The primacy of numbers perhaps is best
illustrated through a discussion of how
advertising agencies place money on radio
stations. It is the media buyer’s job to effectively and efficiently invest the advertiser’s
money – in other words, to reach the most
listeners with the budget allotted for radio
use. According to media buyer Lynne Price,
the most commonly employed method
determines the cost per point (CPP) of a
given station. Lynne explains the procedure: “A media buyer is given a budget and
a gross rating point (GRP) goal. Our job
is to buy to our GRP goal, without going
over budget, against a predetermined target
audience, i.e., adults 25 to 54, teens, men
18 to 34, etc. Our CPP is derived by taking
the total budget and dividing by the GRP
goal, or total number of rating points we
would like to amass against our target audience. Now, using the CPP as a guideline, we
take the cost per spot on a given station,
and divide by the rating it has to see how
close to the total CPP the station is. This
is where the negotiation comes in. If the
station is way off, you can threaten not to
place advertising until they come closer to
what you want to spend.”
The other method used to justify station
buys is cost per thousand (CPM). Using this
technique, the buyer determines the cost
of reaching 1000 people at a given station.
The CPM of one station is then compared
with that of another’s to ascertain efficiency.
To determine a station’s CPM, the buyer
must know the station’s average quarterhour audience (AQH persons) estimate in
the daypart targeted and the cost of a commercial during that time frame. The following computation will provide the station’s
CPM: by dividing the number of people
reached into the cost of the commercial, the
CPM is deduced.
Thus, the lower the CPM, the more
efficient the buy. Of course, this assumes
that the station selected delivers the
target audience sought. Again, this is the responsibility of the individual buying
media for an agency. It should be apparent by now that many things are taken into
consideration before airtime is purchased.
Careers in Research
The number of media research companies
grew rapidly since the late 1960s but slowed
in the post-Telecom Act 1990s as station
consolidation became the rule of the land.
Today dozens of research houses nationwide
offer audience measurement and survey
data to the electronic media and allied fields.
Job opportunities in research have increased
proportionately. Persons wanting to work in
the research area need sound educational
backgrounds, says Surrey’s Porter. “College is
essential. An individual attempting to enter
the field today without formal training is
at a serious disadvantage. In fact, a master’s
degree is a good idea.” Dr. Rob Balon, president of Balon and Associates, agrees with
Porter. “Entering the research field today
requires substantial preparation. College
research courses are where to start.”
Researcher Ed Noonan is of the same
opinion. “It is a very competitive and
demanding profession. Formal training is
very important. I’d advise anyone planning a
career in broadcast research to get a degree
in communications or some related field
and heavy-up on courses in research methodology and analysis, statistics, marketing,
and computers. Certain business courses are
very useful, too.”
To Don Hagen of Southeast Media
Research, a strong knowledge of media
is a key criterion when hiring. “One of
the things that I look for in a job candidate is a college background in electronic
media. That’s the starting point. You have
to know more today than ever before.
Audience research has become a complex
science.”
As might be expected, research directors
also place considerable value on experience. “The job prospect who offers some
experience in the research area, as well as
a diploma, is particularly attractive,” notes
researcher Dick Warner. Ed Noonan concurs.
“Actual experience in the field, even if it is gained in a summer or part-time job, is a
big plus.” Christopher Porter advises aspiring researchers to work in radio to get a
firsthand feel for the medium. “A hands-on
knowledge of the broadcast industry is
invaluable, if not vital, in this profession.”
In the category of personal attributes,
Dick Warner puts inquisitiveness at the top
of the list. “An inquiring mind is essential.
The job of the researcher is to find and
collect facts and information. Curiosity is basic to the researcher’s personality.” Don
Hagen adds objectivity and perceptiveness
to the list, and consultant Dwight Douglas
emphasizes interactive skills. “People skills
are essential, since selling and servicing
research clients are as important as the
research itself.”
Although not everyone is suited for a
career in audience research, those who are
find the work intellectually stimulating and
financially rewarding
What a Research Company Does
Bolton is a quantitative research
company – our main objective is to
get the opinions of radio listeners on
virtually anything having to do with
the sound of a given station (or future
station). There are several methods we
use to get the info:
• Perceptual studies. These are indepth surveys that gather opinions
on issues such as music preferences,
station personalities, competitors.
