6-5-13
In Jacobs Media?s technology study of core radio listeners, more than 28,700 fans of Rock radio formats ? Classic Rock/Hits, Active/Mainstream, Alternative, and Triple A ? gave feedback about their media and technology habits. Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs said, ?Each of the rock oriented formats has its distinct digital footprint. Programmers and managers need to understand that while they all enjoy rock music of one type of another, that?s often where their media similarities end.?
Here are some points from the survey for Rock PDs to take note of:
- Alternative fans are the most tech savvy, leading the other Rock formats in streaming, social, and mobile.
- Triple A fans profile as the hardest to please, while Mainstream Rockers now value personalities ahead of music on broadcast radio stations.
- Classic Rockers are catching up, buying smartphones, texting, and discovering new platforms for content, including Pandora.
Alternative fans ? distracted and engaged: They listen to less radio and place high values on music discovery. These listeners are the youngest of the four formats, very social and mobile, consuming media content whenever and wherever they go. While vulnerable to pure-plays like Pandora and Spotify, they are especially likely to download radio-centric mobile apps. If you connect with these listeners, they?re most apt to share the digital content they love, so there?s tremendous potential. And while they?re frequent Facebook users, they are also moving to Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Mainstream Rockers ? personality matters: Of all the music formats represented in Techsurvey9, these fans say that DJs now outweigh music in their consumption and enjoyment of broadcast radio. Leaning the most male of these formats, Active Rockers are heavily into mobile, social, as well as options like Pandora and satellite radio. Programmers can also connect with them via email database programs as well as through station websites. And their use of and reliance on Facebook and Twitter for connecting with their favorite stations continue to grow.
Triple A fans ? the ?hopelessly hip? audience: While they love music ? music discovery is their primary driver ? their overall listenership to broadcast radio is on the low side. Even Triple A fans who listen to Pandora are especially critical of that service?s lack of music discovery. Unabashed Apple fans, Triple A listeners are above average for both smartphone and tablet ownership. But they also profile as the least social compared to fans of the other three rock-centric formats.
Classic Rockers ? rapidly catching up: While the least techie, they are quickly moving to adopt new gadgets and platforms, from smartphones and tablets to Facebook and texting. Of the available digital avenues, the email database has the best potential to build stronger relationships among fans of Classic Hits and Classic Rock stations. While Pandora is becoming a more popular option, these more mature rockers are the most likely of these rock format fans to subscribe to SiriusXM.
Techsurvey9 results were gathered online from January 29-February 19, 2013. Overall, 264 broadcast stations across the U.S. and Canada participated, contributing 78,111 total respondents.
