Warminster Wireless Survey Report Date of Publication: 24 November 2014 Name of Author: Andrew Robinson, Station Manager
Introduction Aims The Warminster Wireless Survey had three key aims: Profile the listenership. Profile listeners listening habits. Gather feedback from listeners on programme content. Methodology The Warminster Wireless Survey was open from Saturday 5 July 2014 until Tuesday 30 September 2014. It was available at different locations across the town, including the Civic Centre, Library, churches and shops. Regular messages on the radio publicised the survey s online version at www.wcrfm.org.uk/survey. Members of the public were also asked to fill in a survey form during two outside broadcasts on Saturday 5 July in the Three Horseshoes Walk and on Saturday 30 August outside the Chapel of St Lawrence in the High Street. The Warminster Wireless Survey used other community radio sector questionnaires as its foundations. From this the survey co-ordinator was able to construct a Warminsterrelevant booklet. The analysis report has been structured in line with sector advice provided through the Community Radio Toolkit. 262 responses were received during the survey period. This amounts to 1.1% of the resident population of the Warminster Community Area, as stated in Wiltshire Census 2011, Selected Statistics Profile Tool: Warminster Community Area. The RAJAR national listenership survey samples data from 0.2% of the adult population. On a local level however, the survey co-ordinator felt that 0.2% would not provide a wide enough range of data and this sample percentage was therefore increased. Where percentages are given this will not always be out of the full sample of 262. Certain questions applied only to those who had listened to WCR and percentages are therefore based on the totals for that category. Acknowledgements The Survey Co-ordinator wishes to acknowledge the time given voluntarily by members of WCR personnel who assisted with printing, distributing, collecting and collating the document. Their hours of support enabled the survey process to be completed with no additional financial commitment from WCR beyond the cost of paper and ink.
Listenership The Warminster Wireless Survey asked if individuals had heard of Warminster Community Radio and if they had listened to the service. The results of this question are set out in Table 1 and Figure A. Table 1: Listening Figures Response Number of Percentage of I have heard of and listened to WCR. I have heard of but haven t listened to WCR. I haven t heard of or listened to WCR. 204 77.8% 45 17.2% 13 5.0% I have heard of and listened to WCR. I have heard of but haven t listened to WCR. I haven t heard of or listened to WCR. Figure A: Listening Figures
Demographics Age The station appealed to a large age range rather than just one narrow age group. This is shown in Table 2 and Figure B. The majority of the audience were aged 40 to 74. Table 2: Proportion of Listeners in Each Group Age Group Number of Percentage of Under 18 10 3.8% 18-24 17 6.5% 25-39 28 10.7% 40-59 87 33.2% 60-74 85 32.4% 75+ 27 10.3% No Age Stated 8 3.1% Figure B: Proportion of Listeners in Each Group Percentage of Listeners 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Under 18 18-24 25-39 40-59 60-74 75+ NA Age of Listeners Where Listeners Live 85.7.9% of respondents who provided a postcode lived in the BA12 7, 8, 9 and 0 areas. 94.1% of respondents who provided a postcode lived in the BA12, 11, 13 and 14 areas. BA12 7 Area 10 SP (Salisbury Area) 4 BA12 8 Area 89 SN (Swindon Area) 2 BA12 9 Area 88 BS (Bristol Area) 5 BA12 0 Area 17 CM (Chelmsford Area) 2 BA11 (Frome Area) 6 TA (Taunton Area) 1 BA13 (Westbury Area) 5 No Postcode Provided 24 BA14 (Trowbridge Area) 9
Marketing The majority of listeners (66.3%) found out about the station through word of mouth. This is reassuring as it indicates the listeners are pleased with the station and happy to recommend it. It also indicates some individuals have found WCR through knowing other people involved, either as volunteers or guests. Table 4 and Figure C show how those who said they had listened to or heard of WCR found out about the radio station. Table 4: Modes of Publicity Publicity Method Number of Percentage of Word of Mouth 165 66.3% Websites 9 3.6% Banners 3 1.2% Newspaper 30 12.1% Flyer or Poster 6 2.4% Scanning Radio 24 9.6% Presence at Events 3 1.2% No Answer Given 9 3.6% Figure C: How listeners found out about the station Word of Mouth Websites Banners Newspaper Flyer or Poster Scanning Radio Presence at Events No Answer Given
