In “The State of Media 2024” study by Harker Bos Group, we surveyed 500+ U.S. media consumers aged 18+, uncovering preferences from Cable/Satellite TV to Music Streaming Services.

Our analysis reveals insights across age, gender, and lifestyle/work choices. Join us as we navigate differences between Office and Hybrid/Remote Workers, and preferences among Urban versus Suburban/Rural Audiences.

Radio Listening Habits Explored

Our research shows that 65% of media consumers tune in to radio weekly. Among them, 38% are avid listeners (3-5 days), while 27% engage more casually (1-2 days). Interestingly, morning radio is favored by 52% of participants, offering advertisers an opportune window to capture audience attention.

Music Rules

In our examination of radio formats, we found that 85% of respondents favor music-centric programming. Intriguingly, 51% also engage with News/Talk radio, showcasing diverse content interests. Additionally, 38% enjoy sports programming, while 22% express a preference for religious content.

Now let’s dive into the Country radio listener….

Country Radio – Listeners

A significant number of Country listeners regularly listen to the radio, with 65% tuning in 3-5 days a week and 35% listening 1-2 days per week.

Country Radio – Times and Activities

Country enthusiasts wholeheartedly embrace morning radio, with 55% expressing a clear preference for this time slot 3% higher than the average radio listener. These devoted fans seamlessly integrate radio into their daily routines, showcasing a greater inclination to tune in while driving, exercising, and working compared to the typical consumer. This not only signifies a broader engagement with radio but also highlights the consistent involvement of Country listeners in various aspects of their lives. For them, Country radio isn’t just a background companion; it’s an essential element that complements every activity throughout their day.

When it comes to radio listening duration, Country fans stand out, surpassing the average listener by dedicating more extended periods, exceeding one hour, to immerse themselves in the world of country music. Yet, in other duration metrics, they match their peers, tuning in for shorter sessions lasting less than an hour.

Country Radio – Reasons

When it comes to radio preferences, Country enthusiasts stand out for their distinct passion and piqued interests. While the majority enjoy the content, which is no surprise considering the captivating and relatable music, they also outpace others for various reasons. They value staying updated with relevant information, local news, and events. For them, Country radio is not just about the music—it’s a conduit to community and connection.

Country Radio – Listening Methods

Country radio fans prefer sticking to more conventional methods for tuning into music. An overwhelming majority of participants rely on AM/FM Radio and SiriusXM/Satellite Radio for entertainment. However, some fanatics also embrace digital methods, listening to radio via phones, podcasts, and smart speakers more frequently than the average radio listener. This suggests that they see themselves as part of the digital age while still respecting their homegrown habits.

Country Radio – Genres and Mornings

Country listeners are slightly more receptive to diverse genres on radio compared to other audiences.

In the mornings, Country listeners are eager to engage. While they enjoy morning music, they seek a broader range of content compared to the average radio fan. Around half of the participants actively participate in contests, call-ins, or interactive segments. Additionally, Country enthusiasts are always curious about the world and others around them, as they are at least 10 percent more likely to tune into radio shows featuring traffic updates, interviews, and trivia. This underscores the importance that Country listeners attribute to variety, news, and society.

Country Conclusions

Country listeners represent a tradition-loving and socially engaged segment of radio audiences. Their appetite for variety knows no bounds, as they eagerly access radio through any available means. These enthusiasts actively seek interaction with their favorite stations, craving the latest updates about society. For Country fans, the passion extends beyond music to a genuine interest in the world. It’s crucial for Country radio stations to prioritize cultivating a strong connection with these listeners, ensuring they feel updated on everything happening around them.

The post State of Media 2024 – Country Radio appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Harker Bos Group recently conducted an in-depth study, “The State of Media 2024,” surveying over 500 U.S.-based media consumers aged 18 and above. The participants showcased diverse preferences across various media, from Cable/Satellite TV to Music Streaming Services.

We scrutinized age, gender, and lifestyle/work choices, uncovering fascinating insights among different groups, such as distinctions between Office Workers and Hybrid/Remote Workers and Urban versus Suburban/Rural Audiences.

