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'Studio 360 from PRI and WNYC'
PROGRAMMING
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'Studio 360 from PRI and WNYC' DIRECTORY
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'STUDIO 360 FROM PRI AND WNYC'RESEARCH-BASED
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| Dale Spear |
As PRI's vice president of Programming and Acquisition, I believed it was important to measure in direct, quantifiable, and qualifiable ways the appeal of "Studio 360" to public radio listeners who primarily listen to news/classical mixed-format stations. We assumed that these listeners would respond well to the program, but wanted to test that notion and more fully understand how listeners perceived the program.
We contracted with FMR Associates to test the question. They also conducted the initial program research when "Studio 360" was launched. FMR President Bruce Fohr set up what turned out to be a very conservative sample base, rigorously assessing the issues via EARSŪ testing conducted in Tampa, Houston and San Diego with carefully screened participants. Here's how he did it, what he found, and what we've learned that can help you.
Bruce Fohr
Our charge was to document — statistically and in real time — the audience response to "Studio 360's" concept and execution.
We interviewed nearly 800 respondents, more than 600 by telephone and almost 200 in our EARS® sessions. All group participants were core and fringe public radio listeners who listen to weekend entertainment as well as classical music programming. They were 25- to 54-year-old men and women from a range of ethnic and racial groups. Most participants were recruited from station-supplied membership lists, with the remaining recruited randomly from "hot zip code" areas in each market.
To accomplish the goals of the study, we chose two markets where the show isn't aired (Houston and San Diego) and one where it is aired (Tampa). All three participating stations broadcast a mix of news, arts/cultural and classical music programming. All respondents were required to indicate that those stations are their primary or secondary source for news/information.
How They Saw Themselves
To better understand the test sample, we asked the participants a series of lifestyle and leisure time activity questions not related to PRI's "Studio 360." We found them to be active consumers of culture:
- 61% frequently watch cultural shows on cable or network television; 32% watch occasionally
- 49% occasionally visit art museums; 18% visit frequently
- 46% occasionally attend live theatre performances; 17% attend frequently
- 51% occasionally visit science/anthropological museums; 13% frequently
"All Things Considered" and "Car Talk" topped their unprompted lists of favorite public radio shows, with "Morning Edition" and "A Prairie Home Companio a close second and third. Again, these participants were screened for weekend listening.
How They Saw PRI's 'Studio 360'
The participants consistently showed very high receptivity to the show, even in the one market (Houston) where it had never been on the air. When the lowest overall program tune-in appeal score is 70%, the highest 91%, and the middle 81%, we're clearly dealing with variations on very high levels of receptivity.
Participants endorsed host Kurt Andersen's voice and interest level, and rated his commentaries highly. They gave high ratings to the show's overall "informative quality,"entertainment value," and "content appeal," and they felt overwhelmingly that the show's pacing was "just right."
Individual program elements also tested well. For example, the promos, program introductions, and billboards consistently generated positive responses, and this was across the range of content presented to the different test groups.
The participants' own written and oral comments are telling, as in this sampling:
- "I love the art/culture mix and variety of topics."
- "I found his topics interesting, his grasp of facts impressive. I learned a lot."
- "It's good stuff, something I'm interested in."
- "A wide variety of programs on music, culture, politics and entertainment. I found the examples very interesting."
- "Very entertaining. Interesting zest, which adds more to the program."
After they had heard many examples of "Studio 360" we asked the participants whom they thought the show was for. They said:
- creative, arts-oriented people
- public radio types
- people with a diversity of interests in popular culture
- cosmopolitan, worldly types
- intellectual people with worldly tastes
These are hallmark characteristics of the public radio listener, and they align perfectly with the participants' view of themselves and "Studio 360"
From Dale Spear
As a conscientious programmer, you want to offer the strongest, most appealing broadcast schedule you can. To all of you at news/classical mixed-format stations, here's another way to super-serve your curious, intelligent, news and classical listeners — PRI's "Studio 360."
