Greece’s kids radio — research and gut

ATHENS — Many times, we hear how becoming a parent can shift the way a person feels and sees things around them. Something similar happened to Alexandra Daskalopoulos, CEO of Frontstage Entertainment. The media group has five FM stations and is the market leader in Greece, with 33% of the country’s listeners tuning into one of its radio stations daily.

When Daskalopoulos became a mother in 2016, she realized it was hard to find quality content or a safe audio environment for her and her baby. Also, online, she found high-pitched voices and multiple ads coming and going, but no stories, fairy tales or audiobooks for kids, especially in Greek. “So, my gut was saying: This is too loud, busy and fragmented. There is an unmet need in the market.”

A project targeting child audiences entered Frontstage’s pipeline in 2016, but it was only in 2020, when the pandemic broke out, that Daskalopoulos realized it was time to take on the project. She says it became even more apparent that parents needed high-quality entertainment and a safe environment for their family and their little ones, especially audio — because leaving children in front of a screen for a long time isn’t healthy.

Becoming no. 1

A dedicated study group identified parents’ main concerns on this subject were safety, quality control and easy reach. “So, we designed our product accordingly. Kids Radio debuted as a website in July 2020. And, when we thought it was good enough, we decided to bring it on FM, too. Everyone thought I was mad, really everyone. But my gut was saying that this would work,” Daskalopoulos remembers.

In October 2020, Kids Radio went on air on 88.6 MHz FM in Athens — where about one-third of the Greek population lives — and elsewhere online. At that time, no known example of an FM radio station for children existed. The closest example was Fun Kids Radio in the U.K., which was on DAB.

About 20 months after its launch, Kids Radio became the number one station rated suitable for the whole family and noticeably also the top-ranked station in the Greek market for women 33 to 45 years old, with an overall weekly reach of 15%. In Greece, audience figures include people from 15 to 70 years old, and 15% refer only to caretakers, likely to have been listening with one or more children. So, the actual overall figure should then be even greater.

Kids Radio became profitable within 12 months of its launch, and a steep revenue increase followed. About 82% of Kids Radio’s advertisers are existing Frontstage clients, while 18% are newcomers, including companies that had never advertised on radio, like Playmobil or the Swatch group.

Whom to target

Surveys confirm that listeners tune in daily on the way to school with the little ones, but parents keep listening even after their children are not there. “So, they’re enjoying the station. We changed our program after 9 a.m. and played more AC (adult contemporary) music, which parents enjoy,” says Daskalopoulos. “I’ve never seen such a big loyalty and engagement in any other of our stations.”

Daskalopoulos confirms they don’t target the children themselves but the adults listening, and each ad’s content is rigorously assessed. “I’m a mother. I do not want my kids to hear stuff that is inappropriate. We screen every ad and have said no to some because they did not meet our criteria. We have to keep the brand as a high-quality and secure environment.”

Daskalopoulos considers radio stations part of a brand with multiple offshoots; editors need to extend brand activities well beyond their traditional comfort zone. About 69% of the Kids Radio revenue comes from ads on regular airtime, 1% from the station’s website and 30% from events. Kids Radio events include school visits, where kids come to the station, learn the backstage of radio, how it connects with the studio and the transmitters, record their voices in the production booths and go home with a USB stick, listening to it with their parents.

In addition, the flagship Kids Radio Festival blends entertainment, music, theatre and educational activities across two days, shaping them on a genuine radio background. Daskalopoulos says last year’s edition sold out in 10 days.

The significant finding from the Kids Radio project is that children do love radio. “Gen A kids probably don’t even know the word ‘radio,’ concludes Daskalopoulos. “But aside from teaching them what it is, we must serve it how they like to consume it.”

After receiving a Master of Science in Engineering, the author worked for Telecom Italia and Italian public broadcaster, Rai. Based in Bergamo, Italy, he now spends his time as a broadcast consultant for radio stations and equipment manufacturers, specializing in project management, network design and field measurement.

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