The Future of Research in Radio

 Most experts agree that the role of research in radio will continue to grow despite the trend toward downsizing and clustering. They base their predictions on the everincreasing fragmentation and niching of the listening audience, which makes the jobs of targeting and positioning more complex. “The field of broadcast research has grown considerably in the last two decades, and there is every reason to suspect that the growth will continue.

 As demographic targets and formats splinter, there will be an increasingly greater need to know. Much of the gut feel that has propelled radio programming will give way to objective research that is based on a plan,” contends Dwight Douglas. Christopher Porter sees the fragmentation and niching as creating a greater demand for research. “With the inevitability of more competition in already overcrowded markets, the need to stay abreast of market developments is critical. Yes, the role of research will continue to grow.” Although the role of research in the programming of large-market stations is significant to in-house methods, claims Ed Noonan. “Professional research services can be very costly. This will keep research to a minimum in lesser markets, although there will be more movement there than in past. Call-out research will continue to be a mainstay for the small station.”

“Cost-effective ways to perform and utilize sophisticated psychographic data have made the computer standard equipment at most stations, small and large alike. Research is becoming a way of life everywhere, and computers and station Web site are an integral part of the information age. Computers encourage more do-it-yourself research at stations, as well, and Web sites allow for the collection of data and the interaction with audience,” contends WGAO station manager Vic Michaels. Gary Begin contends that advances in research technology also will continue to improve the nature and quality of research. “As with the portable ratings devices now being touted, we’ll see more improvement in methodology and a greater diversity of applicable data as the result of high-tech innovations. I think the field of research will take a quantum leap in the years to come. It has in the past, but the size of the leap will be greater into the 2000s.”

Today it is common for stations to budget 5–10% of their annual income to the research, and Christopher Porter believes it will probably increase. “As it evolves,” he says, “it is likely that the marketplace will demand that more funds be allocated for research purposes. Research may not guarantee success, but it’s not getting any easier to be successful without it.” Research has been a part of radio broadcasting since its modest beginnings in the 1920s, and it appears that it will play an even greater role in the operations of stations as the new century deepens.

1. Beginning in the late 1920s, surveys were conducted to determine the most popular stations and programs with various audience groupings. Early surveys (and their methods) included C.E. Hooper, Inc. (telephone), CAB (telephone), and The Pulse (in-person). In 1968, RADAR (telephone to 6000 households) began to provide information for networks. The current leader among local market audience surveys is Arbitron (week-long diary). 

2. In 1963, the Broadcast Rating Council was established to monitor, audit, and accredit ratings companies. In 1982, it was renamed the Electronic Media Planning Council to reflect its involvement with cable television ratings. Renamed the Media Rating Council in 1997, it now represents Internet constituencies, as well as radio, TV, cable, and print.

3. Arbitron measures listenership in the MSA, that is, the city or urban center, and the TSA, which covers the surrounding communities. 

4. A station’s primary listening locations are called ADI. 

5. The Arbitron daily diary logs time tuned to a stations; station call letters or program name; whether AM or FM; where listening occurred; and the listener’s age, sex, and area of residence. 

6. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Birch/Scarborough gathered data by calling equal numbers of male and female listeners aged 12 and over. Clients were offered seven different report formats, including a computerized data retrieval system. The company went out of business on December, 31, 1991.

 7. With today’s highly fragmented audiences, advertisers and agencies are less comfortable buying just ratings numbers and look for audience qualities. Programmers must consider not only the age and sex of the target audience but also their lifestyles, values, and behavior. 

8. The PPM is a pager-size device that records radio audience listening patterns. Its creator, Arbitron, hopes it will eventually replace its long-used 7-day paper diary. The cell phone may well serve to record radio-listening habits as well.

 9. Station in-house surveys use telephone, computer, Web site, face-to-face, and mail methods.

10. In response to complaints about “missed” audiences, the major survey companies adjusted their survey techniques to ensure inclusion of minorities and nontelephone households. Today’s survey results are more accurate.

11. Ratings data should only direct, not dictate, what a station does.

12. Media buyers for agencies use station ratings to determine the most cost-effective buy for their clients. Two methods they use are the cost per rating point (CPP) and the CPM.

13. Although the significant increase in the numbers of broadcast research companies (several dozen nation wide) has created a growing job market, a college education is necessary. Courses in communications, research methods, statistics marketing, computers, and business are useful. Beneficial personal traits include inquisitiveness, objectivity, perceptiveness, and interpersonal skills.

Some broadcasters contend that there are inherent failures in across-the-board GRP/CPP buying by agencies. RAB publishes this report to caution against the pitfalls of buying formulas. Courtesy RAB.

Demographic information is still the coin of the realm in audience research despite a much more qualitative orientation by advertisers. Courtesy Arbitron.

The electronic music testing graph shows audience reaction to specific songs. Even the ID is tested. Courtesy FMR Associates

Companies such as FMR Associates provide radio stations with important research data. Courtesy FMR Associates

Bridge Ratings examine the growth of competitive media. Courtesy Bridge Ratings.

 Web sites offer stations enormous research opportunities. Courtesy Mark Kassof & Company.

Arbitron data gives radio stations information to attract advertisers. Courtesy Arbitron.