The 2023 Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey is complete. Almost 15,000 respondents from three different formats – Music stations, Music and Teaching stations, and all-Teaching stations and programs participated and provided fascinating information about our listeners.
One of our big questions is about tune outs – things your listener perceives you might do that would cause her to tune away or turn off the radio. The list below is focused on the respondents who came from Hybrid and Teaching stations. The percentages are the total of “very likely to turn off” and “somewhat likely to turn off”:
Hybrid Stations
| 1. They have a negative, angry, judgmental tone | 75% |
| 2. They talk about a topic I’m not interested in | 52% |
| 3. They play songs you don’t like | 48% |
| 4. An announcer talks too much | 42% |
| 5. They play commercials | 41% |
Teaching Stations
| 1. They have a negative, angry, judgmental tone | 70% |
| 2. They talk about a topic I’m not interested in | 56% |
| 3. They play songs you don’t like | 56% |
| 4. An announcer talks too much | 45% |
| 5. They play commercials | 42% |
Over the last couple of months, we discussed in this column (links here) how the main listener’s reasons for listening to Hybrid and Teaching Christian radio are summed up in two words – spiritual growth. Our top tune out confirms this. The no. 1 tune out – and it isn’t even close – is a negative, angry, judgmental tone.
Your listener is looking for spiritual growth without negativity, without anger, without judgment.
We believe that doesn’t just mean we take out things that have a negative, angry, judgmental tone, but also that we’re proactive about including “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control*.”
The others are important but none quite as important as your station or program being the loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, self-controlled channel in an otherwise negative, angry, judgmental world.
Coming in September: Top Five Denominations among Teaching & Hybrid Listeners.
*”The Fruits Of The Spirit” – Galatians 5:22
