Stop The Press

The British Consul popped up again in yesterday's "Bulletin", along with figures of the numbers of registered Brits in the various municipalities of the island. The figures were a bit of a surprise. At some 15 and a half thousand, the total seems, if anything, to have actually fallen. They don't necessarily give a complete picture, as there are those who live part of the year and those who simply do not register - for whatever reason, and I leave that to you to figure out. There was also no number given for one municipality, Sa Pobla. Not that there aren't any Brits there; so I don't quite know why there was a line where there should have been a figure. Be that as it may, the "pobler" Brits would not make a significant difference.

When one looks at the figures, a clear picture emerges. Calvia has by far the largest population - at over 5,000 - followed by Palma. If one tosses in Andratx and Lluchmayor, then over half of the Brit contingent is in the main parts of the south. Pollensa can claim something over 1,000 and Alcudia fewer than 900. A figure of 2,000 or so in the northern area, a figure I have gone by for some time, would still be about right.

What makes these figures interesting and important is how they translate in terms of the media. It is an oft-heard gripe that "The Bulletin" is too focused on the south, at the expense of the north. How accurate that gripe is, is perhaps debatable, though perceptions play a crucial part, as much as the reality. Nevertheless, if 60% or so of the target market is in the south, it is hardly surprising that there is a weighting in favour of that market, in all sorts of respects. The northern market equates to roughly one-eighth of the total; not insignificant but not as significant.

But in total, the British form about 2% of the whole population of the island; that in the north 0.25%. How are you supposed to market to that? While the population is of course augmented in summer by seasonal workers and tourists, the latter only create a temporary additional market. For the media, there is a further problem to that of the smallness of the markets, and that is the diversity within the British population. While in the UK, newspapers can appeal to a broad range of socioeconomic groupings and political views, a similar scope does not exist locally. One size fits all is the only real approach, which has the effect of alienating some and of failing to create a recognisable "voice". With markets so limited, it is not surprising, or should not be, that content does seem, at times, thin or weak.

At this point ...

I started to get rather intrigued by this whole relationship between the media and the population in Mallorca. It will take me more time. Maybe tomorrow, the whole thing will appear. But what I have unearthed is, I believe, quite surprising; well, it surprised me. It may also give you all an appreciation of quite what we are talking about in terms of the local media. To follow ...


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Keane, "Spiralling": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-LZ7yH-JBM. Today's title - which film theme tune has this?

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