Radio Listening Survey

[cobramania]

Hi Guys,

I'm doing a research project & would be appreciative of your help.
What I would like to find out is what radio station you listen to & why?
I have the data from official radio ratings, but they don't answer all I need to know.

The details are pretty specific & it would be helpful if you could keep your answers to the questions.

I need to know, if you are in the 40 - 54 year old age group (only), do you listen to a Top 40 "hit music station"?
If yes, at what times of the day, & your reason for listening, (e.g. you like the music, you like the personalities, good news service, no radio station you like & it's a compromise, the kids make you listen to it, younger work colleagues listen & you don't have a choice, etc)?
Stations I'm talking about are 2DAYFM, FOXFM, SAFM, B105, or your local equivalent.

If the hit music station isn't your preferred station, what other radio station do you listen to, at what times & why?

If the hit music station is a compromise, what stops you listening to another station (like a MIX or Classic Hits branded or 95.3 Sydney/91.5 Melbourne, Magic1278/4BH) station, & what would you like to hear on it, to get you to listen in?

I don't need to know your exact age or any other personal details, just as long as you fit in that age group.

If you're not in that age group but have friends or family that are, could you ask them & post their answers here.
If you don't want to post publicly, or don't want other forum members to know your age, PM me the answers, none of your details will be collected or passed on to anyone, once I have the figures/details I need, any PM's will be deleted with no personal data kept by me.

You don't have to answer all questions, but would appreciate if I could get the answers within the next 3 weeks.

Thanks for any answers & help you can give.
Glenn.

[cs123]

Age:46
I have a pretty wide range in music tastes from Metallic to Motown. Although I may be stuck in a timewarp because I feel like grandpa Simpson when listening to top40. I prefer 60,70,80 music.

Top 40 stations: B105 under sufferance. I am the father of a teenage girl. It's played when she is in the car if I'm in a happy mood. If Kyle comes on, it gets changed. I don't listen to it if I have control of the car radio.

Other stations:
4MMM - Not during breakfast. Getting sick on inane rapport between on air talent. Music is also a bit high rotation which wears thin. I use to listen to this station all the time. I find I prefer my ipod these days.

101.5 Moreton Shire community radio.
http://www.1015fm.com.au/p/program-guide.html
This is community radio so different demographics get a run. I listen at different times. Daytime has a mix of new and older pop music which is quite easy to listen to, which is odd when you consider I dislike B105. Sometime have kick *** 60,70,80 music which I love. Best timeslots for me. Friday Sat nights when I'm working in the shed. I don't listen to their country music hour though....

4KQ: AM 50,60,70,80 classic hits. Listen to this in bursts. Good older music but a bit high rotation.

612 ABC Newstalk: Ok, there.. I admit it. I listen to Spencer in the morning. Also cricket.

I am gravitating more towards 101.5 and ABC radio because I am hearing things I can't hear on my ipod.

[GT0132]

Age 49 listen to a mix of AM talkback (2GB) when at home and FM classic rock (104.9 MMM) in the car but only occasionally if say I forgot to bring my iPod.

Not a fan of todays top 20, in fact I'd be hard pressed to name one song on it but get me onto 70's and 80's (even 90's) rock and you won't be able to shut me up..

My usual listening times are from 6am to 7.30 am in the morning weekdays and again at night between 6.30 and 7.30pm on weeknights

[faircoupe]

Age 40.

Dont listen to top 40 type stations,cant stand the high rotation,constant adds and mindless djs,also dont like their music much.

Listen to 4ZZZ,a Brisbane alternate-music community station of which I am a subscriber.I listen to it throughout most of the day as I have it on in the work truck.

[malazn mafia]

oops 40 and over. mistake.

[buggerlugs]

Over 40's. 70's 80's and 90's . Just give me music. Not bloody talk back, Not bloody morning crews, Not bloody drive time dribble. I just want music. Is that to much to ask .............

[bingoTE50]

49 ,discovered our local FM station - Logan 100.1 i think . Less talk and more classic hits .They cover the local traffic as well.In saying this,I tend to listen to my own cd's more than the radio.
Triple M and the rest bore me to tears .Same dribble every day , see who can be the funniest.

[wicko]

Age 46

Listen to Triple M (Brisbane) but I only listen to radio when I'm in the car. I live outside Brisbane and don't like my choice of local radio stations. On a trip I'll take CD's or Ipod.

Like the music fom 80's which they play a lot & I need a laugh before or after work

[Windsor342ci]

26. Listen to 2dayFm for music and I personally like Mr Kyle Sandilands. For news I try and switch over to WSFM. 101.7.

Rarely but sometimes I will tune into Talk back for about 30 mins. Sometimes Im just not in the mood for music.

