NuVoodoo: COVID-19 Topics Listeners Most Interested In

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, April 3, 2020

NuVooDoo

NuVoodoo Media Services' ongoing national study to track concern about the spread of COVID-19 and media usage amid the Coronavirus outbreak reveals the topics that radio listeners are most interested in hearing about on their favorite FM music radio stations. The data was collected on March 30 and 31 through over 2,800 interviews in markets across the U.S. with persons 16-54. The top five responses given were: 1) Number of cases around your area; 2) New orders and restrictions from local authorities; 3) Businesses that are open, but helping to keep customers safe; 4) Local people who have COVID-19 (how did they get it?) and 5) Getting the government help you deserve.

Executive VP/Research Insights Leigh Jacobs said, "In structuring the interview parameters, we pointed it at the information music radio listeners would want from the FM music station they listen to most. In building content, stations should consider this ranking. While the number of cases in their area and new orders from local authorities MUST be front and center, there's a wide range of other content of interest to huge swaths of listeners."

President/CEO Carolyn Gilbert added, "FM music radio stations can attract and hold listeners in this time of uncertainty in a very fluid and emotionally charged environment by providing them with timely information their listeners say they most want and need. The concerns people most expressed their interest in hearing about ran the gamut of topics - from basic facts about area COVID-19 cases, new orders and restrictions from local authorities, and information about businesses that are open and helping to keep customers safe, to resources and ideas for making ends meet, working at home, and keeping kids home from school entertained."

She added, "Across the board, FM music radio has a vital opportunity to serve listeners with lifesaving information and build listenership and loyalty in the process. Radio has always risen to the challenges in good and bad times, and we hope stations and the communities they serve will benefit from this new data."

As reported by NuVoodoo earlier, its separate 7-day sample of over 4,000 persons shows only 20% are still going to jobs outside their homes, while a 36% plurality are working from home and nearly a quarter are laid-off at home. And radio is there for all groups - especially the work-from-home force - where 39% are listening more to radio than they did before the outbreak. In addition to the 39% who are listening more to radio this week, a significant majority is listening as much as they ever did.

Self-reported usage is up across all the media types NuVoodoo explored, including 20% of respondents saying they are listening more to the radio than before the outbreak.

The information from NuVoodoo's ongoing national study is updated regularly and freely available at https://nuvoodoo.com/covid-19-media-data/