Listening Habits Where Listeners Listened The majority of people who listened to WCR did so at home (82.8%), with listeners also tuning in at work (14.2%) and in vehicles (30.8%). 4.9% listened while out and about and 2.5% did not provide an answer. This data is set out in Figure D. Figure D: Where listeners listened to WCR Percentage of Listenership 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Home Work Vehicle Out and About No Answer Provided Location How Listeners Listened The majority of those who listened to WCR did so via the 105.5FM service (82.8%). WCR s online service was also listened to (28.4%), with 4.9% of respondents using the TuneIn App on smartphones. 3.4% did not provide an answer. Figure E: How listeners listened to WCR Percentage of Listenership 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 105.5FM Online TuneIn App No Answer Provided Mode of Listening
Listening Habits Day-by-Day Listenership The survey asked which days people listened to WCR during an average week. Day Number of Monday 84 41.2% Percentage of 60.00% 50.00% Tuesday 85 41.7% Wednesday 87 42.6% Thursday 100 49.1% Friday 101 49.5% Saturday 89 43.6% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.0 0 % 0.00% Sunday 70 34.3% Table 5: Day-by-day listenership Figure F: Day-by-day listenership Time of Day Listenership The survey asked when people listened to WCR during the day. Day Number of Breakfast 78 38.2% Percentage of 60 50 Morning 110 53.9% Afternoon 71 34.8% Evening 76 37.3% Overnight 1 0.5% 40 30 20 10 0 Breakfast M orning Afternoon Evening Overnight Figure G: Time of day listenership Table 6: Time of day listenership Length of Listenership The survey asked how long people listened to WCR. Length of Listening Number of 10-15 minutes 24 11.8% 16-30 minutes 32 15.7% 31-45 minutes 17 8.3% 46-60 minutes 35 17.1% 61-90 minutes 32 15.7% 91-120 minutes 20 9.8% 121 minutes + 30 14.7% No answer 14 6.9% Table 7: Length of Listenership Percentage of 18.0 0 % 16.0 0 % 14.0 0 % 12.0 0 % 10.0 0 % 8.00% 6.00% 4.00% 2.00% 0.00% Figure H: Length of Listenership
Funding Warminster Community Radio is currently prohibited by government legislation from gaining funds through advertising and sponsorship. The organisation uses services such as CD recordings and public address system hire to raise 8,000 a year. The organisation s annual running costs are 20,000. The Warminster Wireless Survey asked individuals to state how they felt WCR should be funded. The responses to this are set out in Table 8 And Figure J. Table 8: Sources of Funding for WCR Funding Method Number of Percentage of Grants 50 19.1 Public Authority 67 25.6 Grants and Public Authority 106 40.5 Internal Fundraising Only 39 14.9 Table 9 Provides the number of responses in each category when analysing those who stated that they had listened to WCR. Table 9: Sources of Funding for WCR (listener responses) Funding Method Number of Percentage of Grants 33 16.2 Public Authority 57 27.9 Grants and Public Authority 88 43.2 Internal Fundraising Only 26 12.7 Figure J: Sources of Funding for WCR (based on Table 8 Figures) Grants Public Authority Grants and Public Authority Internal Fundraising Only
What People Liked About WCR Listeners were asked what they liked about Warminster Community Radio. This fell broadly into three main themes. Alternative and Varied Selection of Music People commented on the range of music and specialist knowledge and expertise held by the presenters. They said music on WCR was not available to them on any other radio station. There is a wide range of music that you don t find on commercial stations. Specialist programmes with presenters who know their subject. Every music genre is available. It beats the BBC! Community Focus Listeners commented that they liked the station s local focus, offering something that was not already available. Some commented on the station s work to empower the community by giving it a voice and through opportunities to volunteer and appear as a guest. Local news and information were frequently mentioned in responses, as well WCR s coverage of local events such as the Carnival and Remembrance Sunday broadcasts. It gives a great service and offers interesting opportunities to local people. It is our local radio station. You are the only people to properly cover local Warminster news and events. It speaks for the community in a friendly, entertaining and informative way. Run by local people, for local people. Local Voices Comments about presenters were positive. There was praise of presenter expertise in all areas, be it local news or specialist music. Listeners liked having recognisably local voices broadcasting to the town. All the presenters bring their own characters.
What People Thought Could Be Improved Listeners were asked what they felt WCR could do better. This fell broadly into two main themes. Programming Comments on programming covered a number of different areas. Some requested more up to date out of hours and overnight programmes. An increased focus on local issues through phone-in shows and more news broadcasts was asked for. Local sport was also raised as an area for improvement. Some listeners wanted more games and quizzes to participate in. Publicity Some listeners felt the radio station should be publicised more through online methods such websites and social media.