Is in-house research holding back African radio evolution?

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According to Anina Maree, co-founder and director of Ground Control Research, radio stations aiming to retain and grow their audiences should leverage independent listenership and programming research as a key strategy.

The lack of independent research

Nearly a third of radio stations don’t set up formal conversations with their audiences - they have off-air conversations with listeners who call in for competitions.

While this may make listeners feel trusted and important to the station, it only draws on existing fans’ opinions and doesn’t benefit from the fresh insights that could be gained from audiences yet to be won. 

“Independent researchers have spent years honing their skills, building focus groups and designing questions to get the most helpful insights from diverse participants,” adds Karon Clare, co-founder and director at Ground Control Research.

“An inclusive approach to audience testing helps radio stations crystallise their identity, guiding them to make better-informed decisions about their choices of programming, presenters, and content.”

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Obtaining meaningful insights

Having meaningful insights about what their existing and potential listeners hope to hear also helps stations better understand switching behaviour - what causes their listeners to seek content elsewhere, and what would win over new listeners in their target market. 

These insights could be as granular as revealing listeners’ likes and dislikes about presenters, including their perceived integrity at a time when celebrities often embrace their potential as social media brand influencers, either within or beyond the context of their station commitments. 

Maree claims that being able to gather these kinds of insights helps presenters balance their evolving roles in society with their station’s profile and content.

“For example, some hosts build greater engagement with their audiences if they’re paired with another personality, or even if they’re part of a presenting team, while others are better suited to solo presenting."

Making room in the budget 

With 75% of radio stations surveyed across the three countries not having allocated any budget for external research, Clare emphasises independent researchers complement and add value to internally designed and funded research projects, adding deeper insights and broader experience. 

“Radio stations that know who their audiences are and what they want are the stations most sought after by advertisers, who expect specific and concise feedback about who their advertising spend will reach,” Clare says.

“Whether a station is doing call-out music research, market and audience research, music mapping, or wanting to assess current or future talent prospects, independent researchers have their fingers on the pulse of the constantly evolving media industry.”