of French-language artist airplay at commercial radio in selected Quebec Markets. This is accomplished through BDS monitoring of musical selections on commercial radio stations in Montreal, Quebec City, Gatineau and Trois-Rivières.

BDS will demonstrate meaningful French-language music airplay in terms of Diversity of Francophone artists and titles across the four markets. As well the study will examine duplication of French-language artists and titles, review the airplay of Emerging Artists and demonstrate their airplay across typical broadcast dayparts.

III. Methodology

The stations are monitored for French-language airplay over 30-day periods (April 1 – April 30) in two different years (2009 and 2015); 18 hours per day (Sunday – Saturday from 6am – midnight).

The dayparts used for this study are Sunday – Saturday from:

Playlists were drawn from the BDS database for the following stations:

Market Stations' Call signs
Gatineau CHLX - FM (2015 only)
Gatineau CIMF - FM
Gatineau CKTF - FM
Montreal CFGL - FM
Montreal CITE - FM
Montreal CKMF- FM
Montreal CKOI- FM
Quebec City CFEL - FM
Quebec City CFOM - FM
Quebec City CJEC - FM
Trois-Rivières CJEB - FM
Trois-Rivières CIGB - FM
Trois-Rivières CHEY - FM

For purposes of this project, a song must play in excess of 72 seconds to be considered a spin and for it to be included in the study.

For the purpose of this project, the definition used to identify the French-language emerging artist is the one set out by the CRTC at paragraph 9 of Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2011-316:  A Canadian French-language artist shall be considered an emerging artist until one of the following thresholds has been reached:

The definitions of «current», «recurrent» and «gold» songs are the following*:

* Note regarding the format specific identification and the release date:  BDS classifies a song as Current, Recurrent, or Gold based on that song's spin activity separately in each format. In this way, a song may be a Current in AC and a Recurrent in Top-40 because the song's movement from Current to Recurrent is based on the date it falls off each individual Chart.  In addition, the release date is the date a Song was officially released by a label. Some songs are re-released years after an original release (e.g., soundtrack songs). These are assigned a new Release Date and proceed through the Current, Recurrent and Gold cycle again.

IV. Analysis

Overview

The objective of this report is to demonstrate music airplay of French-language artists and titles across stations within each of the four markets. We examine the music database drawn from these stations by comparing French-language music play, diversity, duplication, daypart segmentation and era status.

The data captured in the monitored month shows a large number of French-language performers with a sizeable repertoire of songs played across the four markets. Overall in 2015 – over the combined markets: 538 artists play 1,906 titles a total of over 42,800 times. On average French-language music sees four titles and 80 plays per artist over a month.

Overall the stations in this study generate more French-language play in 2015 than in 2009.

Table 1
French-Language Airplay Comparison 2009 - 2015
2009 2015 09-15
Number Per/ stn Per/ Artist Number Per/ stn Per/ Artist % Chg
Artists 371 31 s. o. 538 41 s. o. 33,9 %
Titles 1 302 109 4 1 906 147 4 35,1 %
Spins 35 680 2,973 96 42 892 3 299 80 11,0 %

On average per station the number of artists increases by 34%, titles by 35% and the amount of airplay by 11%. More artists are seeing more of their catalog airing more frequently.

Similarly Emerging Artist play increases as a percentage of French-language airplay from 2009 to 2015.

The list of Emerging Artists is provided in Appendices 1 and 2.

Table 2
Emerging Artists Exposure 2009 -2015
Percentage of French-Language Airplay
2009 2015
ARTISTS 25,1 % 19,1 %
TITLES 12,1 % 9,2 %
SPINS 19,1 % 21,0 %

While the percentage of artists and titles aired dropped, their contribution to the overall French-language airplay remains in the 20% range. This tells us as artists become Non-Emerging with the passage of time and success, their place is being filled by new Emerging artists. Evidence of Emerging artists being integrated into the station currency is shown in Table 3 demonstrating the airplay and titles garnered by the top five Emerging artists of 2009 in 2015.

Table 3
Top 5 Emerging Artist Tracking
2009 2015
Artist Spins Songs Spins Songs
Alfa Rococo 639 5 409 8
Marc Dupré 321 7 977 12
Marc-André Fortin 314 4 53 3
Marie-Luce Béland 297 3 53 1
David Jalbert 292 3 72 5

In Table 3 Marc Dupré sees an increase in airplay and titles played and along with Alfa Rococo and David Jalbert adding more titles to their active radio catalogue.

V. Stations Profiles

We compare the internal French music usage by each station from the viewpoint of how the music product contributes to brand diversity. The Station Profiles section of the study analyses the key musical attributes of the 13 panel stations. The data on these profiles reflect French Language airplay only.

In Gatineau two stations were examined in 2009 (CKTF-FM and CIMF-FM) with CHLX-FM, which had been operating as "Planet Jazz" a Specialty station in that year, added to the panel for 2015.

CKTF-FM operates as part of the NRJ brand, owned by Astral Media in 2009 and acquired by Bell Media in 2013. The format is Contemporary Hit. The 2009 profile shows a universe of 313 titles generating just over 2,800 spins. Five titles are in a high rotation at more than three plays per day.

Table 4
2009 2015
LIBRARY CKTF CKTF
TITLES   313 279
SPINS 2,815 3,335
AVERAGE AGE 2004 2006
Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 60.7% 27.8% 51.3% 14.3%
RECURRENT 16.1% 26.2% 14.9% 13.3%
GOLD 22.6% 52.1% 33.8% 72.8%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 14.9%   17.7%  
10A - 3P 24.2%   23.7%  
3P - 7P 7.6%   8.9%  
7P - MID 53.4%   49.7%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 3 5 3 8
MEDIUM (>2-1) 2 51 2 12
LOW >1 >1 257 >1 259

In 2009, the Current repertoire produces 60% of the airplay also reflected in the library average age set with titles from 2004. The 2015 profile sees a smaller universe, with more airplay and while 10% less than previously, the bulk of the airplay is coming from Current releases with eight songs receiving more than three plays per day. As in 2009, the Afternoon Drive daypart shows the lowest level of French-language music airplay.

