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December 2024: Top Five Denominations among Teaching and Hybrid Listeners

“. . . gospel clarity is the antidote to the rampant confusion.”

Dean Inserra, The Unsaved Christian/Reaching Cultural Christianity with the Gospel

The Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey saw almost 15,000 respondents from three different formats – Music stations, Music/Teaching stations, and All-Teaching stations and programs.

One of the challenges we face and opportunities we have, unlike a church which is focused on one particular denomination, is that our radio stations and programs are multi-denominational. They are heard by people from many denominations. In our nationwide Finney Media Why Listen® Survey, we asked about denomination affiliation. Among respondents from Hybrid (Music & Teaching) stations and all-Teaching stations and programs, here are the Top Five Denominations:

Hybrid

1. Non-denominational/Bible/Community 34%
2. Baptist 30%
3. Pentecostal/Charismatic 8%
4. Reformed 5%
5. Presbyterian 5%

All-Teaching

1. Baptist 46%
2. Non-denominational/Bible/Community 27%
3. Pentecostal/Charismatic 7%
4. Lutheran 4%
5. Methodist 4%

The first two denominations total 60 percent to 70 percent. The other 30 percent to 40 percent are led by Pentecostals and include mainline Protestant. Many denominations with different ways of worship and different words they use in their worship and ways they communicate with each other.

For us to reach them and perhaps many who haven’t even given us a listen yet, in particular among Bible-believing mainline denominations, we’ll need to focus on using words and concepts that many or most understand.

A Word Illustration

Should we share testimonies – stories of how God has worked in people’s lives – on our stations and programs? Most definitely. Do listeners from mainline Protestant churches use the word testimony to describe their God Story? It’s likely they think that “testimony” is what happens in a courtroom. If we want more listeners from Bible-believing mainline churches to listen, using the words “testimony” is a challenge.

If we’re going to be clear in our communication, we’ll need to consider what our multi-denominational listener – people of all nations . . . and denominations – understand. Clarity and understanding of the Truth is at stake.

Coming in January: The Top Five Topics Hybrid and Teaching Listeners want to hear.

“. . . gospel clarity is the antidote to the rampant confusion.”
Dean Inserra, The Unsaved Christian/Reaching Cultural Christianity with the Gospel

The Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey saw almost 15,000 respondents from three different formats: Music stations, Music/Teaching stations, and All-Teaching stations and programs.

One of the challenges we face and opportunities we have, unlike a church which is focused on one particular denomination, is that our radio stations and programs are multi-denominational. They are heard by people from many denominations. In our nationwide Finney Media Why Listen® Survey, we asked about denomination affiliation. Among respondents from CCM stations, here are the Top Five Denominations:

1. Non-denominational/Bible/Community 30%
2. Baptist 30%
3. Lutheran 10%
4. Pentecostal/Charismatic 10%
5. Catholic 7%

The first two denominations total 60 percent. The other 40 percent are led by Lutherans at 10 percent and include Catholics at 7 percent. Many denominations with different ways of worship and different words they use in their worship and ways they communicate with each other.

For us to reach them and perhaps many who haven’t even given us a listen yet, we’ll need to focus on using words and concepts that many or most understand.

A Word Illustration

Should we share testimonies – stories of how God has worked in people’s lives – on our stations and programs? Most definitely. Do listeners from mainline Protestant churches use the word testimony to describe their God Story? It’s likely they think that “testimony” is what happens in a courtroom. If we want more listeners from mainline Protestant churches to listen, using the words “testimony” is a challenge.

If we’re going to be clear in our communication, we’ll need to consider what our multi-denominational listener – people of all nations . . . and denominations – understand. Clarity and understanding of the Truth is at stake.

Coming in February: From our nationwide research conducted in the past six months: The Top Five Testing Songs released in each of the past ten years.

The Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey has almost 15,000 respondents with over a million data points from three different formats: Hybrid (Music/Teaching) stations, All-Teaching stations and programs, and CCM Stations.

We asked our respondents about whether or not they give to the ministry that sent them the survey. And to those who do give, we asked about what moved them to make a call, go online or write a check to make a gift. The Top Five responses from Hybrid (Teaching and Music) and all-Teaching listeners are below. These are the percentage who said that reason is “very important” to their decision . . . an “inspiration” for their move from listening to giving.

Hybrid

1. Feeling called by God to give      83%
2. I believe in the mission and vision of the ministry 83%
3. Knowing God tells us to support those who ministry to us 63%
4. An emergency need at the ministry 33%
5. A story about someone’s life that was changed through the ministry 31%

Teaching

1. Feeling called by God to give 83%
2. I believe in the mission and vision of the ministry 83%
3. Knowing God tells us to support those who ministry to us 67%
4. An emergency need at the ministry 28%
5. A story about someone’s life that was changed through the ministry 27%

 

The no. 1 and no. 2 responses, “Feeling called by God to give” and “I believe in the mission and vision of the ministry” show how crucial it is that you communicate clearly and often your mission and vision. This includes both on air and off air, and especially through listener stories.

