Study: FM Radio Hosts Still Matter But...

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, February 3, 2021

NuVoodoo Media Services announces that its new Ratings Prospects Study XVII found that 10 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, radio hosts on FM still matter, but DJ's must work harder appealing to younger audiences. With so many changes in audio listening through the COVID-19 pandemic, NuVoodoo took at fresh look at the relationship listeners have with DJ's and hosts on FM music stations.

The findings will be revealed in a new free webinar: "How to Get Your Ratings From Here to Vaccinated." The webinar will be held Thursday, February 11th, at 1:00pm Eastern, with four opportunities for access. It will cover the latest findings from NuVoodoo's fresh sample of nearly 3,500 14-54's interviewed in early January, with insights for using the findings to help put radio stations on top of Nielsen ratings. Those interested can register Register HERE.

"Overall, it's more positive than negative," said Leigh Jacobs, EVP, Research, NuVoodoo Media Services. "But there is a sharp generational shift. Gen Xers - raised on radio and now 40-plus - are largely positive, with a 43% plurality giving DJ's a thumb's up. Millennials, though somewhat less enthusiastic, are overall net positive, as well. Meanwhile, nearly three-fourths of Gen Z listeners give radio air talent no better than thumbs sideways."

"Our studies always highlight the differences between those who'd say 'yes' to Nielsen and those who would never participate in the radio ratings," said webinar co-host Mike O'Connor, EVP, Marketing, NuVoodoo Media Services. "The former group shows greater proportional enthusiasm for what's in between the records, and air talent is no exception. But, the data about DJ's from listeners giving radio its report card was really surprising to us, and it looked quite a bit different than other findings from likely panelists and diary-keepers. We'll show you the complete picture during our upcoming presentation."

The NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study is conducted twice a year to learn more about those who are most likely to say "yes" to the opportunity to wear a meter or fill out a diary in order to provide NuVoodoo clients with competitive insights and advantages that they can exploit to capture higher ratings.