The Finney Media 2025 Why Listen®) Survey gathered responses from more than 11,000 Christian radio respondents from three different formats: Music stations, Music and Teaching stations and Teaching stations and programs. The findings are fascinating!
We presented listeners 16 different reasons they might listen to their Christian radio station or program. Last month, we looked at the TOP FIVE MAIN REASONS HYBRID AND TEACHING LISTENERS LISTEN. Here are the Bottom Five Main Reasons for those same respondents; reasons no. 12 through no. 16. The numbers are the percentage of respondents who indicated that’s a Main Reason they listen.
Hybrid Stations
| 12. Practical advice on family relationships, personal finances and topics that help you improve your life | 38% |
| 13. It gives you a Christian perspective on the news | 35% |
| 14. You like to hear interviews with key Christian leaders and authors | 29% |
| 15. You want to be informed about possible threats to your Christian faith | 26% |
| 16. You want to hear regular news updates | 13% |
Teaching Stations
| 12. Practical advice on family relationships, personal finances and topics that help you improve your life | 51% |
| 13. You like to hear interviews with key Christian leaders and authors | 41% |
| 14. You like it when the speakers pray | 39% |
| 15. You want to be informed about possible threats to your Christian faith | 38% |
| 16. You want to hear regular news updates | 27% |
Let’s start at the bottom with news. For both formats, it ranks last among the Main Reasons listeners tune in. Do these listeners want news? Perhaps. Just not from you. They have other channels for that. If you still do newscasts, consider reducing or eliminating them.
The top main reasons they listen are all about hope. That seems to be why threats to faith, even relationship and financial advice, score lower. They’re just not about the hope these listeners are looking for.
Interviews: These are the backbone of many Hybrid and Teaching stations. But they are likely holding back your ministry’s audience growth. We have ideas on what you might do instead and would love to discuss. CONTACT US today.
Coming next month: From the 2025 Why Listen? Survey, we take a look at the highest Main Reasons by Age and Gender. How are men and women, younger and older Hybrid and Teaching listeners the same or different?
