Abstract:

Radio is a very popular medium in Poland. The Polish radio market is presently defined on one hand, by high vitality regional and local stations, and on the other by the clearly defined leadership of ProgrammeI of the Polish Radio and the strong, equivalent position of two commercial networks - RMF FM and Radio Zet. At first glance, this arrangement of forces seems to be quite stable. In fact this situation is far from petrifaction. Especially in local markets the dynamics of change in patterns of radio listening is still strong. One can also see the shaping of different patterns of listening to ‘national’ stations or networks in various parts of Poland, as well as definite profiles of ‘co-listening’ behaviour. It is also evident how important a variable the place is in surveys of radio listening. The rapid changes taking place in the radio market require an adequate radio audience measurement system. This paper seeks to briefly present how these changes have stimulated the development of research techniques used for a reliable evaluation of the radio audience in Poland.