Audience Trends &
Opportunity
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Audience opportunity study engaged core, fringe,
and non-listeners
QUESTIONS
•
Is there growth potential?
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Who could be part of our future audience?
•
How do we grow the audience on all platforms while
continuing to serve our core?
•
What would attract diverse and younger news and
information consumers?
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Study provides preliminary answers to key questions
Is there growth potential?
•
Yes! And it represents a sizeable opportunity to more than
double existing audience.
Who is our best growth audience?
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We have identified three categories of listeners, each with
distinct news and information habits and needs.
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Three groups of likely public radio listeners,
with unique motivations but similar potential
Dutiful Aggregators
Motivation: sense of obligation to be
informed
“It’s important to learn about and
understand the world around me.”
39% weekly listeners to NPR
Team Leaders
Motivation: Leadership
“I want to be informed so that I can
share information with others.”
30% weekly listeners to NPR
Motivation: Curiosity
Voracious Voyagers
“I have a passion for learning and
discovering.”
25% weekly listeners to NPR
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Three groups – a deeper look
Dutiful Aggregators
(19% of sample)
Team Captains
(21% of Sample)
Voracious Voyagers
(21% of Sample)
• 45% Age 18-34
• 45% age 45-64
• 50% age 18-34
• 40% non-white
• 37% non-white
• 25% non-white
• Even political split
• 41% conservative
• Avid media consumers
• Optimistic, self-confident,
enthusiastic
• Liberal and scienceminded
• Shades of gray
• Overwhelmed - much to
know and do
• 39% top news – local TV
• “Education is important
to me”; “I don’t believe in
absolutes”
• Opportunity:
simplifying their
chaotic media life
• Prone to dive deep
• Strong opinions
• Technology, culture
• 52% top news – local TV
• Public radio evangelists
• “I believe there’s
something out there that
is bigger than all of us”;
“Spending time with my
family is important to me”
• 54% top news – web
portal
• Opportunity: balance
and headlines
• “There are so many
things I still have left to do
in life”
• Opportunity: love
depth; increase
listening occasions
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Preliminary answers to other key questions
How do we grow the audience, while continuing to
serve our core?
• Overcome awareness barrier: over half of non-listeners have only
name recognition or are completely unfamiliar with NPR.
• Increase brand, content, and physical accessibility.
•Brand: Preserve the smart - ditch the stodgy or elite.
•Content: Breaking and local news are cost of entry; energize the
tone; range of perspectives and balance
•Physical: Increase convenience –double down on efforts to reach
out on all platforms.
What does it mean to serve diverse communities and
younger listeners?
• Younger and diverse targets in all three groups. Awareness and
accessibility consistent issues. Hearing and seeing themselves in
the programming is critical.
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Brand perception overlap between listeners
& non-listeners
Top Positive Perceptions of NPR
Top Negative Perceptions of NPR
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Tune-in hurdles: urgency, awareness, tone
NPR Tune-In Hurdles (% Major Reason)
“NPR I feel is mostly for
educated adults from middle
class and up. That is my
impression.”
-Male, age 25-34,
Hispanic/Latino,
Emerging Platform User
“I think it [NPR] can be
clever and quirky, and smart
and insightful. But I don’t choose
to listen to it because it’s too
much talking for me.”
-Female, age 35-44,
White/Caucasian,
Lookalike
“If a robot were a radio
it would be NPR.”
-Male, age 35-44,
White/Caucasian
Lookalike
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Sharing & integrating findings into our work
Detailed findings to be shared across public radio
community
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At conferences: PRPD, ERPM, WSPR
Webinars: PRPD, DEI, PRNDI
Online: NPR Member Station site
Timing: September – November
NPR Work Integration
• Senior leadership and editorial leadership
• Internal and external work teams
• Action plans across news, digital media, programming,
communications and member & program services
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