Graphic 1 of the Era maps show the contemporary nature of CKTF-FM in both years.

Graphic 1 pictures the contemporary nature of CKTF-FM Gatineau in 2009 and in 2015.  Specifically, this graphic compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the station in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. We see that in 2009, the highest concentration of songs broadcast (approximately 200 songs) was drawn from the 2008-2009 era.  Similarly, we note a high concentration of the number of spins from the 2008-2009 era (approximately 1,400 spins).  For 2015, the era of the different songs and spins broadcast by the station is concentrated around 2014-2015:  the highest concentration of songs broadcast (a few less than 200 different songs) and spins (more than 2,600 spins) are drawn from this era.

Graphic 1

The top five spun titles in the 2009 study are all exclusive to CKTF-FM:

Table 5
Artist Title Year Spins
Marie-Mai Dangereuse attraction 2009 79
Alfa Rococo Plus rien à faire 2007 74
Indochine Little Dolls 2008 68
Madcon Beggin' 2007 68
Lapointe, Éric Les malheureux 2008 62
Ryan, Kate Ella, Elle l'a 2008 62

The high rotation tracks for CKTF-FM in the 2015 period:

Table 6
Artist Title Year Spins
Folk, Sally Les heures de visite 2015 100
Moffatt, Ariane Debout 2015 95
Leloup, Jean Paradis City 2015 92
Bégin, Claude Avant de disparaître 2015 85
Cormier, Louis-Jean Si tu reviens 2015 85
Les BB & Jean-Marc Couture Snob 2015 81
Nevsky, Alex Fanny 2015 81

CIMF-FM is branded "Rock Détente" under Astral Media ownership in 2009. This Adult Contemporary format continues under the "Rouge FM" label as a Bell Media station. Typical of the "Rouge FM" brand CIMF-FM focuses most of its airplay on Gold based material. The library has grown over the six year timeframe with less airplay of Current material. The number of top spun songs remains consistent at two songs seeing more than two plays per day.

Table 7
2009 2015
LIBRARY CIMF CIMF
TITLES 595 733
SPINS 3,594 3,572
AVERAGE AGE 1994 2001
Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 30.2% 10.9% 22.2% 6.1%
RECURRENT 9.1% 5.9% 12.6% 4.2%
GOLD 60.7% 83.2% 65.2% 89.4%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 17.8%   18.6%  
10A - 3P 23.5%   20.0%  
3P - 7P 11.7%   14.5%  
7P - MID 46.4%   46.8%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 2 2 2 2
MEDIUM (>2-1) 1 38 1 48
LOW >1 >1 555 >1 683

Graphic 2 of the Era maps from both time periods show CIMF-FM shifting away from airplay from the 70s to the late 80s and early 90s a trend seen across North America for the AC format.

Graphic 2 shows the AC format station CIMF-FM Gatineau shifting away from airplay from the 70s to the late 80s and early 90s.  Graphic 2 compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the AC format station CIMF-FM in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. We see that in 2009, the highest concentration of different songs (approximately 100 songs) broadcast are drawn from the 2008-2009. Similarly, we note the highest concentration of the number of spins from the 2006-2009 era (approximately 1,000 spins). For 2015, the era of the different songs and spins broadcast by the station is concentrated around 2013-2015: the highest concentration of songs broadcast (a few more than 50 different songs) from this era were aired, and we note the highest concentration of the number of spins from the 2013-2014 era (approximately 900 spins), while we can also observe the station’s spins era shifting from the 90s and early 21st century.

Graphic 2

In 2009 the top played songs are: Annie Villeneuve "Ce soir" and the Andrée Watters & Sylvain Cossette 2008 duet "À distance." Claude Bégin "Avant de disparaître" and Alex Nevsky "Fanny" are played the most in 2015. In all cases these titles were multi-format hits also played at CKTF- FM and CHLX-FM.

CHLX-FM operated by Radio Nord Communications currently operates as "Rythme FM" a Hot AC brand licensed from Cogeco. The station still airs 20% of its music from Category 3 Specialty Music in the evening. This explains the low level of French-language airplay detected during that timeframe.

Table 8
2015
LIBRARY CHLX
TITLES 790
SPINS 3,141
AGE 2003
  Spins Titles
CURRENT 25.1% 6.3%
RECURRENT 16.0% 4.6%
GOLD 58.9% 95.2%
DAYPARTS Spins  
6A- 10A 27.5%  
10A - 3P 30.7%  
3P - 7P 13.9%  
7P - MID 27.8%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 0
MEDIUM (>2-1) 2 1
LOW >1 >1 769

Graphic 3 of the Era map shows a wide time span for significant gold airplay from the early 70s to date.

Graphic 3 features the number of different songs and spins aired in 2015 by CHLX-FM Gatineau in relation of their era.  The Graphic shows a wide time span for significant gold airplay from the early 70s to date. We also note the highest concentration of the number of spins drawn from the 2012 era (few more than 1,000 spins).

Graphic 3

Marie-Pierre Arthur "Rien à faire" and Dominique Hudson "Comme d'habitude" see one play a day the highest rotation for CHLX-FM and are shared with CIMF-FM which did not give these titles the same priority.

Montreal sees a contrast between the founding Contemporary Hit formatted brands CKOI-FM and NRJ and Adult Contemporary formatted Rouge FM and Rythme FM.

CKMF-FM is the premier station in Bell Media's NRJ brand purchased from Astral Media in 2013. The station like its main competitor Cogeco's CKOI-FM is Contemporary and is aggressive in exposing the top hits frequently. The profile sees a small library from the Current repertoire rotated frequently. The 13 top spun titles are aired over three times a day in both years of the study.

Table 9
2009 2015
LIBRARY CKMF CKMF
TITLES 298 255
SPINS 2,565 3,325
AGE 2004 2006
  Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 62.8% 28.9% 49.6% 14.9%
RECURRENT 17.0% 17.8% 12.7% 12.5%
GOLD 20.2% 53.4% 37.7% 72.5%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 13.6%   17.9%  
10A - 3P 20.5%   21.6%  
3P - 7P 6.8%   10.3%  
7P - MID 59.2%   50.1%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 3 13 3 13
MEDIUM (>2-1) 2 45 2 6
LOW >1 >1 240 >1 236

Graphic 4 shows the concentration of airplay is contemporary just up to and including the study.

