PACIFICA LISTENERSHIP TRENDS

1
PACIFICA LISTENERSHIP TRENDS

• Evaluating Listenership, Recognizing Challenges,
  Building On Whats Working

2
Pacifica Mission

• The Pacifica Mission calls for radio programs
  with an ambitious set of goals
• Encourage the cultural welfare of the community
• Promote peace and understanding
• Provide broad news information to the community

3
Pacifica Mission

• Two particular areas to note
• as nearly self-sustaining as possible
  Financial implications of programming matter
• the community we must recognize the breadth
  of our stations communities and what it means to
  provide a public service

4
Public Service

• Audience 98 and other studies define public
  service in radio programming as
• Value to listeners (i.e. significance of
  programming)
• Combined with Significance of audience (i.e.
  significant size of the public were trying to
  reach)

5
Public service and financial support

• Increasing either element of public service
  increases financial support
• More audience more people who are potential
  donors
• Increased personal value of programming
  increased financial support for that programming
• Increasing both should greatly increase
  fundraising

6
Pacifica station listenership

• Cume (total weekly listeners) 2004-2009

• Notes
• No 2009 figures available for KPFA or WBAI
• 2004-2008 figures based on Arbitron diary data,
  except for 2008 for KPFK, KPFT, and WBAI which
  are based on Arbitron PPM. 2009 data based on
  Arbitron PPM.

7
Pacifica station listenership

• AQH (average quarter-hour listenership)
  2004-2009
• PPM data are known to show lower AQH than diary
  data, which partly accounts for the huge drops in
  2008-9.

• Notes
• No 2009 figures available for KPFA or WBAI
• 2004-2008 figures based on Arbitron diary data,
  except for 2008 for KPFK, KPFT, and WBAI which
  are based on Arbitron PPM. 2009 data based on
  Arbitron PPM.

8
Pacifica station listenership

• Market Share
• The following figures represent the AQH share of
  each Pacifica station subscribed to PPM data

• What these figures mean
• For every 1000 radios turned on in the DC area,
  6-7 are tuned to WPFW
• For every 1000 radios turned on in the NY area, 1
  is tuned to WBAI.

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Listenership patterns challenges opportunities

• WBAI Mon-Fri AQH representative month

Low morning drive
Bump for PM news pub aff
Peak at DN
Fewer than 2000 listeners until 430pm
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Listenership patterns challenges opportunities

• WBAI Saturday AQH representative month

Spotty, mostly weak listenership throughout
Saturdays
until 7-10pm old-time shows
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Listenership patterns challenges opportunities

• KPFK Mon-Fri AQH representative month

4000-5000 AQH from 7-9am
Peak at DN
Fewer than 2000 listeners until 515pm
Bump for PM news
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Listenership patterns challenges opportunities

• KPFK Sunday AQH representative month

VERY strong Noon - 2pm
then very weak the rest of the day, even for a
Saturday
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Listenership patterns challenges opportunities

• WPFW Mon-Fri AQH representative month

Peak at DN
Bumps in 5pm 8pm hours solid for 8pm less so
for 5pm drive time
Fewer than 2000 listeners until 500pm
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Listenership patterns challenges opportunities

• WPFW Saturday AQH representative month

Consistently VERY strong Saturdays 10,000 AQH
every hour 7am to 7pm
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Listenership patterns challenges opportunities

• KPFA Mon-Fri hourly AQH 2008 average

Peak at DN
Solid Morning Show
Small peak for Flashpoints
Higher for Evening News
BIG drop between drive times
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Suggestions

• Examine whats working pretty well. There are
  examples from various formats why are they
  working? What elements do they include?
• Address whats not working very well. What
  programs are not meeting basic standards of
  public service (value to listeners significant
  audience)?
• Consider the truths about public radio (next
  page). Sure, these were developed with NPR
  stations in mind, but they very much apply to us,
  too.

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Truths about public radio

• As you go forward, consider the following truths
  about public radio. Each of these could warrant
  an entire discussion, particularly in their
  application to our community radio station
  settings.
• Programming causes audience.
• Listeners choose programming that resonates with
  their values, interests, and beliefs.
• Listeners develop loyalty to a station with
  consistent appeal.
• Appeal can transcend program genres and format
  types.
• Public service begets public support.
• Public support begets public service.