UK radio ratings body, RAJAR, has come in for criticism from the new government media and telecoms regulator, Ofcom, for its old fashioned research practices.

Speaking at Britain’s Radio Festival, Ofcom CEO, Stephen Carter, criticised the old diary measurement system, urging RAJAR to accelerate production of more reliable statistics for the radio industry.

He said:

“The changes that RAJAR are currently considering are welcome, but they will need to ensure that they deliver more robust, up to date and granular ad delivery statistics. Only if they do the business will the investments in digital only stations and digital radio listening begin to repay the proper investment that the risk-takers have made. Certainly there is an oddity today that 8% of listening to digital-only stations converts into only £1million of advertising revenue.”

Ofcom aims for the British radio industry are:

· be more accessible, to more people, more of the time, more easily, more cheaply;

· have more routes to market, which digital and convergence makes possible;

· have the freedom to get to market, which means making more capacity available.

· that the industry is seen more as a whole rather than as a commercial/BBC divided universe;

· and finally, that the industry and listeners take more responsibility for formats, outputs and preferences.

Since its inception Ofcom has also awarded the first community radio licences in Britain, making 15 new licences available across the country.

For Carter’s full speech click below.