At The Crossroads Jacobs Media 2015
Methodology 54 public radio stations N = 19,730 Interview dates: June 15-July 20, 2015 Most respondents are members of station email databases. Some responses were gathered via the station s website or social networking pages. All responses were collected online and weighted by market size. This is a web survey and does not represent all public radio listeners or each station s total audience.
Format Composition Other 6% AAA 12% News/Talk 65% Classical 8% Classical/News 6% AAA/News 1% Jazz/News 2%
Note: The stars represent areas of continued growth year to year. In the case of Smart TV, this is its first appearance.
Note: Weekly video streaming (gold stars) is higher than audio streaming channels like Pandora, Spotify & TuneIn Radio.
Public radio continues to make the digital transition. About one-fifth of weekly usage is on digital sources. Podcasts 3% NPR Apps 4% Other 3% Mobile Stream 5% Computer Stream 7% AM/FM radio in home/work/school 34% AM/FM radio in vehicle 44% Traditional: 78% Digital: 19%
Among public radio s Millennials, 30% of consumption occurs via digital channels and platforms. Mobile Stream 8% Gen Y Other 2% NPR Apps 6% Podcasts 7% AM/FM Radio home/work/school 13% Computer Stream 10% AM/FM radio in vehicle 54% Traditional: 67% Digital: 30%
Listenership to 1 hour of radio a day is solid across the board, with the exception of lower levels among Gen Y. 100% 75% 50% 87% 79% 84% 89% 89% 25% 0% Total Gen Y Gen X Boomers Silent 1 Hour or More Under 1 Hour
Local matters. More than two-thirds say a key radio advantage is its local orientation. Agree + Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree disagree 5% 2% DK 1% Neutral 21% Total AAA Classical News/Talk 70% 72% 67% 68% 67% Men 69% Strongly agree 22% Agree 48% Women 70% Gen Y 76% Gen X 78% Boomers 71% One of radio s primary advantages is its local feel. Silent 59% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
At the core of public radio news efforts is trust. Nearly 8 in 10 PRTS7 respondents agree the news is not influenced by sponsors or advertisers. Agree + Strongly Agree DK 2% Strongly Disagree 2% Total 79% 75% Strongly agree 38% Disagree 6% Neutral 12% AAA Classical News/Talk Men 70% 73% 83% 77% Women 80% Agree 41% Gen Y 84% Gen X 80% Boomers 77% I have an inherent trust that public radio news efforts are not influenced by advertisers and businesses that sponsor them. Silent 81% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Why public radio? Learning, credibility, objectivity, & a deeper perspective into news top the list. Enjoy learning new things 80% More credible & objective programming Want deeper perspective into news Like specific shows/hosts Balance of perspectives Respects my intelligence Fewer ads than commercial radio Makes me smarter 52% 58% 66% 65% 68% 75% 78% Calm presentation Local station helps connect me to the community In the habit Music I don't hear anywhere else Needs my support 30% 40% 40% 38% 49% Gives me something to talk about Like to work with radio Keeps me company Discover new music/artists On-demand programming Music surprises 29% 27% 26% 25% 24% 20% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Main Reason
Public radio has momentum. By a 2:1 margin, 17% say they ve listened to more public radio in the past year. Less 8% More 17% About the same a lot 64% About the same not a lot 11% Past year on any device
Public radio s sustaining members tend to be younger. Three-fourths of Millennial members are sustainers. Gen Y Gen X No 26% Yes 73% No 37% Yes 61% Boomers Silent No 46% Yes 54% No 55% Yes 44% Among members
When it comes to recommendation, public radio s scores remain stellar, although lower than in the past. 100 75 68 67 66 67 72 71 64 50 25 0 PRTS1 PRTS2 PRTS3 PRTS4 PRTS5 PRTS6 PRTS7
Nearly one-fourth of public radio listeners say they re listening to more content on-demand especially Gen Y. Strongly agree 8% Agree 15% Strongly disagree 24% DK 2% Total AAA Classical News/Talk Men Women Agree + Strongly Agree 12% 15% 23% 21% 26% 24% Gen Y 49% Neutral 18% Disagree 33% Gen X Boomers Silent 10% 20% 33% Podcasting Weekly 55% Downloaded NPROne 52% I find myself listening to more public radio on-demand. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Among those who have downloaded the NPR One app, more than a third use it weekly or more often. At least weekly Total 35% Daily 9% AAA Classical 33% 31% News/Talk 36% Less than monthly 44% Weekly 26% Men Women 31% 39% Gen Y 38% Monthly 21% Gen X Boomers 32% 33% Silent 32% Among those with smartphones/tablets who download radio/music apps, 8% have downloaded the NPR One app. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Weekly streaming continues it steady growth. Now more than half the sample streams audio weekly or more. 60% 40% 35% 34% 40% 46% 43% 49% 52% 20% 0% PRTS1 PRTS2 PRTS3 PRTS4 PRTS5 PRTS6 PRTS7 Weekly or more usage
Of those in the market for a new car in the next year, 9 in 10 say an AM/FM radio is very important. AM/FM radio 89% Smartphone/iPod connector (AUX IN) 60% Bluetooth 53% CD player GPS 37% 35% Wireless internet connection Satellite radio HD Radio Media system (Ford SYNC, etc.) 17% 13% 12% 11% DVD player Hard drive for media storage 4% 7% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Very Important features among the 10% of respondents planning on buying/leasing a new vehicle in next 12 months
Nearly 8 in 10 public radio listeners now has a social media profile. 100% 75% 60% 64% 70% 73% 75% 78% 50% 34% 25% 0% PRTS1 PRTS2 PRTS3 PRTS4 PRTS5 PRTS6 PRTS7
By 4pm, 9 in 10 public radio listeners say they are very/somewhat informed about the day s news stories. Not informed at all 6% Very informed 33% Somewhat informed 60%
At The Crossroads Jacobs Media 2015