[zdcol71]

Originally Posted by faircoupe

Age 40.

Dont listen to top 40 type stations,cant stand the high rotation,constant adds and mindless djs,also dont like their music much.

Listen to 4ZZZ,a Brisbane alternate-music community station of which I am a subscriber.I listen to it throughout most of the day as I have it on in the work truck.

^^This ten fold,... 54.. listened to the first broadcast of what was then 4ZZ,(the Who..Won't Get Fooled Again) and have been a subscriber since. They now have "sponsors", so the idea of a completely independent community radio statio is a little adrift, but so much more preferable to the formulaic croc of predictability that most radio serves up. Also listen to 612 or ABC RN, sbs, and other local community radio.
No ads, or ad nauseaum station identification, or endless drivel from a team of what seems to be a couple of "funny guys" and the dumb blonde.

[pottery beige]

38 shut the gate.. and i crank the doof doof..

http://fresh927.com.au/

[XP6]

just hit 40 errrmmm radio.... radio sux cant stand it use to listen too JJJ but in the last 5 yrs they gone too soft lovey dovey emo crap(bloody mobile phone generation).

I prefer old school bogan type music Sound Garden Pearl Jam... through too old chisel and ZZ, you just dont hear that kind of real music anymore on the wireless sonny!

[Paxton]

Nearly 40.

Vega (95.3 FM), and 702 ABC Sydney, especially for news, and the Drive Show. Richard Glover is hillarious.

Usually, however, I've got my iPod on in the Falcons.

[dave351cid]

47.
listen to radio whenever in the ute and usually when we are in the work utes/trucks. ohh and in my shed.
live in the bush so not many choices of stations. if there is reception i will mostly listen to sea fm or hot fm from gladstone. dont mind which. sea tends to play more `80s type music and hot more new stuff. i quite like some of the new top 40 type music. be better if there was less talking though.
and thank christ we dont get any of those john laws type shows here.
a lot of areas around here the only choice is local abc.

[Mickxr8]

Age 43
94.5 here but always just background music whils`t pottering around the house,shed in the car etc .
Even so , the morning crew @ the arvo chat crew bore me to tears .
If I want good music ( 60/70/80`s) I`ll put some on .
Someone tried changing my stereo to JJJ once , that wont happen again

[cobramania]

Thanks to all that have responded so far, much appreciated.

I'm collating figures from a number of different places asking the same question, & early figures are interesting but not surprising to me. Don't know why the radio stations supposed "extensive market research" can't see it, it's plainly obvious to me, what's wanted? I'm in that age group, just about to turn 40 & I know what I want to.
I'll post my findings in a few weeks & will try to get at least one of the networks to listen, I have many contacts in various parts of the radio industry, but am doing this survey on my own.

I need more data to take to them though. Keep posting your details.

[Peter B - CV8]

Age 51 & live in Sydney. My preferred station is 101.7 WSFM & the radio is always on whilst I'm in the car (mornings/evenings) - because I like the range of tunes they play. I occassionally stray over to 95.3 FM for a bit of a change - also used to sometimes stop on 2Day FM but refuse to listen to that station ever since Kyle Sandilands erupted & made his innappropriate threats. In fact I lodged a written complaint with the station - my first ever...

[The Yeti]

just hit 40, could never stand top 40, used to listen to JJJ but havent for a few years, Ive been listening to Cranky Ray Hadly laltey and Paul Murry on the way home

in the shed I listen to Vintage FM if I listen to radio but mostly I listen to my iPod in the.

I like early - current rockabilly and som shuch but I havent found a station that gives it air play aside from wreckhouse radio as a podcast. Give me a station that plays stuff by the stray catz, The revern horton heat n the flattrackers and I'm in for constant radio

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

I like early - current rockabilly and som shuch but I havent found a station that gives it air play aside from wreckhouse radio as a podcast.

http://radiobillyfm.com/

[superyob]

48 years old, listen to 98.9 murri country because it plays hot blues and some great country.

[JimStone]

44

Radio National - don't go for the doof doof crap on every other station, damn rubbish even creeps into the 'classic' stations up here

[Mark^^]

I am in the 40 - 54 year old age group and I listen to ABC News Radio, Radio National and occasionally local ABC radio. I have no music radio stations on the present buttons in either of my cars as all the major ones annoy the hell out of me.

I listen to these stations as I am interested keeping up with news which is important for my work and interests.

I have no kids or partner so I am free to listen to what I want to listen to.

