1 of 1- RadioActive
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Are Radio Stns. Shrinking Their Audience With Narrow Music Testing?
A veteran radio researcher argues that stations who test their music for audience response may unknowingly be shrinking their own listenership by being too specific and not offering a wide-enough range of songs and artists.
"...by attempting to zero in on that idealized ultra-core target, you end up setting your station to appeal more and more to fewer and fewer people. At some point, the target you are aiming at just won’t yield nearly enough people with similar tastes to achieve the ratings your general management demands."
Are Stations Driving Their Audience Away?
- RadioAaron
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Re: Are Radio Stns. Shrinking Their Audience With Narrow Music Testing?
Subject line is misleading. He's not arguing that there's "too much" music testing, but rather the screening and criteria and the make-up of the panels have become too narrow and limiting.
- RadioActive
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Re: Are Radio Stns. Shrinking Their Audience With Narrow Music Testing?
Fair enough. With only 70 characters, it's often hard to fit in a full headline. But I think he makes an interesting point. Thanks for the head's up.
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Thread Starter- RadioAaron
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Re: Are Radio Stns. Shrinking Their Audience With Narrow Music Testing?
He is correct though.
If you're a Classic Rock station and you only test with Men 39-54 who are already P1s or even P2s and pass a music screener, there's no point in even doing the test. A PD with any experience will know the results before seeing them.
You're going to have audience attrition for reasons beyond your control and overly-narrow research won't replace them.