Your listener/donor is passionate about listening, passionate about helping. Making sure that theme is at the center of your giving communication is crucial. Help your team understand your why and be able to articulate it quickly.

Coming in December: The Top Five Denominations represented among Hybrid and Teaching respondents to the 2023 Why Listen? Survey. If you believe making your message multi-denominationally accessible is key, get ready to tackle how to talk to all five in ways all of those listeners can understand.

The Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey has almost 15,000 respondents with over a million data points from three different formats: Music stations, Music/Teaching stations, All-Teaching stations, and programs.

We asked our respondents about whether or not they give to the ministry that sent them the survey. And to those who give, we asked about what moved them to make a call, go online or write a check to make a gift. The Top Five responses from CCM listeners are below. These are the percentage who said that reason is “very important” to their decision . . . an “inspiration” for their move from listening to giving.

1. Feeling called by God to give 87%
2. I believe in the mission and vision of the ministry 85%
3. Knowing God tells us to support those who ministry to us 64%
4. An emergency need at the ministry 38%
5. A story about someone’s life that was changed through the ministry 36%

The no. 1 and no. 2 responses, “Feeling called by God to give” and “I believe in the mission and vision of the ministry” show how crucial it is that you communicate clearly and often your mission and vision both on air and off air, and especially through listener stories.

Your listener/donor is passionate about listening, passionate about helping. Making sure that theme is at the center of your giving communication is crucial. Help your team understand your why and be able to articulate it quickly.

Coming in January: The Top Five Denominations Represented among CCM respondents to the Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey. If you believe making your message multi-denominationally accessible is key, get ready to tackle how to talk to all five in ways all of those listeners can understand.

We surveyed nationwide for a snapshot on Christian radio listeners. The Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey is almost 15,000 respondents with over a million data points  from three different formats: Music stations, Music/Teaching (Hybrid) stations, and All-Teaching stations/programs.

There’s much discussion about focusing our radio stations and ministries on people beyond the nuclear family. In our most recent survey, there are more folks listening than just men and women who are married for the first time.

Here are the Top Five Marital Statuses for Hybrid and Teaching listeners ranked in our nationwide survey:

Hybrid Stations

1. Married First Time 50%
2. Re-married 18%
3. Divorced 13%
4. Single/Never Married 10%
5. Widowed 9%

Teaching Stations

1. Married First Time 42%
2. Re-married 20%
3. Divorced 15%
4. Widowed 13%
5. Single/Never Married 9%

 

Here’s a way to think about this: If you’re talking to your listener as if he or she is married for the first time, you’re talking to half of your listeners. And if you assume he or she is married – for the first time or more often – you’re still only talking to two-thirds or so. One third of the listeners in the Finney Media Why Listen® Survey are not currently married.

We’re coming up on the holidays and for many of our listeners that means blended family craziness (over 30% are either re-married or divorced) or some form of alone (about 20% are either never married or widowed). It’s time to be empathetic to how complicated it is and tailor breaks, transitions and the like accordingly.

Coming in December: The Top Five Reasons Listeners Give to your Radio Station or Program

The Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey has almost 15,000 respondents with over a million data points from three different formats: Music stations, Music/Teaching stations, and All-Teaching stations/programs.

There’s much discussion about focusing our radio stations on people beyond the nuclear family. In a snapshot from our 2023 nationwide survey, more friends are listening than just men and women who are married for the first time. Here are the Top Five Marital Statuses for CCM listeners ranked in our most recent nationwide survey:

Top Five Marital Statuses among CCM Listeners from the 2023 Why Listen Survey

1. Married First Time 46%
2. Re-married 21%
3. Divorced 14%
4. Single/Never Married 10%
5. Widowed 8%

Here’s a way to think about this: If you’re talking to your listener as if she is married for the first time, you’re talking to less than half of your listeners. And if you assume she is married for the first time more often, you’re still talking to only 7 in 10. One-third of the CCM listeners in the Finney Media Why Listen® Survey are not currently married.

We’re coming up on the holidays, and for many of your listeners, that means blended family craziness (35% are re-married or divorced) or some form of alone (almost 20% are never married or widowed). It’s time to empathize with how complicated it is and tailor breaks, transitions and the like accordingly.

Coming in December: The Top Five Reasons Listeners Give to your CCM Radio Station

The Finney Media 2023 Why Listen?® Survey surveyed almost 15,000 respondents from three different formats:  Music stations, Music and Teaching stations, and all-Teaching stations and programs. It uncovered  enlightening information on our listeners!