Graphic 4 compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the station CKMF-FM Montreal in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. The graphic pictures the contemporary just up nature of the selections aired: in 2009, the highest concentration of songs broadcast (approximately 200 different songs) was drawn from the 2008-2009 era.  Similarly, we note a high concentration of the number of spins from the 2008-2009 era (few less than 2,000 spins).  For 2015, the era of the different songs and spins broadcast by the station is concentrated around 2014-2015:  the highest concentration of songs broadcast (a few less than 100 different songs) were drawn from this era, and we note the highest concentration of the number of spins from the 2014-2015 era (a few less than 1,400 spins).

Graphic 4

Notably in 2009 of CKMF-FM's top five spun titles with one exception were aired more frequently than at CKOI-FM.

Table 10
Artist Title Year CKMF CKOI
Marie-Mai Dangereuse attraction 2009 82 79
Alfa Rococo Plus rien à faire 2007 81 77
Lapointe, Éric Les malheureux 2008 67 64
Ryan, Kate Ella, Elle l'a 2008 67 27
Indochine Little Dolls 2008 64 88

Whereas in 2015 the reverse happens when CKOI-FM plays CKMF-FM's top five titles more often with the exception of Louis-Jean Cormier "Si tu reviens" which CKMF-FM played virtually as an exclusive in the market.

Table 11
Artist Title Year CKMF CKOI
Leloup, Jean Paradis City 2015 96 98
Moffatt, Ariane Debout 2015 95 101
Folk, Sally Les heures de visite 2015 93 93
Bégin, Claude Avant de disparaître 2015 92 95
Cormier, Louis-Jean Si tu reviens 2015 80 0

CKOI-FM is Cogeco's powerhouse Contemporary music station heading the franchise heard across Quebec. The French-language active library increases over the two studies while the gold repertoire sees more airplay. There is a more even distribution of the airplay across the dayparts.

Table 12
2009 2015
LIBRARY CKOI CKOI
TITLES 388 490
SPINS 2,528 3,065
AGE 2002 2008
  Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 64.2% 17.3% 45.0% 8.8%
RECURRENT 18.8% 11.1% 14.5% 5.3%
GOLD 17.0% 71.6% 40.6% 85.9%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 17.8%   16.5%  
10A - 3P 14.6%   20.1%  
3P - 7P 5.1%   9.6%  
7P - MID 62.5%   53.8%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 4 7 4 10
MEDIUM (>2-1) 2 47 2 37
LOW >1 >1 334 >1 443

Graphic 5 of the Era maps show little change over the six year period other than the retention of material from 2004 to 2012 that would now be considered Gold.

Graphic 5 compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the station CKOI-FM Montreal in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. The graphic shows little change over the six year period other than the retention of material from 2004 to 2012 that would now be considered Gold. In 2009, a high concentration of the number of songs (approximately 200 songs) and spins (few more than 1,700 spins) are drawn from the 2006-2009 era.  For 2015, the era of the different songs and spins broadcast by the station is concentrated around 2013-2015:  the highest concentration of songs broadcast (a few less than 100 different songs) are drawn from this era, and we note that the highest concentration of the number of spins (approximately 1,700 spins) are drawn from the 2014-2015 era.

Graphic 5

In 2009 CKOI-FM's top five spun titles sees Les Cowboy Fringant 's multi-format hit played twice as much as at CKMF-FM also Ariane Moffatt's track sees more commitment at CKOI-FM.

Table 13
Artist Title Year CKOI CKMF
Les Cowboys Fringants La tête haute 2008 107 55
Indochine Little Dolls 2008 88 64
Marie-Mai Dangereuse attraction 2009 79 82
Alfa Rococo Plus rien à faire 2007 77 81
Moffatt, Ariane Jeudi 17 mai 2008 72 17

The 2015 list of top spun titles indicates CKOI-FM plays these songs more frequently than CKMF-FM. All but the Simon Boudreau entry are cross-format hits played at other stations in the market. This could reflect a broadening of target for the brand.

Table 14
Artist Title Year CKOI CKMF
Boudreau, Simon La trotteuse 2015 116 53
Moffatt, Ariane Debout 2015 101 95
Nevsky, Alex Fanny 2015 100 75
Leloup, Jean Paradis City 2015 98 96
Bégin, Claude Avant de Disparaître 2015 95 92

CFGL-FM is Cogeco's market leading music station branded Rythme FM implementing an Adult Contemporary format. The bulk of the library and airplay comes from the Gold repertoire with Current material receiving less frequent exposure. As with CKOI-FM its Contemporary stable-mate, the library has grown over the two study periods.

Table 15
2009 2015
LIBRARY CFGL CFGL
TITLES 628 834
SPINS 3,363 3,403
AGE 1996 2002
  Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 36.2% 12.1% 27.4% 6.4%
RECURRENT 10.7% 7.2% 15.3% 4.4%
GOLD 53.1% 80.7% 57.3% 89.1%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 18.1%   20.4%  
10A - 3P 23.1%   21.0%  
3P - 7P 10.9%   9.6%  
7P - MID 47.8%   49.1%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 2 4 2 1
MEDIUM (>2-1) 1 56 2 2
LOW >1 >1 568 >1 831

Graphic 6 of the Era map shows a move away from late 70s – early 80s Gold replaced with titles from the 90s and early millennium.

Graphic 6 compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the station CFGL-FM Montreal in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. The graphic shows a move away, between 2009 and 2015, from late 70s – early 80s Gold replaced with titles from the 90s and early millennium.  In 2009, the highest concentration of songs aired (approximately 100 songs) and spins (approximately 1,000 spins) were drawn from the 2008-2009 era. For 2015, the highest concentration of songs aired (approximately 100 songs) was drawn from the millennium era.  Similarly, we note that the highest concentration of the number of spins is drawn from the 2013-2015 era (approximately 1,050 spins).

