• by David Kaplan , December 1, 2004

Self-described "avid radio listeners" are 11 percent more likely than other consumers to see a movie on its opening weekend, a study from marketing consultant Scarborough Research found.

According the company's calculations, this represents more than 3 million avid radio listeners who usually see a movie during its first weekend of release.

But merely listening to radio--which in the days before TV was heralded as "the theater of the mind"-- isn't the only factor, as Scarborough found that what's on the dial makes a big difference. For example, moviegoing frequency varies with an avid listener's preferred radio format.

New Adult Contemporary/Smooth Jazz, Spanish, and Urban format listeners lead avid radio listeners in movie attendance, and 7 percent of avid listeners of these formats attended the theater three or more times during the past month.

Of that group, new AC/Smooth Jazz listeners are 35 percent more likely than all avid radio listeners to go to the movies this frequently; Spanish format listeners are 26 percent more likely than all avid radio listeners to do so, and Urban listeners are 25 percent more likely.

The important aspect of avid radio listeners is the way they consume other media, Scarborough's study said. Eighteen percent of avid radio listeners view online movie listings, and 5 percent have bought movie tickets online during the past year.

Avid radio listeners are 18 percent more likely than all consumers to listen to a radio station online, 32 percent more likely to go to a radio station Web site, and 11 percent more likely to watch video online, providing further opportunities for promotion.