All respondents are included based on their age, listening habits (e.g.,
favorite station), favorite music types,
ethnicity, county of residence, and
anything else of importance to the
station (client). These surveys run
15–20 minutes.
Respondents are selected at random.
We also do tracking studies, which
include respondents from the original
survey and which measure changes in
opinion (usually 6 months out from the
original survey).
Perceptual studies are the foundation of research, because they provide
overall market information: perceptions of the client’s station and its
competitors, which the station uses
to make programming, marketing,
and sales decisions. The information
gathered also aids us in designing a
research program for the station.
• Music and program testing. There are
several commonly used methods for
testing music and program elements.
1. Auditorium testing. This is the
industry standard for testing music
that may be aired on the station.
Respondents are screened according to station listenership, and paid
an incentive between $35 and
$50, depending on the market size.
The typical test involves 100–150 respondents; they are usually split
into two groups. Each group gathers
at a hotel, where they listen on
speakers to 350–400 hooks (5–10
seconds of a song, the most memorable part). In total, 700–800 hooks
will be tested. The respondents score
each hook, using a 1–5 (or similar)
scale. They also note if they are
familiar with the song, and give it a
burn score if they’re tired of hearing
the song.
Bolton does “Personalized Music Tests”
(PMT) instead of auditorium tests.
Respondents in a PMT come
to a facility at a time of their
choice, and they test the hooks
on Walkman-style cassette players
with headphones. We’ve found that
we have a better turnout than the
auditorium tests and that the results
are better because each respondent
hears the hooks the same way (in
an auditorium, respondents are at
different distances from the speakers) without distractions from other
listeners. Auditorium tests are still
the industry standard, however
2. Perceptual analyzer tests. In both of
the previous methods, responders
typically score hooks with paper and
pencil. The data then must be coded
and tabulated before the client sees
the results. A recent development,
perceptual analyzer tests, gives a client instant information. As the
scores are given, the computer produces an instant, continuous EKGlike graph that shows averages for
different groups – a station’s “core”
listeners and its competitors’ listeners, for instance. We’ve found this
method (we call the test “BoltScan”)
to be most useful in testing music
in the original order that it actually aired, thereby showing us both
popular songs that keep listeners
tuned in, and the stuff that causes
tune-out. It works the same way for
testing morning shows, comedy bits,
and so on.
3. Call-out music research. This is
a staple of radio programming.
Respondents of a specific age and
listening group – typically core listeners in a tight age range – are called
at home and asked to score 25–30
hooks. The test is obviously short
and can be conducted biweekly
or even weekly. This information is
most useful for trending the familiarity, popularity, and burnout of songs (usually new songs) over time.
Callout is a task often assigned
to station interns, but a number of
research companies offer the service
as well.
4. Focus groups and listener panels.
Focus groups are, of course, used
for all kinds of consumer product
testing, and radio is no exception.
Again, respondents are screened
for age and listenership. Chosen
participants are paid a small incentive and come to a focus group
facility or hotel room in groups of
8–12. Station staff observe while the
moderator asks respondents about
their likes and dislikes of station
attributes, including music preferences, personalities, competing stations, etc.
Listener panels are more informal
and are usually done in-house
by the station. Respondents are
recruited on the air or from the
station’s database. Again, respondents are asked for their opinions
about the station.
5. Statistics. Although some complicated statistical methods are sometimes used, the vast majority of data
analysis involves “descriptive” statistics: frequency and average scores.
Frequency is a computation of how
many people fit into a category
or choose a given response to a
question. Averages (mean, median,
mode) are measures of average
or typical performance. For most
research reports, these basic statistics are enough.
Some more sophisticated statistics
are used to look for relationships and differences between
groups: correlation ANOVA
(analysis of variance) t-tests, chisquare, and cluster and factor
analysis. For instance, we often
use cluster analysis to separate
respondents into distinct groups,
such as Modern Rock and Classic
Rock lovers. This helps a station
to determine which artists are
unique elements in a specific audience’s tastes.