Radio Listening Habits Explored

Our research unveiled that 65% of media consumers tune in to radio at least once a week. Breaking it down, 38% are avid listeners, enjoying radio content 3-5 days per week, while 27% opt for a more laid-back engagement of 1-2 days per week.

When it comes to the preferred time of day for radio consumption, the morning takes the crown, with 52% of participants expressing a preference for this time slot. This not only provides insights into listeners’ morning routines but also offers advertisers and content creators an opportune window to capture their target audience’s attention.

Music Rules

Exploring the varied landscape of radio formats, we discovered that 85% of respondents lean towards music-centric programming. However, the survey also revealed a significant 51% engage with News/Talk radio, showcasing a multifaceted appetite for content. Additionally, 38% of respondents enjoy sports programming, while 22% express a preference for religious content.

Now let’s dive into the Top 40 radio listener….

Top 40 Radio – Listeners

Top 40 listeners are an engaged group. 70% of Top 40 Listeners tune into the radio 3-5 days per week. This is 10 points higher on average than any other music format. They are also a positive bunch. 42% of Top 40 listeners believe Pop songs today are better than they were a few years ago, 25% believe they are the same, 33% say they are worse.

Top 40 Radio – Location & Work

Top 40 listeners are more likely to live in an urban environment than the average radio listener. They are also slightly more likely to work in a hybrid (remote and in-office) than the average radio listener.

Top 40 Radio – Times and Activities

Top 40 listeners overwhelmingly prefer listening to the radio in the morning (64%), and are 12% more likely than the average radio listener to prefer this time. They listen to the radio during a variety of activities, and are more likely to listen to the radio while driving, exercising, working, or relaxing than the average consumer. We see this as representative that Top 40 listeners are simply more engaged with radio across the board, than most radio listeners. They see Top 40 radio as an integral part of their day and believe they are listening to it during all of their activities.

The only time Top 40 listeners do not perceive themselves as more engaged than regular radio listeners is when looking at radio listening duration. They line up with their peers from other formats on almost all duration metrics, including the most typical length of listening 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Top 40 Radio – Reasons

When asked why they listen to the radio, Top 40 listeners are again more enthusiastic than other radio listeners. They almost all say they do it for enjoyment of the content (no surprise when you’re listening to fun, upbeat music!), but they also over index for ever other reason except nostalgia. There is particular emphasis on local content and events, as well as community. Top 40 radio fans want to feel involved and like they are part of the brand.

Top 40 Radio – Listening Methods

Top 40 radio listeners still tune in via traditional, over-the-air radio. However, they are also heavy digital users. They say they listen to the radio via digital methods like their phones, podcasts, streaming, and smart speakers at higher rates than the average radio listener. While this may or may not equate to actual time spent on digital methods, it does show that they perceive themselves to be hip, and part of the digital age.

Top 40 Radio – Genres and Mornings

Top 40 listeners are also more game for a mix of genres than other radio listeners. Three quarters of Top 40 listeners like a mix on genres on their radio stations, which can also be seen in recent crossover hits like “Fast Car” by Luke Combs or “Texas Hold Em” by Beyoncé.

When it comes to mornings, Top 40 listeners are ready to participate and interact! They obviously love music in the mornings but they want to hear every type of content more than the average radio fan, and the majority (68%) participate in contests, call-ins, or interactive segments. Here again, we see the emphasis that Top 40 listeners place on variety, interaction, and community.

Top 40 Conclusions

Top 40 listeners are an exciting bunch of radio listeners. They want variety, and are not afraid to consume radio via any source they can get it. They want to interact with their favorite stations, and they want to hear about their community. Top 40 fans are excited about music and life. Top 40 Radio stations need to focus on creating a relationship with these listeners, and making sure they feel like they are part of the gang.

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To accurately and precisely determine how many people listen to your station Nielsen would need to question every person in your market. Obviously, that isn’t practical, so Nielsen, like other pollsters, recruits a relatively small number of people to either carry a PPM device or write down the stations they listen to. The company tries to recruit a representative cross-section of the market, but it isn’t easy. Most people don’t want to carry a meter or record their listening for a week.