Graphic 6

The top five spun titles from 2009 at CFGL-FM demonstrate the station's tactic of playing the French-language hits more frequently than its chief competitor:

Table 16
Artist Title Year CFGL CITE
Villeneuve, Annie Ce soir 2009 61 59
Reno, Ginette Fais-moi la tendresse 2009 61 46
Ima Drôle de vie 2009 57 45
Carmen, Marie L'île au Trésor 2009 49 29
Deschamps, Martin Ma petite douceur 2008 36 30

The same results can be seen in 2015.

Table 17
Artist Title Year CFGL CITE
Arthur, Marie-Pierre Rien à faire 2015 63 31
Étienne Drapeau Marie-moi 2014 46 27
Hudson, Dominique Comme d'habitude 2015 44 23
Michaud, Patrice Mécaniques Générales 2013 43 23
Marie-Ève Janvier et Jean-Francois Tu deviendras 2015 40 15
McNicoll, Stephane Un peu de soleil 2015 39 15

CITE-FM is the flagship of Bell Media's Rouge FM network in Quebec. In 2009 CITE-FM is owned by Astral Media is branded as "Rock Detente". The station has been operating in the Adult Contemporary format since the early 90s. True to the format, the Current repertoire has less importance and is rotated at fewer than one spin per day.

Table 18
2009 2015
LIBRARY CITE CITE
TITLES 606 735
SPINS 3,497 3,578
AGE 1995 2001
  Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 29.2% 10.2% 22.8% 5.9%
RECURRENT 8.8% 5.6% 12.5% 5.6%
GOLD 62.1% 84.2% 64.7% 88.6%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 15.9%   17.9%  
10A - 3P 24.0%   20.3%  
3P - 7P 11.6%   15.1%  
7P - MID 48.5%   46.7%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2)   0 2 1
MEDIUM (>2-1) 2 6 2 1
LOW >1 >1 600 >1 733

As is the case for most stations in this format the reliance on Gold from the 70s has moved to the early 90s.

Graphic 7 compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the Adult Contemporary station CITE-FM Montreal in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. The graphic shows that the Current repertoire has less importance for both years. In 2009, the highest concentration of songs (a few more than 50 songs) and spins (a few more than 850 spins) was drawn from the 2006-2009 era.  For 2015, the highest concentration of songs aired (approximately 100 songs) and spins (a few more than 900 spins) are drawn from the millenium era.  The Gold inventory shifts from reliance on the 70’s to the 90’s by 2015.

Graphic 7

As seen with the Contemporary Hit Montreal French-language stations the format competitors vary on the top ranked titles. In 2009 CFGL–FM gives more play to three titles and only one play to Dany Bédar's song.

Table 19
Artist Title CITE CFGL
Villeneuve, Annie Ce soir 59 61
Watters, Andrée & Sylvain Cossette À distance 58 30
Reno, Ginette Fais-moi la tendresse 46 61
Bédar, Dany Je n'attends plus ton retour 46 1
Ima Drôle de vie 45 57

In 2015, CITE-FM shows more ownership of its top played titles including exclusive exposure for Les Handclaps.

Table 20
Artist Title CITE CFGL
Bégin, Claude Avant de disparaître 67 30
Nevsky, Alex Fanny 44 27
Folk, Sally Les heures de visite 41 29
Moffatt, Ariane Debout 35 28
Les Handclaps Je pense encore à toi 35 0

The three stations studied in Quebec City reflect the impact of ownership changes and resultant brand re-alignment between 2009 and 2015.

CFEL-FM is a Contemporary Hit station owned by Corus in 2009 continuing with the Émotion Rock brand. After being acquired by Cogeco, in the Fall of 2009 CFEL-FM was sold to Leclerc Communications who operates the station under the CKOI-FM brand. In 2009 as Émotion Rock the Current rotation was more frequent with a dozen titles airing more than four times per day.

Table 21
2009 2015
LIBRARY CFEL CFEL
TITLES 101 161
SPINS 2,720 3,145
AGE 2005 2012
  Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 56.1% 24.8% 26.1% 17.4%
RECURRENT 13.9% 9.9% 29.5% 19.3%
GOLD 29.6% 65.3% 44.4% 63.4%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 17.7%   20.1%  
10A - 3P 18.5%   17.6%  
3P - 7P 12.1%   11.6%  
7P - MID 51.7%   50.7%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 4 12 0
MEDIUM (>2-1) 2 37 2 14
LOW >1 >1 52 >1 147

CFEL-FM today does not mirror the CKOI-FM brand seen in Montreal. The playlist is smaller and more exposure is given to the Current titles, but the frequency of play is less with no tracks registering more than two spins per day.

Graphic 8 of the Era map shows the consolidation of recent titles gaining more inventory and airplay.

Graphic 8 compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the Contemporary Hit station CFEL-FM Quebec in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. The graphic shows that the playlist is smaller and more exposure is given to the Current titles, but the frequency of play is less.  Specifically, we see that in 2009, a slightly higher concentration of songs (a few more than 50 songs) and a clear and high concentration of spins (approximately 2,800 spins) were drawn from the 2008-2009 era.  For 2015, the highest concentration of songs aired (a few less than 200 songs) and spins (a few more than 3,000 spins) are drawn from the 2014-2015 era.

Graphic 8

Three of CFEL-FM's top five spun titles, "Celle qu'il te faut," "Quoi que tu dises" and "L'amour est un tricheur," in 2009 are exclusive to the station and the frequency of airplay is higher than seen in 2015.

Table 22
Artist Title Spins
Kenza Farah Feat. Nina Sky Celle qu'il te faut 133
M, Melissa Quoi que tu dises 124
Bédar, Dany Je n'attends plus ton retour 115
Landry, Maxime L'envie 110
Caracol L'amour est un tricheur 107

The 2015 top spun titles show half the turnover compared to 2009 and two titles by Andie Duquette and Marie-Mai are exclusive to CFEL-FM.

