PUBLIC RADIO TECH SURVEY GOES INSIDE THE NPR NEWS “TRUMP BUMP” • WAS AM RADIO INVENTED SO PEOPLE COULD HEAR BASEBALL GAMES?

As readers of Spark News know, the 2016 election cycle generated a boost to public radio listening, particularly to NPR News/Talk stations. 

The just released Public Radio Tech Survey 2018 (“PRTS 2018”) provides some of the reasons why.

Yesterday 8/22 Fred Jacobs presented PRTS 2018 at the PRPD Programming Conference (PRCC) in Austin, Texas. Jacobs Media provided us with topline results and key charts from the presentation.

Methodology: PRTS 2018 was conducted with listeners to 53 public radio stations. 22,552 individuals participated in the survey, which was in the field from May 7 – May 29, 2018. Most of the sample came from station databases. So, PRTS is not a reflection of the general population or of all listeners to public radio. Consider it a snapshot of some of public radio’s most ardent listeners and supporters.

PRTS 2018 contains a wealth of information about public radio listeners, what they like and don’t like, platform and device usage and perceptions of the media landscape. We will be posting an e-interview with Fred Jacobs about the study next week. Today we are focusing on the “Trump effect.”

According to the respondents of PRTS 2018, 18 months after the November 2016 election, 35% agreed and strongly agreed with the statement As a result of the 2016 election, I am listening to more public radio. Women and listeners of millennial age were the most apt to agree.

Also note, 31% of the sample either disagrees or strongly disagrees with the statement. As we will see in another slide, one of the reasons is that some listeners are turn-off by the plethora of election news.

At public radio stations, increased listening often leads to increases in financial support.   

42% of the of the respondents said they had increased their support as a result of the 2016 election. 

Women and millennials led the way.

Here is a sign of the times: Three out of four people in the sample agreed or strongly agreed with statement I find myself looking more closely at the source of news recently because of the proliferation of “fake news.” People in every demographic cohort expressed strong agreement.

Almost 80% of the sample agreed that public radio’s more credible and objective programming is a main reason they listen to public radio. 

The belief that public radio news respects my intelligence also had strong support.

The impact of the 2016 election was cited by 37% of the respondents in PRTS 2018 who said they are listening to public radio more now, down on slightly from the 51% the cited that reason in 2017. 

Note that 41% of the sample said that it is more important to support public radio now.

Two of the main reasons respondents say the reason they listen to public radio less now are the depressing nature of coverage the overwhelmling amount of news itself. 

25% of the sample seemed to be saying Give me a break!

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO LISTEN TO MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DEPENDS ON THE TEAM & THE STATION

Image courtesy of Talkers

Our friends at Talker’s Magazine [link] recently published a custom Nielsen report about listening to baseball play-by-play.   

Rumor has it that Lee de Forest invented AM radio so he could follow the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The chart on the right shows the metro average-quarter-hour shares of baseball games on their flagship stations.   

Like the Yankees on the field, you might say that the Yankees on WFAN-AM also lead the "play-by play league."

Things are not so good for the San Diego Padres on the field or on KWFN-AM. The Padres are last in the National League West Division and the broadcasts of the games on KWFN barely love the meter.