To entice participants, Nielsen offers monetary incentives. But even with incentives, Nielsen struggles to create a panel of participants that closely match a market. The young and people of color are particularly difficult to recruit.

To make their panels representative, Nielsen likes to slice markets into very thin pieces trying to recruit based on various combinations of age, sex, ethnicity, different size households, access to internet, plus other criteria making recruitment that much harder. Combine that with the company’s relatively small number of participants and it is inevitable that many groups will be represented by a tiny number of participants.

In some dayparts we’ve seen important listener segments represented by a single person.

Nielsen claims the numbers are accurate (“radio’s currency,” they say), but the very fact that the numbers are based on the behavior or recollection of a relatively small proportion of a market’s listeners means that the numbers can’t be accurate.

It’s true of every poll, but at least most polls acknowledge the fact by providing the margins of error, a measure of how far the numbers may be from the true answer. (Nielsen does too but try to find it. It’s buried deep and only available to subscribers. On top of that, their error estimates ignore the majority of factors that might invalidate their estimates.)

Further compromising the utility of the numbers is the fact that even if 6+ numbers were accurate, stations focus on specific demographics, the small slices of the market that make up their audience. Margins of error, the estimate of how far a data point can be from the truth widen as we slice the pie.

For example, if a station targets women 18-34 the number of panelists that contribute to the numbers is a fraction of the total “in-tab.” Nielsen has historically fallen short in younger demos so any station targeting younger listeners is relying on the behavior of a small number of target listeners.

So if Nielsen numbers are only an estimate subject to error and uncertainty, why are shares carried out to a decimal point as if they are precise? Can Nielsen claim that there is a real audience size difference between one station with a 2.4 and a second station with a 2.6? No, but carrying shares out to a tenth makes the numbers look more precise than they really are.

If all shares were rounded to whole numbers, the rankers would be more accurate in the sense that whole numbers more accurately capture the reality that shares cannot be determined to one-tenth. The problem for Nielsen is that we would then have many ties.

Let’s say your station has a 3.2 share. Depending on the number of active meters or diary keepers and the demographic you are looking at, the 3.2 share may actually be (for example) anywhere from a 4.0 to a mid-2 share. Your competitor might have a 3.4 share giving the illusion that they have more listeners. However, it’s really a tie. All we really know is that both stations have about a 3 share.

If your station is ranked outside the top five or targets a narrow portion of the market, your share could be every further from your actual market share.

Nielsen trends can be particularly pernicious because of broad margins of error. How would you react to this trend: 5.2, 4.8, 5.0, 4.6? Would you panic? Would you start questioning your programming decisions? In reality the station may be just as strong in the fourth month as the first. The wobbles are just that, all within Nielsen’s margin of error.

While our examples are hypothetical, you need only look at monthly trends to see this in action. Each month there are significant inexplicable share swings where a station has a good book for no clear reason only to crater the next month for no clear reason.

When pressed Nielsen will suggest that it is best to average monthly numbers to smooth out the swings, but wouldn’t it be better if Nielsen smoothed out the swings before claiming their numbers are radio’s currency? And averaging several months may not even-out the swings. Our analyses suggest that Nielsen estimates can be heading in the wrong direction for multiple months.

Radio stations that make programming and marketing decisions based on Nielsen trends are deluding themselves and in all probability taking the station in the wrong direction.

The post Accuracy, Precision, and why Nielsen numbers deliver neither appeared first on Crowd React Media.

It’s a question Harker Bos Group raised in 2007 when we learned that the largest 50 radio markets would no longer be measured via diary. Instead, with the new method, the Portable People Meter (PPM), stations would encode their programming with an “inaudible” identifying code that pager-like devices carried by panelists would detect.

We expressed concern that issues regarding the encoding/decoding process could benefit some formats and penalize other formats. To maintain its “inaudibility” the identifying code “rides” on a station’s programming with the level determined by the loudness of the programming. We believed that louder highly compressed formats would have an advantage over more dynamic less compressed formats.

It didn’t take long before our fears seemed justified. Some stations that performed well when measured by diary plummeted with the switch to PPM. At the time we were told that PPM was more accurate and that stations that suffered under PPM had been boosted by the diary.