Table 23
Artist Title Spins
Duquette, Andie On n'se dit pas qu'on s'aime 51
Sorel Mes yeux noirs 50
Tremblay Aime/Pardonne 50
Marie-Mai À bout portant 49
Misteur Valaire Feat. Karim Ouellet L'amour est un monstre 49

CFOM-FM is a Classic AC Hits station formerly owned by Corus. In 2009, the station is branded "Souvenirs Garantis". Acquired in 2011 by Cogeco the format and branding are revised to "M FM".

Table 24
2009 2015
LIBRARY CFOM CFOM
TITLES 529 853
SPINS 2,981 3,488
AGE 1985 1998
  Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 0.5% 1.9% 0.7% 0.6%
RECURRENT 2.7% 1.9% 2.9% 1.3%
GOLD 96.7% 96.2% 96.4% 98.1%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 18.4%   22.8%  
10A - 3P 21.5%   19.6%  
3P - 7P 9.2%   16.2%  
7P - MID 50.9%   41.5%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 0 0
MEDIUM (>2-1) 2 78 0
LOW >1 >1 451 >1 853

As under the previous Gold-based incarnation CFOM-FM plays few Current songs. In 2015 CFOM-FM rotates the increased inventory at less than one play per day. The impact of a more music less talk tactic is obvious with an increase in airplay cross the day particularly in the Morning and Afternoon Drive dayparts.

Graphic 9 compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the Classic AC Hits station CFOM-FM Quebec in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. The graphic shows that for both years, there is no 50s and few early 60s in 2015 compared to 2009 and movement from a peak play in the 70s to mid-80s in 2015 driving the library average year to 1998.  In 2009, the highest concentration of songs (a few less than 60 songs) and spins (a few less than 280 spins) were drawn from the 70s era.  For 2015, the highest concentration of songs (a few more than 100 songs) and spins aired (approximately 400 spins) are drawn from the 90s era.

Graphic 9

Graphic 9 maps shows less 50s and 60s airplay and movement from a peak play in the 70s to mid-80s in 2015 driving the library average year to 1998.

The top spun titles from 2009 demonstrate the depth of the format sonically and era-wise.

Table 25
Artist Title Year Spins
Renaud, Mélanie J'men veux 2002 37
Seff, Daniel Repartons à zéro 1983 37
Offenbach Mes blues passent pu dans porte 1978 35
Daniel, Cindy Sous une pluie d'étoiles 2006 33
Richard, Zachary La ballade de Jean Batailleur 1997 32

In 2015 the top played titles show a slower rotation and more contemporary stance.

Table 26
Artist Title Year Spins
Michaud, Patrice Mécaniques Générales 2013 18
Nevsky, Alex On leur a fait croire 2013 18
Ouellet, Karim L'amour 2012 18
Dubmatique Soul pleureur 2002 17
Dupré, Marc Aimons-nous (Sans Attendre) 2014 16
Hudson, Dominique Danza 2013 16
Nodeja Quelque chose about you 1999 16

 CJEC-FM is operated in 2009 by Corus Entertainment as Rythme FM. The station was subsequently reacquired by Cogeco and sold in 2012 to Leclerc Communications. CJEC-FM is branded as WKND FM as a Triple A, it is the only French-language station using this format.

Table 27
2009 2015
LIBRARY CJEC CJEC
TITLES 652 152
SPINS 3,440 3,059
AGE 1996 2012
  Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 38.6% 13.3% 29.2% 21.7%
RECURRENT 12.1% 7.7% 29.0% 22.4%
GOLD 49.3% 79.0% 41.8% 55.9%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 19.9%   16.7%  
10A - 3P 21.7%   18.8%  
3P - 7P 11.7%   6.6%  
7P - MID 46.7%   57.9%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 2 1 0
MEDIUM (>2-1) 1 58 2 16
LOW >1 >1 593 >1 136

The transformation is evident with a smaller universe scheduled more evenly across the dayparts. As is the case with the format CJEC-FM exposes titles less than twice per day.

Graphic 10 compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the Triple A station CJEC-FM Quebec in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. The graphic shows that in 2009, the highest concentration of songs (approximately 100 songs) and spins aired (approximately 1,350 spins) were drawn from the 2008 era.  For 2015, the highest concentration of songs aired (a few less than 200 songs) and spins (approximately 2,600 spins) are drawn from the 2013-2015 era.

Graphic 10

The change to a concentration of titles from 1991 onwards shown in Graphic 10 is in keeping with the Triple A format.

The top spun songs of 2009 are exclusive to the station excepting the multi-format hit "Ce soir" by Annie Villeneuve:

Table 28
Artist Title Spins
Villeneuve, Annie Ce soir 62
Ima Drôle de vie 55
Reno, Ginette Fais-moi la tendresse 53
Rose La liste 38
Alfa Rococo Plus rien à faire 35

CJEC-FM's 2015 most played titles are all shared with AC CFEL-FM.

Table 29
Artist Title Spins
Bégin, Claude Avant de Disparaître 58
Misteur Valaire Feat. Karim Ouellet L'amour est un monstre 57
Bloom, Fanny Piscine 52
Les Handclaps Je pense encore à toi 52
Tremblay Aime/Pardonne 51

Trois-Rivières sees local variants of flagship formats at Bell Media's CIGB-FM and CHEY-FM with

Rouge-FM and NRJ respectively and Cogeco's Rythme FM at CJEB-FM.

CJEB-FM was launched by Cogeco in 2003 and continues to operate as in the Adult Contemporary format. There is slight change in terms of increased library and Gold airplay, but overall the profile reflects its common musical lineage with CFGL-FM.

Table 30
2009 2015
LIBRARY CJEB CJEB
TITLES 634 844
SPINS 3,511 3,493
AGE 1996 2003
STATIONS S/T Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 35.6% 12.3% 27.1% 6.5%
RECURRENT 11.0% 7.1% 15.3% 4.7%
GOLD 53.4% 80.6% 57.5% 88.7%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 19.9%   20.9%  
10A - 3P 21.4%   21.5%  
3P - 7P 12.8%   9.7%  
7P - MID 45.9%   47.9%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 2 1 2 1
MEDIUM (>2-1) 1 49 1 51
LOW >1 >1 584 >1 792

The evolution of the Rythme brand is consistent in terms of the Gold era shift from the 70s to the mid 80s and an overall library age of 2002 at CJEB-FM.

