SMARTPHONE ADDICTION • MORE CHARTS & GRAPHS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

Last week we reported on Fred Jacobs’ presentation of the eighth annual Public Radio Tech Survey (PRTS-8) at the PRPD Content Conference in September. We featured several graphs showing info from the research. There are many more takeaways we didn’t cite. You can download the entire PRTS-8 report at [link]

One of the PRTS-8 graphs we that I found of interest is Mobile Phone Dependency among public radio listeners (see graph on the right).  Jacobs Media surveyed almost 30,000 listeners and that over 25% of respondents replied “Yes” to this question: “I am addicted to my mobile phone.”

Almost half of the folks in millennial ages agreed that they are addicted to their phones. Thirty one percent (31%) of NPR News respondents and 30% of Triple A listeners also confessed their addition.

I don’t believe Smartphone addiction is as big a problem as some people do. In addition to connecting with others, Smartphones provide real-time news and the latest trends in music, culture and lots and lots of advertising.  Why go to the mall when everything you find there is in the palm of your hand.

Still, there are genuine concerns about the impact of cell phones. A recent study conducted by Baylor University found that some heavy users suffer from “nomophobia,” or the fear of being without one’s cell phone. The study reports that obsessive use of a smartphone has been compared to that of credit card misuse and compulsive buying, impaired self-esteem and impaired work performance.

• HALF OF PODCAST LISTENERS PREFER RERUNS OF RADIO PROGRAMS

Also PRTS-8 showed that 51% of responding public radio listeners said they listen to podcasts to hear previously broadcast programs. Are podcasts another way to say rerun? Are on-demand editions of reruns counted as listening to podcasts?

I hope that someone, someday can provide a definition of podcasts – what they are or what they aren’t. Is a book on tape a podcast? Is the rerun of last week’s Wait...Wait, Don’t Tell Me a podcast? Is a bootleg recording of business meeting a podcast? Maybe Eric Nuzum is right [link]. Perhaps we should delete the term “podcast.” 

• USELESS CHART FROM NIELSEN SHOWS “UNINVOLVED REPUBLICANS” FAVOR TOP 40 MUSIC

As you know the 2016 elections will (thankfully) be over in a couple of weeks. In an effort to get another news headline before they are over, Nielsen released the chart on the right Top Rated Formats By Political Affiliation.

First note that some formats, such as NPR News, aren’t listed. In fact, I count only six commercial radio formats in the chart. Then someone came up with an artificial definition of “political affiliations.” Will someone please tell me what is an On-the-Fence Liberal or a Mild Republican?

And what are we supposed to do with these factoids? The next time someone asks you what radio format Uninvolved Republicans listen to most, you can reply Contemporary Hit Radio a/k/a Top 40.

• HOW TO GET PEOPLE TO RETURN YOUR PHONE CALLS

KBIA in Columbia, Missouri uses flow charts to help inform new newsroom employees and students. 

The chart on the left is a step-by-step procedure of what to do when a news source won’t return your phone call.

There are likely great takeaways in this info but the chart layout says “You can’t get there from here.”