The more we learned about the inner workings of PPM the more we questioned that explanation. Nielsen claimed that “if the listener can hear the radio station, PPM can too” but assurances are not proof. It seemed more likely that PPM was failing to capture all listening, that its ability to identify stations was somewhat dependent on the type of programming a station delivered.

General Managers, Program Directors, and Chief Engineers soon figured out how to game PPM with aggressive processing to make the “inaudible” codes as consistent as possible. Fidelity took a back seat to making sure that the product was as consistently loud and compressed as possible. This was practical for some formats but not for background formats.

Efforts to game PPM drove innovation, and several years into the PPM era one company, 25-Seven, developed the Voltair, a processor that made the “inaudible” codes more robust. Stations that used the processor saw a gain in audience, but even with Voltair gains varied by format.

Historically some of the most successful radio formats have been soft relaxing music. Many markets had multiple stations in formats such as Smooth Jazz and Soft AC. The formats were ideal for the many listeners who used radio as background, to fill the quiet while working or relaxing.

Harker Bos Group recently conducted a national study exploring media consumption examining radio and other audio source consumption. We found a significant proportion of listeners gravitating to music formats beyond the few available to radio listeners.

Has PPM forced radio to focus on a few PPM-friendly formats and avoid other formats that don’t register on PPM meters as well? Are there other format opportunities that could attract an audience were it not for PPM’s favoritism? Could radio expand its reach if it wasn’t shackled to PPM? We will have more to say on this topic in future blogs.

The post Is Nielsen Picking Radio Format Winners & Losers? appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Ask yourself this question when listening to or watching spoken word programming: How much of the presentation is truly compelling, and how long do you have to wait for the impactful content that will generate a reaction and keep the audience engaged? The numbers do not lie; attention spans are at an all-time low. When someone starts listening or watching, you have only 6 to 8 seconds to connect with the audience. After that, they will decide to stay or go elsewhere.

What does this mean for 2024? Here are some goals that give content creators the best possible opportunity to drive interest. This approach works for all forms of content, regardless of the platform. Consumers have all the leverage, as they will not tolerate mediocre programming, whether it’s a podcast, a radio show, or a television program. There needs to be a commitment to immediacy.
• As soon as the presentation starts, get right into the main topic of conversation. We live in an on-demand world, and every day the audience wants to experience a presentation focused on their interests. They do not want the talent to waste time talking about nothing.
• “Play the Hits” — What does this mean in today’s world? No matter the platform, consumers are waiting for the content they want. If you are listening to a podcast about medical treatment, you do not want to hear unrelated discussions. If you are listening to a sports show on a local radio station, the goal should be to deliver as soon as the segment starts. With breaking news on television, the consumer wants the information as soon as they decide to watch. The consumer will not wait for what they are looking for.

The challenge lies in balancing all of this to present truly compelling and informative content that will resonate with the audience. Content Discipline can be a real challenge. In broadcast radio, we have spent a significant amount of time focused on the “5 minutes” needed for quarter-hour credit. Getting anyone to listen or watch something for 5 minutes inside a quarter-hour is more demanding than you may realize. People get distracted easily, which is part of the challenge in connecting with consumers. It is crucial that talent and production staff understand this as part of the overall process of delivering compelling programming. The metric of 5 minutes to get credit is applicable for all platforms and is a good way to keep everyone focused.

One remarkable observation is that many talents do not listen to or watch their presentations. I have been conducting talent feedback sessions for years, and it is sometimes remarkable to see the look on their faces when they hear or see themselves for the first time. Athletes consistently review videos of their performances, even during actual sporting events. If a talent is truly committed to delivering great content, they will be their own best evaluator. I have often heard talents say that the content was not as relevant as it needs to be, or it was boring, or it did not deliver a payoff. It is all about who truly cares about what is being presented. The more we can take the time to review our work, the more there is an opportunity to improve the presentation and connect with the audience.

We live in a world of urgency. With attention spans so short, we cannot do things the way we used to. There are just too many places to get the programming that consumers are looking for. It is all about packaging and giving the impression that if you stop watching or listening, you are going to miss something truly interesting. The words urgency and anticipation have never been more critical for content creators.