Graphic 11 compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the Adult Contemporary station CJEB-FM Trois-Rivières in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. The graphic shows that in 2009, the highest concentration of songs (approximately 100 songs) and spins aired (a few more than 1,000 spins) were drawn from the 2006-2009 era.  For 2015, the highest concentration of songs aired (a few less than 100 songs) and spins (approximately 1,100 spins) are drawn from the 2013-2015 era.  By 2015, the Gold peak shifts from the late 70’s to the late 80’s.

Graphic 11

In 2009, the top five titles for the month of April on CJED-FM are identical to Rythme FM Montreal.

Table 31
Artist Title Year Spins
Villeneuve, Annie Ce soir 2009 63
Reno, Ginette Fais-moi la tendresse 2009 57
Ima Drôle de vie 2009 55
Carmen, Marie L'île au trésor 2009 52
Deschamps, Martin Ma petite douceur 2008 39

The same is true of the top five spun titles in 2015 as they mirror CFGL-FM's list.

Table 32
Artist Title Year Spins
Arthur, Marie-Pierre Rien à faire 2015 63
Étienne Drapeau Marie-moi 2014 46
Michaud, Patrice Mécaniques Générales 2013 43
Hudson, Dominique Comme d'habitude 2015 43
Dion, Olivier Presque une chanson d'amour 2014 38

CIGB-FM owes its Contemporary Hit heritage in part to ownership by Radiomutuel Inc. prior to Astral Media's 2000 acquisition and branding as Energie-FM. In 2013 Bell Media acquired the station and re-branded as NRJ.

Table 33
2009 2015
LIBRARY CIGB CIGB
TITLES 317 298
SPINS 2,828 3,313
AGE 2004 2009
STATIONS S/T Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 59.7% 28.4% 50.8% 13.8%
RECURRENT 16.8% 18.0% 14.3% 12.1%
GOLD 23.5% 53.6% 34.9% 74.2%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 15.9%   18.4%  
10A - 3P 22.9%   22.5%  
3P - 7P 8.1%   9.1%  
7P - MID 52.8%   50.0%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 2 5 3 14
MEDIUM (>2-1) 1 50 1 41
LOW >1 >1 262 >1 243

The transition to NRJ and the alignment with flagship CKMF-FM Montreal is apparent in both the profile and Era maps in 2009 and 2015 of Graphic 12.

Graphic 12 compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the station CIGB-FM Trois-Rivières in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. The graphic shows that in 2009, the highest concentration of songs (a few more than 100 songs) and spins aired (a few more than 1,800 spins) were drawn from the 2007-2009 era.  For 2015, the highest concentration of songs aired (approximately 100 songs) and spins (a few more than 1,700 spins) are drawn from the 2013-2015 era.

Graphic 12

The top played titles in 2009 shows "Dangereuse," "Les malheureux" and "Little Dolls" played exclusively in the market by Energie with the top three echoing CKMF-FM's top titles.

Table 34
Artist Title Year Spins
Marie-Mai Dangereuse attraction 2009 83
Alfa Rococo Plus rien à faire 2007 76
Madcon Beggin' 2007 70
Lapointe, Éric Les malheureux 2008 67
Indochine Little Dolls 2008 64

Of the top five most played titles at CIGB-FM in 2015 the first four songs also appear in the top positions at CKMF-FM, but with varying levels of airplay. Les BB and Jean-Marc Couture enjoy exclusive play in Trois-Rivières at NRJ.

Table 35
Artist Title Year Spins
Folk, Sally Les heures de visite 2015 98
Moffatt, Ariane Debout 2015 94
Leloup, Jean Paradis City 2015 93
Bégin, Claude Avant de disparaître 2015 87
Les BB & Jean-Marc Couture Snob 2015 80

Bell Media's CHEY-FM is branded Rouge-FM and like the Montreal flagship CITE-FM draws its Adult Contemporary formatting from Rock-Détente introduced by Telemedia in the 90s.

Table 36
2009 2015
LIBRARY CHEY CHEY
TITLES 603 732
SPINS 3,581 3,630
AGE 1995 2002
STATIONS S/T Spins Titles Spins Titles
CURRENT 29.3% 10.4% 23.1% 6.0%
RECURRENT 9.0% 6.0% 12.6% 4.5%
GOLD 61.7% 83.6% 64.2% 89.5%
DAYPARTS Spins   Spins  
6A- 10A 18.1%   17.9%  
10A - 3P 23.0%   21.2%  
3P - 7P 11.5%   14.9%  
7P - MID 47.4%   46.0%  
ROTATION/DAY Spins Titles Spins Titles
HIGH (+2) 2 1 2 1
MEDIUM (>2-1) 1 46 1 51
LOW >1 >1 556 >1 680

As is the case with its format competitor, CJEB-FM, Rouge-FM borrows heavily from the Montreal operation. Both of the 2009 and 2015 profiles show the branding of the day Rock-Détente and Rouge-FM. Similarly Graphic 13 of the era maps demonstrate the change in the AC format with regard to contemporizing the Gold repertoire.

Graphic 13 compares the number of different songs and spins aired by the station CHEY-FM Trois-Rivières in 2009 and in 2015 in relation of their era. The graphic shows that in 2009, the highest concentration of songs (a few more than 50 songs) and spins aired (approximately 900 spins) were drawn from the 2007-2009 era.  For 2015, the highest concentration of songs aired (a few more than 50 songs) and spins (approximately 900 spins) are drawn from the 2012-2013 era.

Graphic 13

Of the top five titles in 2009, all are shared with CJEB-FM. Notably Marc-Andre Fortin's "Rosie" did not receive top five play at Montreal's Rouge-FM and airplay for Dany Bedar's song was significantly owned by CHEY-FM.

