ListenerThink

In the first part of our listener satisfaction research, we learned that the overwhelming majority of 18-64’s are, at minimum, mostly satisfied with their “P1” station — the one they listen to most. Nearly half are “100% satisfied” with it! But how satisfied are listeners with radio overall??? We asked them that, too…

Based on 649 telephone interviews with 18-64 radio listeners in the U.S., conducted from February 1-5, here’s what we learned…

One-third (34%) rate their satisfaction “five” on a five-point scale, representing “100% satisfied.” An additional 33% are mostly satisfied, rating their satisfaction “four.” Overall listener satisfaction averages 3.7 on our five-point scale…significantly lower than their P1 station, but still solidly on the “satisfied” side:

Among major formats’ P1’s, Country and Urban P1’s are notably more satisfied with radio than listeners as a whole. More than half of Urban P1’s are 100% satisfied with radio!

Urban P1’s are especially interesting because 44% of them are 100% satisfied with their P1 station…essentially average. So what they’re saying as a group is: I’m more satisfied with radio in general than the station I listen to most! (Interesting, but I don’t have an explanation for it…if you do, I’d love to hear it!)

Among major formats, the listeners who have below-average satisfaction with radio overall are Rock and Public Radio P1’s. I find the Public Radio P1’s amusing, because they rated their station above average in satisfaction. So what they’re saying as a group is: I don’t think much of radio, but MY station’s great! (Unlike the Urban P1’s, I understand these listeners perfectly, even though I’m not one of them, because I’m surrounded by them… I live in Ann Arbor!)

But beyond the interesting aspects of this research, what does it all mean?

It’s tough to assess, because we don’t have a point of comparison…for example, with a decade ago, or the pre-consolidation era. But my personal conclusion is that radio is doing a good job satisfying listeners, overall. And I suspect that people in the industry are harder on radio than listeners are.

Maybe we’ll research that in a future ListenerThink study.

It’s an era of hyper-competition. It’s no longer just other FM and AM stations we’re contending with… It’s Sirius/XM, Pandora, YouTube, etc., etc. So, how well are stations (and radio in general) satisfying listeners?

To find out, we completed 649 telephone interviews with 18-64 radio listeners in the U.S., conducted from February 1-5. We asked about their satisfaction with the station they “listen to most” (if they have one) and their satisfaction with radio overall. Here’s what we learned…

Nearly half  say they’re “100% satisfied” with the station they listen to most. Another third give it a “four” on our five-point satisfaction scale…meaning they’re mostly satisfied:

So, the overwhelming majority of listeners are satisfied with their P1 station.

Some might argue that “Of course…it’s the station they listen to most!” But remember,  stations can be listeners’  P1’s because they are “the lesser of the evils,” the only station that plays country (or whatever) in their market, or an involuntary choice – like the station they’re subjected to at work. Whatever the reason, dissatisfied listeners are a very small minority.

Comparing formats, we find that most fall within the average range. But 61% of Public station P1’s and 77% of Christian station P1’s are 100% satisfied with that station, for average scores of 4.6 and 4.7, respectively! On the below-average side, 30% of A/C P1’s and 35% of CHR P1’s are 100% satisfied, and both formats average 4.0 on our satisfaction scale.

Now, beyond satisfaction with the station they listen to most, how do listeners feel about radio overall? I’ll report on that later this week.

(A note about methodology: We did not ask the format of the station they listen to most…that would be a classic case of asking a question respondents can’t answer! Instead, we took call letters, dial position, nickname, etc., and combined with their location determined each station’s format. Cell phone respondents were not included in the format breakouts, because we didn’t have their location.)

HD Radio has made important progress recently in terms of getting into the car…more auto makers are offering HD Radio as an option or even standard in some cases. Unfortunately, that progress hasn’t yet translated into the minds of 18-64 consumers…

Comparing our recent ListenerThink HD study with our last one (September ’08), we find no progress.

Awareness has actually declined. In ’08, 67% had at least “heard of” HD Radio; now, 54% do. And consumers’ understanding (and misunderstanding) of HD is virtually identical to what we found three-plus years ago…

Then, 21% told us HD Radio delivers better sound quality; now 20% do. And now, as then, many base this perception on their understanding of HDTV, rather than actual knowledge of HD Radio.

Then, 8% said HD Radio delivers more channels and choices; now the exact same percentage do!

Then, 7% said HD Radio was satellite radio; now 6% do.

And then, 14% said they had only heard of HD Radio, but didn’t know anything about it; now, 16% do.

It’s great that HD Radio is finding its way into new cars. Over time, that is undoubtedly the single best way to get into the minds of consumers.

But for now, HD Radio’s “Knowledge Gap” continues.

(More details on our recent survey: http://kassof.com/2012/knowledge-of-hd-radio-is-low/ )

Our first ListenerThink survey focuses on HD Radio. Have listeners heard of it? And what do they know about it? Based on 670 telephone interviews with U.S.18-64′s conducted January 4-8, here’s what we learned…

A majority (54%) have heard of HD radio. And some of them totally “get” it:

It delivers CD-quality sound for FM stations and FM-quality sound for AM stations.

It’s high definition radio with better quality and more stations are available.

Unfortunately, “right on” comments like these are truly the exception. For one thing, 16% have only heard of HD Radio and don’t know anything about it:

I’ve heard of it, but don’t know what it is and don’t have one.

For those who have a clue, the #1 image of HD Radio is that it delivers better audio quality…20% of 18-64′s express that:

It has a richer fuller sound…feels more like you’re listening to a CD.

But for many, better quality sound is not something they actually know about HD Radio…it’s something they infer based on their knowledge of HD TV:

It’s, uh, I haven’t heard much about it. It’s high definition. So it’s probably clearer like the high definition TV’s.

I have an HD TV that has a clearer picture. Maybe that is what HD radio is, clearer.

I am assuming it is just like HD TV and comes in a little clearer.

Only 8% understand that it delivers more channels and choices, and that’s its #2 image:

You get more channels than regular radio.

Different channels on same frequency.

Wide variety of specialty stations.

Some of this image might be coming from confusion between HD and satellite radio….6% of those who’ve heard of HD Radio think it is satellite radio…its #4 image. Still, the choices/satellite connection isn’t overt like the HD Radio/TV conflation.

Here’s the complete breakdown of the top responses to the question: What is HD Radio? How is it different from regular radio? (Note that percentages add up to more than 100% because multiple responses were permitted.)

.

The “Bottom Line”: The industry still faces a big challenge marketing HD Radio. Its best decision was to call it “HD Radio,” because that enables consumers to at least infer that it delivers better quality. The industry needs to continue to focus on sound quality, plus MORE CHOICES and (to separate HD from satellite radio) FREE.   Period.

Check out hdradio.com and you’ll see it’s saying way more than that — more music, tagging, bookmarking, traffic, how it all works, etc. etc. No wonder so many listeners don’t get it!