What Radio Consumers Are Reading

by Jack Loechner, Jul 18, 2011, 8:15 AM

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RBR-TVBR, in conjunction with the database at BIGresearch, explores the confluence of radio listeners with other media to determine what the fans of a particular style of radio program like to read (print or electronic). Knowing the habits of the consumer that has loyalty to a particular format opens the door for cross marketing and advertising, says the report.

To be a favorite magazine included in the BIGresearch data, at least 0.3% of the population 12+ had to select it. And to be included in the RBR analysis, each radio program type had to have been selected by at least 1.5% of the 18+ population. Many magazines score less than that, noted the report, and many survey respondents had no particular preference. In all, over half of respondents ended up in the Other or No Preference categories. Further, others in the format also likely read the same title, but not first.

Titles most often checked off as a first preference, read by the entire 18+ population of the BIGresearch survey, show up most often on the radio program top pick lists.

Magazine Preference Selected as First Choice by Listeners (Excluding Other and No Preference)
Magazine Selected First	% of Respondents
People	4.8%
Time	2.9
Sports Illustrated	2.0
Cosmopolitan	1.6
Game Informer	1.4
Readers Digest	1.4
Woman's Day	1.4
Good Housekeeping	1.3
Better Homes and Gardens	1.3
AARP The Magazine	1.1
Essence	1.1
Maxim	1.1
Source: RBR-TVBR, July 2011

Following are the individual radio styles and the percent of respondents selecting that title as first reading preference. The report suggests that this analysis provides one more prism through which radio stations can view their audience.

Alternative radio

This group is mostly notable for the titles it wants little or nothing to do with. Among the top 12, it pretty much avoids Readers Digest, Good Housekeeping, and AARP The Magazine, scoring an almost invisible 0.2.

Overall Percent of Responses and Magazine

• 6.3% People
• 3.6 Time
• 3.6 Game Informer
• 3.1 Cosmopolitan
• 2.3 Maxim
• 2.0 Sports Illustrated
• 1.6 Entertainment Weekly
• 1.6 National Geographic
• 1.6 Rolling Stone

Blues radio

Some of these selections are typical of noncommercial formats, others are typical of urban formats. Newsweek missed with a 1.4.

• 4.4% Time
• 3.4 People
• 2.9 Sports Illustrated
• 2.2 Ebony
• 2.1 National Geographic
• 1.9 Jet
• 1.8 Essence
• 1.6 Game Informer

Classical radio

This group shows its intellectual muscles, putting Time ahead of People as one clue. Although they didn't score high enough (1.5%) to make this list, this group gave the New Yorker a 1.3, The Economist a 1.2 and Smithsonian a 1.1.

• 4.9 Time
• 4.0 People
• 2.3 Readers Digest
• 2.2 National Geographic
• 2.0 Game Informer
• 1.9 Newsweek
• 1.7 Sports Illustrated
• 1.7 AARP The Magazine

Country radio

Three domestic titles make the list, and Family Circle was under the radar at 1.2, which nevertheless is double the 0.6 the magazine gets for all 18+.

• 6.6 People
• 2.5 Good Housekeeping
• 2.4 Readers Digest
• 2.4 Woman's Day
• 2.3 Time
• 2.2 Better Homes and Gardens
• 2.1 Sports Illustrated
• 2.1 Cosmopolitan
• 1.6 AARP The Magazine

Latin/Hispanic radio

Nine titles fell into the 1.0-1.4 range. Notably among them is Playboy, which gets 1.2 from this format for its highest score.

• 8.6 People
• 4.6 Cosmopolitan
• 3.8 Time
• 3.0 Game Informer
• 1.9 Maxim
• 1.5 US Weekly

News radio

The tastes of the radio news crowd are all over the map, says the report.

• 5.1 Time
• 4.8 People
• 2.2 Sports Illustrated
• 2.0 Newsweek
• 1.6 Readers Digest
• 1.6 AARP The Magazine
• 1.5 Good Housekeeping
• 1.5 Better Homes and Gardens

R&B radio

A completely unsurprising dominance of urban-flavored reading material is favored by this group. If you were thinking this crowd is older - well, maybe they are, but AARP only pulled an 0.5. Glamour was a little under the radar at 1.1.

• 5.9 People
• 4.4 Essence
• 3.7 Ebony
• 3.3 Time
• 3.3 Cosmopolitan
• 2.3 Jet
• 2.2 Game Informer
• 2.1 Sports Illustrated
• 2.1 O Magazine
• 1.6 ESPN The Magazine
• 1.5 Maxim

Sports radio

Sports Illustrated and ultra-strong showing from ESPN The Magazine tells most of what you need to know about this format audience. Note the presence of Men's Health in the reading lineup, and further note that Golf pulled a 1.0.

• 8.6 Sports Illustrated
• 4.9 Time
• 3.7 ESPN The Magazine
• 3.6 People
• 2.8 Maxim
• 1.7 Game Informer
• 1.6 Newsweek
• 1.6 Men's Health

Talk radio

Only five mags topped 1.5, but 14 fell between 1.0 and 1.4.

• 4.3 Time
• 4.2 People
• 2.7 Sports Illustrated
• 1.6 Readers Digest
• 1.6 Consumer Reports

Top 40-Pop radio

Entertainment is most definitely the name of the game for this group. News titles are for the most part missing except for a poor performance from Time.

• 8.2 People
• 3.7 Cosmopolitan
• 2.6 Time
• 2.1 Sports Illustrated
• 2.1 Woman's Day
• 2.0 Entertainment Weekly
• 1.7 US Weekly
• 1.6 Maxim
• 1.5 Game Informer

There are additional genres in the complete report, and the report concludes by noting that knowing the consumer habits is the key to increasing radio's audience level and also building loyalty.

For additional information, please visit here.

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0 comments on "What Radio Consumers Are Reading".

1. Rob Frydlewicz from RAF Consulting
   

   commented on: July 18, 2011 at 12:56 p.m.

   A much better analysis would report 1) the top magazines ranked by %composition of radio listeners or, even better, 2) top magazines of heavy radio listeners. Most likely the list of magazines would be completely different from the analysis here. The magazines reported here rank high because they are the highest circulation magazines. They'd probably be the highest ranking for most demos or media usage groups.

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