Table 37
Artist Title Year CHEY CJEB
Villeneuve, Annie Ce soir 2009 62 63
Watters, Andrée & Sylvain Cossette À distance 2008 57 32
Reno, Ginette Fais-moi la tendresse 2009 46 57
Marc-André Fortin Rosie 2008 45 33
Bédar, Dany Je n'attends plus ton retour 2008 44 1

In 2015 CHEY-FM shares all of its top five titles with CJEB-FM and four of the set with Rouge-FM in Montreal. Marie-Pierre Arthur's "Rien à faire," number nine at CITE-FM, cracks the top five at Rouge-FM Trois-Rivières.

Table 38
Artist Title Year CHEY CJEB
Bégin, Claude Avant de disparaître 2015 67 31
Nevsky, Alex Fanny 2015 45 27
Folk, Sally Les heures de visite 2015 42 31
Moffatt, Ariane Debout 2015 38 26
Arthur, Marie-Pierre Rien à faire 2015 32 63

VI. Duplication

Combined station airplay and duplication for each year is shown for 2009 and 2015 on the following graphs. The number of titles played across the entire panel in either year is limited. The nature of the primary formats, while Pop-based, places limitations on songs even within the genre.

Graphic 14 features the combined percentage of airplay (titles) and duplication (spins) in the year 2009 for all of the 12 stations that are part of this study for that year.  Graphic 14 shows the concentration of airplay in 2009 around titles played at 6 to 7 stations. The volume of exclusive titles, songs played at only one station: 29% of all songs make up 5% of all airplay.  Conversely, consensus airplay at all stations generates less than 1% of overall airplay from 0.2% of the active library. The top ten spun titles deliver a big share of French-language airplay in 2009. The top ten most played titles did not play across all 12 stations, but played on an average of 7.6 stations each or 63% of the panel contributing to 10% of the total airplay.

Graphic 14

Graphic 14 shows the concentration of airplay in 2009 around titles played at 6 to 7 stations. The volume of exclusive titles, songs played at only one station: 29% of all songs make up 5% of all airplay. Conversely, consensus airplay at all stations generates less than 1% of overall airplay from 0.2% of the active library.

The top ten spun titles deliver a big share of French-language airplay in 2009. The top ten most played titles did not play across all 12 stations, but played on an average of 7.6 stations each or 63% of the panel contributing to 10% of the total airplay.

Table 39
Artist Title Year Spins Stns Stn%
Villeneuve, Annie Ce soir 2009 573 10 83%
Les Cowboys Fringants La tête haute 2008 406 10 83%
Star Académie 1000 coeurs debout 2009 394 10 83%
Alfa Rococo Plus rien à faire 2007 392 7 58%
Indochine Little Dolls 2008 370 5 42%
Les Cowboys Fringants Tant qu'on aura de l'amour 2008 327 10 83%
Marie-Mai Dangereuse attraction 2009 323 4 33%
Ryan, Kate Ella, Elle l'a 2008 322 7 58%
Reno, Ginette Fais-moi la tendresse 2009 319 7 58%
Ima Drôle de vie 2009 300 6 50%

Three titles played at all stations in the 2009 study delivering 244 spins or 0.7% of the combined airplay: Dany Bédar "Faire La paix avec l'amour," La Chicane "Tu m'manques" and Mylène Farmer "Désenchantée". Adding titles that played on eleven stations, their combined airplay is at 4% of the total airplay, significantly lower that the top ten spun songs noted above. It is notable that Les Colocs have four titles on this list underscoring their broad appeal. The band is shut out at Quebec's CJEC-FM.

Table 40
Artist Title Year Spins Stns Stn%
Bédar, Dany Faire la paix avec l'amour 2002 106 12 100%
La Chicane Tu m'manques 2001 102 12 100%
Farmer, Mylène Désenchantée 1991 36 12 100%
Kaolin Partons vite 2007 209 11 92%
Moffatt, Ariane Je veux tout 2008 177 11 92%
Beland, Marie-Luce Pleine lune 2007 175 11 92%
Dupré, Marc Si pour te plaire 2008 165 11 92%
Mes Aïeux Dégénérations 2005 99 11 92%
Les Colocs La rue Principale 1994 88 11 92%
Les Colocs Tassez-vous de d'là 1998 70 11 92%
Les Colocs Julie 1992 55 11 92%
Les Colocs Bon yeu 1995 46 11 92%
Les Frères à Ch'Val Mon voisin 1997 33 11 92%

In 2015 the same concentration of shared airplay around 6 to 7 stations is shown on Graphic 15. Titles played on 6 to 7 stations generated 29% of all airplay from 20% of all titles played. As in 2009 exclusive titles, songs played at only one station make up 29% all titles, but only 5% of airplay. Consensus airplay at all 13 stations generates 2.3% of airplay, double 2009, from 0.3% of the active library.

Graphic 15 features the combined percentage of airplay (titles) and duplication (spins) in the year 2015 for all of the 13 stations that are part of this study for that year. The graphic shows that titles played on 6 to 7 stations generated 29% of all airplay from 20% of all titles played. As in 2009 exclusive titles, songs played at only one station make up 29% all titles, but only 5% of airplay.  Consensus airplay at all 13 stations generates 2.3% of airplay, double 2009, from 0.3% of the active library.  In 2015, the top ten spun titles deliver 12% of the total airplay and appear on an average of 86% or eleven of the 13 of the stations.

Graphic 15

In 2015 the top ten spun titles deliver 12% of the total airplay and appear on an average of 86% or eleven of the 13 of the stations. Gold-based CFOM-FM played only Patrice Michaud's 2013 release from among the top ten titles.