Key Takeaways:

• Consumers have more choices than ever! Focus and discipline are core strategies in producing content.

• Attention spans are at an all-time low.

• As soon as the presentation starts, get right to the good stuff and “Play the Hits.” Do not waste time getting to the hot story/topic of the day.

• Avoid detours and distractions, as that is where you lose audience.

• Talent needs to listen or watch their presentation on a regular basis to fine-tune the presentation.

• Urgency and Anticipation are critical factors in developing audience attention.

This article includes a downloadable infographic.

Download the Mastering Content Creation: A Guide to Captivating Audiences infographic today!

The post Who Cares? – Mastering Content Creation in 2024: A Guide to Captivating Audiences appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Let’s get into today’s area of focus.

A lot of noise has been made in the sports media world over how younger audiences will come to consume sports content.  Specifically, a lot of noise is being made over whether younger audiences will watch live sports in the years to come, with the common wisdom being that younger folks are just not as primed to watch live sports as much as their elders.  As it turns out, this is the correct analysis.  Younger audiences are indeed less enthusiastic about live sports, for whatever reason (e.g., diminishing attention spans, the surfeit of available content, social media).

However…

While the panicky headlines about a decreasing desire among younger audiences for live sports do contain a kernel of truth about the contemporary nature of sports media consumption, the preference in content overall is still skewed towards live sports.  This makes logical sense, in that a live game with a live timer, with real, living players is an integral process in the creation of sports media content.

At the end of the day, for sports content to even exist, the games must be played.  Programs like PTI and Around the Horn can’t exist in a live sports-free vacuum (I shudder to think of what these programs would be like without the sports).  And people will watch the games.  Let’s look at the data.

Graph (below):  Do you prefer live sports or sports analysis/commentary?

46% of the 18-39 demo want mostly live sports content.  Combined with the 18-39 year-olds that want a balance between live sports and analysis, that is 78% who are in all likelihood seeking out live sports just as much, if not more, than analysis and commentary.  Only 22% of the younger 18-39 demo prefer mostly analysis/commentary, with only 8% expressing a strict preference for sports analysis.

The generational differences in the desire for live sports vs. analysis/commentary, ultimately come down to the fact that 40-59 and 60+ demos basically have a limited tolerance for analysis and commentary (13% for the former…and 1% for the latter).  Arguably, younger demos crave the hot takes, having been reared on social media and ESPN’s daytime program wheel, and are consequently more inclined towards personality-driven analysis/commentary (looking at you, Pat McAfee).

Suffice to say, the immediacy of live sporting events transcends generational differences.

The post How Different Generations Are Consuming Sports Content – Live Sports vs. Analysis/Commentary appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Let’s dive in…

71% of radio listeners watch the news. 

Graph (below): Do you watch the news?

Of those radio listeners that watch the news, 73% do so via streaming, beating out cable by a considerable 16 points.  In fact, video clips on social media (59%) are a more popular method to consume the news than cable/satellite 57%.   We should note that YouTube has gained such prominence in our media ecosystem that we differentiate it as a discreet option from that of ‘social media’ in our surveys.  A solid 39% of radio listeners who watch the news do so on YouTube, alone.  This translates to 28% of all radio listeners watching news on YouTube.

Graph (below): How do you watch the news?

Continuing down the YouTube rabbit hole, we find that 59% of those that watch news content on YouTube are subscribed to a local TV news affiliate. In broad terms, this equates to 17% of all radio listeners subscribing to a local news affiliate on YouTube.  In other words, nearly a fifth of radio listeners are subscribed to a local news affiliate on YouTube.

Graph (below): Are you subscribed to your local TV news affiliate on YouTube?

This wraps up this week’s Media Minute, brought to you by the fine folks at Harker Bos Group.  We hope you find some practical value with the information provided above, and look forward to sharing more insights and findings in the near future!

Thanks for reading!
-Sean Bos

Study Profile:

Ages 18+

National study of markets around the US

Conducted in October 2023

900+ Radio Listeners

The post HBG Media Minute: Do Radio Listeners Watch the News? (And how?) appeared first on Crowd React Media.