For this week’s Programming To Win column, Fred Jacobs digs in to some of the data from Jacobs Media’s new Techsurvey8. Specifically, Jacobs examines the reasons why the study’s respondents listen to AM/FM radio. Jacobs found that terrestrial radio meets listeners’ emotional needs in very specific and personal ways that other music services cannot provide.
By Fred Jacobs
Fred Jacobs
We recently wrapped up analysis for our Techsurvey8, a study about radio and technology that is simply loaded with data. All told, 170 stations provided access to their email databases, generating more than 57,000 responses. We think it’s the largest study of its kind ever conducted for radio.
So it would be easy to get wrapped up in all the data points, the technology, and the gadgets. For example, a look at our “Media Usage Pyramid” shows strong usage of smartphones, tablets, Pandora, social media, and other digital forms of entertainment and information.
But in addition to all the questions about who’s using what, we also drilled down into the motivations behind why consumers are using our core product – AM/FM radio. Now you’d think that anyone who’s been in the business more than a few cups of coffee would instinctively know the answers.
But Techsurvey8 suggests there are emotional underpinnings to broadcast radio that are frequently misunderstood or overlooked. To try to identify precisely what it is about AM/FM radio that makes it so appealing to millions of listeners every day, we created a list of potential attributes, and had respondents tell us whether they are major factors in their enjoyment of the medium.
The pyramid chart below depicts the importance of each of these qualities, starting at the bottom where the highest percentage of participants suggest that “playing my favorite songs” is a main reason for listening. And next in line – no surprise – is “enjoying listening to particular DJs, shows, or hosts.”
But keep reading “up” the pyramid, and you’ll see that I’ve bracketed four emotional triggers that speak volumes about why listeners “hire” radio:
They are four very important emotional needs that are intertwined –all key reasons why the audience relationship with broadcast stations is special:
I like to work with the radio on
I want to get in a better mood
It keeps me company
I want to escape from the pressures of everyday life
This question was inspired by a few different things we’ve encountered. First, we conduct hundreds of focus groups and Listener Advisory Board groups every year – sitting in a room with radio listeners, listening to them – rather than them listening to us. Particularly since the economy cratered in 2008, we noticed that in market after market and station after station, people have been profoundly impacted by a vicious economy that in many cases has changed their lives and their outlooks.
The second “A-ha! moment” was courtesy of a client. We were in the process of conceptualizing how to improve our morning drive ratings. This is a station that chooses not to compete against the full-featured types of morning shows. As the station manager articulated to me after explaining that his commute is often one hour each way, “I just want to listen to someone who will play great music and keep me company.”
So we borrowed from both of these learning moments to create a question that was designed to help better understand the true underpinnings for “Why AM/FM radio?”
We know that many, many people are not living the lives they dreamed about. Many hopes and dreams have been dashed. As the data suggest, for significant portions of the listening audience, improving their emotional well-being is something that radio can uniquely provide.
This also may speak to the notion that many people listen to the radio while they’re alone. Techsurvey8 tells us that a majority of listeners spend the lion’s share of their listening on four wheels. And a look at the streets and highways where you live will confirm that many, many people commute to and from work by themselves. Being in a vehicle is a highly personal – even private – setting for consumers. Consequently, a relationship with someone you’re listening to on the radio during these moments is unlike any other medium or outlet. It can be intensely personal.
And there’s another side to this – Pandora, and the many new media competitors that broadcasters are facing. We devoted several questions to exploring the Pandora phenomenon to better understand why it’s working and where there are vulnerabilities.
For many, Pandora is radio, often providing a better music product than what they’re accustomed to getting from broadcast stations. But Pandora consumers also share the reasons why they don’t spend as much time listening – and those factors revolve around some of the same human motivators that are unique to broadcast radio.
When asked about the main reasons why Pandora falls short, the number one deficit is “I miss hearing people on the radio.” The human factor – relatability, the personal touch – emerges as a Pandora weakness. And tied with the inability to skip enough songs is “It gives me no information about what’s going on in my city or town.” Again, a sense of being connected and to having local context are all part of the consumer’s mindset.
Is radio’s desire for saving money hurting its ability to provide a strong, personal listening experience? While voicetracking can be well-executed, can broadcast radio create a greater distinction for its key constituents – listeners, advertisers, and the communities it serves?
It all speaks to better understanding what broadcast radio’s job is all about for 2012 consumers. So often, stations are fixated on scheduling that perfect music hour, making sure their positioning is totally focused, or coming up with talk topics that will make the phones ring.
And in the process, programmers may be missing on the opportunity to make an emotional connection with an audience that has a need for companionship, mood elevation, and even escape.
It can only happen on the radio – if we’re perceptive enough to simply do the job we are “hired” by the audience to do.
An infographic from Techsurvey8 is available here: http://www.jacobsmedia.com/articles/ts8_release042712.asp
Jacobs Media will also be hosting format webinars from Techsurvey8. For more details: www.jacobsmedia.com
Fred Jacobs is President of Jacobs Media. The Southfield, Michigan based firm consults many of America’s most successful Classic Rock, Mainstream Rock, and Alternative stations. Fred can be reached at (248) 353-9030 or fredjacobs@jacobsmedia.com
