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