One of our big questions is about tuneouts: things your listener perceives you might do that would cause her to 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 you’re 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 you’re not interested in 56%
3. They play songs you don’t like 58%
4. An announcer talks too much 45%
5. They play commercials 42%

 

We discussed in this column the last couple months (see the link below) how the main listener reasons for listening to Hybrid and Teaching Christian radio could be summed up in two words:spiritual growth. Our top tuneout confirms this. The no. 1 tuneout – 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 are negative, angry, judgmental, but also that we’re proactive about including “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control*.”

The other tuneouts 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 October:  The Top Five Marital Statuses for Christian radio listeners. Sneak peek: A significant portion are not currently married. Taking that into account as you craft your sound is crucial to growing your audience.

*”The Fruits Of The Spirit” – Galatians 5:22

May 2024: Main Reason Teaching and Hybrid Listeners Listen link

The Finney Media 2023 Why Listen?® Survey surveyed almost 15,000 respondents from three different formats:  Music stations, Music and Teaching stations, and all-Teaching stations and programs. It uncovered  fascinating information on our listeners!

One of our big questions is about tuneouts:,things your listener perceives you might do that would cause her to turn off the radio. The list below is focused on just the respondents who came from Music stations. The percentages are the total of “very likely to turn off” and “somewhat likely to turn off”.

Top Five Reasons CCM Listeners Leave

1. They have a negative, angry, judgmental tone 84%
2. They play songs you don’t like 44%
3. An announcer talks too much 42%
4. They play commercials 40%
5. They talk about a topic you’re not interested in 40%

 

We discussed in this column the last couple months (see link below) how the main listener reasons for listening to Christian radio could be summed up in two words:spiritual encouragement. Our top tuneout confirms this. The no.1 tuneout – and it isn’t even close – is a negative, angry, judgmental tone.

Your listener is looking for spiritual encouragement without negativity, without anger, without judgment.

We believe that doesn’t just mean we take out things that are negative, angry, judgmental, but also that we’re proactive about including “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control*.”

The other tuneouts 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 November: The Top Five Marital Statuses of your listeners. Sneak peek: many are not currently married, and it’s important for us to talk to them in a way that doesn’t sound condescending/disrespectful.

*”The Fruits Of The Spirit” – Galatians 5:22

September 2024: Top Five Reasons CCM Listeners Listen by gender and age (Link)

The Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey surveyed almost 15,000 respondents from three different formats: Music stations, Music/Teaching stations, All-Teaching stations & programs.

We asked listeners about their use of stations and programs social media. Here’s how we asked the question: Which of the social media sites for the ministry that sent you this survey do you follow?

They could choose from the following:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter/X
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • None of these

Here are the results (percentage of respondents by format):

Hybrid Stations

1. None of these 65%
2. Facebook 28%
3. YouTube 11%
4. Instagram 7%
5. Twitter/X 2%
6. Pinterest 1%

All-Teaching Stations and Programs

1. None of these 67%
2. Facebook 23%
3. YouTube 17%
4. Instagram 5%
5. Twitter/X 3%
6. Pinterest 1%

Headlines

  1. “None of these” was selected by about two-thirds of respondents. There is room to grow your online relationship with your listener!
  2. Prioritize! Facebook first. YouTube second. Depending on your capacity, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest may not be worth your focus.
  3. Remember that you’re a radio station or program first. We observe radio friends so focused on their social media efforts that their main product – what’s coming out of the speakers – suffers. Make your on-air product the priority.

The Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey surveyed almost 15,000 respondents from three different formats: Music stations, Music and Teaching stations and Teaching stations and programs. The findings are fascinating!

We presented listeners about twenty different reasons they might listen to their Christian radio station. This month, we show you the Top Five Main Reasons listeners listen, split into Women Under 55, Men Under 55, Women 55+ and Men 55+. The numbers are the percentage of respondents who indicated that’s a Main Reason they listen.

Women Under 55 Women 55+ Men Under 55 Men 55+
1. You like worshipful Christian music 93% 95% 90% 90%
2. It helps you worship God throughout the day 93% 93% 87% 83%
3. You want to be encouraged 85% 85% 76% 71%
4. It helps you grow spiritually 77% 78% 71% 70%
5. It’s safe for you and your family to listen to 76% 63% 71% 57%

We’ve highlighted in bold the Main Reasons above 80 percent. If you were to try to isolate the most motivating reasons for listening among these superfans, it would come down to worshipful encouragement. This is food for thought as you and your team discuss just how spiritually focused and encouraging your music selection and the breaks you’re doing between songs should be.

Coming next month from the Why Listen? Survey: The Top Five Reasons Listeners Tune Out or Leave.

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@FINNEY MEDIA 2025

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