I used to work with teens as I got older I grew to hate more recent music and if I want to listen to music, I listen to my iPod with the music I like, without ads, stunts and stupid commentary.

[revcore]

I'm almost 36 and love listening to Ray Hadley and then Allan Jones. Hate most of the so called Music most radio stations play so I usually listen to CD's or turn off the stereo and listen to my UHF CB radio.

[revcore]

When I was living back in Melbourne I listened to RRR pretty much all the time, Especially the heavy metal show on a Sunday night...Three hours of power I think it was called.

[hulkfocus]

Age:23
Have a wide range of likes mostly top 40,house,dance or punk rock.
Listen to radio on the drive to work and home, also at home at night when theres nothing decent on the tv. Got a digital radio so clarity is amazing

Top 40 stations: Nova 919 Less repeats then SAFM,better breaky show and just better taste in music not just pop more indie and aussie aswell.

Other stations:
Fresh 92.7 - Dance/House station deffenalty the best during the day and love the 90's and 80's remix sessions

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

38 shut the gate.. and i crank the doof doof..

http://fresh927.com.au/

had the fresh cranked at work today.. few of the fuddy duddys had a sooky.. 'all sounds the same that stuff'.....

so what we listen to MMM and the same stuff youve been listening to for the last 20 years....

humping along in traffic just after 6am on monday morning they pulled this one out....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmHDhAohJlQ&ob=av2e

crank it............

[pottery beige]

double banger..

[Keepleft]

Originally Posted by hulkfocus

Age:23Top 40 stations: Nova 919 Less repeats then SAFM,better breaky show and just better taste in music not just pop more indie and aussie aswell.

Whippersnapper, what is "indie"?? I am very old and have no idea what you young ones are about.

[JG65TE]

42 , it was gold until they dumped grubby n dee dee. Now ita nova. Why ? Coz i like the oldies.

[cobramania]

Many thanks to all that took part in this survey, both publicly & via PM’s/Emails.
These results have been compiled from a number of different non radio industry, Internet web forums of varying community interest groups.

The results have been calculated & are in. I’ll see what I can do with the result to make a change in radio in general, but especially commercial radio, as comments regarding stations are overwhelmingly the same, & commercial radio seems to be letting this age group down & becoming no longer relevant.

These results are from Australia wide, both Metro & Regional, so I've grouped them into Metro equivalents of Sydney stations. Some Regional stations are a mix of formats & don’t exactly match a Metro equivalent, so I’ve best fitted them to the majority of their format (Hit Music, Rock, Gold or Talk).

35 - 54 year olds only, no other age bracket was calculated. Both male & female, with a slight male skew.

Hit Music stations (2DAYFM) 9.5%
note: 28% of those 9.5% who listen, is "under sufferance/because the kids make them, (in the car, etc.)".

Rock (Triple M) 10.95%
note: most respondents said it was to hear 80's rock, Triple M Brisbane was a big player here.

Gold (Classic Hits/Mix,etc) 21.9%
note: over 75% of these swapped between various "Gold music" stations regularly (multiple times per day or day to day), repetition & mindless chatter were the reasons.

Community radio of various formats 13.7%
I have also included Rebel/Breeze in this group.
note: most respondents said repetition, mindless chatter, hate modern (top 40) music, just can't find a local commercial station that suits them as the reason for going to community stations.

ABC Radio (Local, News Radio, Radio National & Classic FM) 20.5%
note: most listened for local info, news, & correct time (news always starts on time & finishes at a certain time), they can have it on in the background & know when to get up/goto work etc, without needing a clock handy.

Talk (2GB/2UE) 8.2%
note: most listened to other music stations as well, but sometimes just didn't feel like listening to music.

Ipod/CD's only 15%
note: most said they can't find anything locally on radio to suit them. About 45% of all those who listen to one of the other radio stations/formats, listen to ipods or CD's for a significant part of the time (mostly when in the car).

About 65% said they only want to hear 70's, 80's & 90's music (nothing newer), add about another 10% who would like to hear 60's, 70's & 80's music only.

Over 90% of all respondents have said, they don't want to hear mindless chatter between announcers or hear about their lives. They don't want to hear announcers trying to be funny & outdo each other. They just want to hear a wide variety of music (within the said decades), with one sensible announcer per show/shift who doesn't talk excessively & little/preferably no repetition.

So far, repetition & mindless chatter are what's killing radio at the moment, particularly with the "Gold/Classic Hits/Mix" Stations, making people constantly change between the Gold format stations, listen to community stations, the ABC or turn off & listen to a CD/iPod instead.