Table 41
Artist Title Spins Stns Stn%
Bégin, Claude Avant de disparaître 740 12 92%
Folk, Sally Les heures de visite 679 12 92%
Moffatt, Ariane Debout 626 12 92%
Nevsky, Alex Fanny 586 12 92%
Dupré, Marc Là dans ma tête 493 12 92%
Leloup, Jean Paradis City 487 11 85%
Coeur De Pirate Carry On/Oublie-Moi 389 12 92%
Arthur, Marie-Pierre Rien à faire 362 8 62%
Alfa Rococo Le sexe des anges 361 9 69%
Michaud, Patrice Mécaniques Générales 360 12 92%

In 2015, six titles from Alex Nevsky "On leur a fait croire" and "Les coloriés," Karim Ouellet "L'amour," Marc Dupré "Nous sommes les mêmes," Ariane Moffatt "Montréal" and Kain "Mexico" were played at all panel stations. Adding the titles played at 12 of the 13 stations provides a list of 25 titles generating over 6,600 spins for 16% of all airplay. This shows more concentration of airplay across more stations. Additionally, the number of artists with several titles in this list played on 94% of the stations narrows diversity from that perspective. The following artists have more than one title comprising this list: Ariane Moffat - four titles; Alex Nevsky and Karim Ouellet - three titles; and two titles each for Coeur De Pirate, Marc Dupré, Kain (both Gold).

Table 42
Artist Title Year Spins Stns Stn%
Nevsky, Alex On leur a fait croire 2013 237 13 100%
Ouellet, Karim L'amour 2012 229 13 100%
Nevsky, Alex Les coloriés 2013 228 13 100%
Dupré, Marc Nous sommes les mêmes 2013 174 13 100%
Moffatt, Ariane Montréal 2005 84 13 100%
Kain Mexico 2006 66 13 100%
Bégin, Claude Avant de disparaître 2015 740 12 92%
Folk, Sally Les heures de visite 2015 679 12 92%
Moffatt, Ariane Debout 2015 626 12 92%
Nevsky, Alex Fanny 2015 586 12 92%
Dupré, Marc Là dans ma tête 2014 493 12 92%
Coeur De Pirate Carry On/Oublie-Moi 2015 389 12 92%
Michaud, Patrice Mécaniques Générales 2013 360 12 92%
Misteur Valaire Ft. K.Ouellet L'amour est un monstre 2014 359 12 92%
Ouellet, Karim Rien ne sert de courir 2014 261 12 92%
Poulin, Alexandre Comme des enfants en cavale 2014 244 12 92%
Cormier, Louis-Jean Tout le monde en même temps 2012 233 12 92%
Moffatt, Ariane Réverbère 2008 97 12 92%
Vallières, Vincent On va s'aimer encore 2010 96 12 92%
Deslauriers, William Je lève mon verre 2010 95 12 92%
Coeur De Pirate Adieu 2011 92 12 92%
Kain Embarque ma belle 2005 83 12 92%
Leloup, Jean I Lost My Baby 1996 71 12 92%
Moffatt, Ariane Je veux tout 2008 60 12 92%
Bélanger, Daniel En mon bonheur (Tout toi me manque) 1999 56 12 92%

A comparison of the top 20 artist airplay ranking and title depth is an indicator of diversity and a progressive direction for French-language music on these stations. Of 2009's top 20 artists, 25% remain in the top 20 in 2015: Ariane Moffatt, Kain, Les Cowboys Fringants, Celine Dion and Eric Lapointe. With exception of Ariane Moffatt, the ranking may be lower for the returning artists. In all cases these artists have more catalogue songs playing in 2015 than in 2009. Similarly, 25% of the artists on the 2015 top 20 are new and do not receive airplay in 2009. This indicates equilibrium.

Table 43
TOP 20 ARTISTS RANK COMPARISON 2009 - 2015
2009 2015 2009
Rank Artist Spins Songs Rank Artist Spins Songs Rank Titles
1 Dion, Céline 972 46 1 Nevsky, Alex 1168 5 n/a 0
2 Les Cowboys Fringants 961 12 2 Dupré, Marc 977 12 32 7
3 Lapointe, Éric 899 22 3 Moffatt, Ariane 952 10 7 10
4 Bédar, Dany 896 11 4 Folk, Sally 949 6 n/a 0
5 Kain 860 12 5 Vallières, Vincent 930 13 65 6
6 Villeneuve, Annie 781 6 6 Leloup, Jean 827 23 37 16
7 Moffatt, Ariane 728 10 7 Bégin, Claude 740 1 n/a 0
8 Cabrel, Francis 671 25 8 Marie-Mai 739 22 23 8
9 Alfa Rococo 639 5 9 Michaud, Patrice 734 5 n/a 0
10 Toupin, Marie-Chantal 613 13 10 Kain 622 16 5 12
11 Ciccone, Nicola 584 12 11 Ouellet, Karim 617 5 n/a 0
12 Mes Aïeux 566 7 12 Cœur de pirate 607 8 67 2
13 Boulay, Isabelle 547 17 13 Les Cowboys Fringants 602 25 2 12
14 Parent, Kevin 532 15 14 Cormier, Louis-Jean 599 5 n/a 0
15 Ima 523 7 15 Boisjoli, Brigitte 549 7 99 1
16 Cossette, Sylvain 501 23 16 Dion, Céline 539 50 1 46
17 D'Amour, France 465 20 17 Lapointe, Éric 539 29 3 22
18 Reno, Ginette 462 15 18 Arthur, Marie-Pierre 523 5 42 1
19 Jalbert, Laurence 448 17 19 Painchaud, Jonathan 487 12 24 6
20 Pelchat, Mario 448 15 20 Couture, Jérôme 469 4 n/a 0

VII. Conclusion

The study data indicates the French-language library at the panel stations is an evolving entity that is expanding immersed with new artists adding to, but not displacing older performers.

It is difficult to make a determination as many factors vary from market to market and format to format however, consolidation of airplay does impact diversity. Data demonstrates this concentration is trending upwards.   

The format networks deliver a music product that is in most cases very similar to that of the corporate flagship station. The Brands are consistent market to market.

There are two exceptions particularly where the brand is licensed to a secondary party as is the case in Gatineau and Quebec City.

There are three primary formats in this study; Contemporary Hit, Adult Contemporary and Hot Adult Contemporary. The Branding we see is NRJ-FM, Rouge-FM and Rythme FM respectively.

Within the core formats such as Adult Contemporary as an example, there are variations in frequency of play before selection of titles that differentiates stations.

Overall, the French-language inventory of songs and their airplay is higher in 2015 than 2009 with these exceptions:

Appendix 1 – Emerging Artists 2009

Appendix 2 – Emerging Artists 2015

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