Audience 2010
Reinvigorating Public Radio's Public Service & Public Support: a series of reports by Walrus Research and AudiGraphics Inc commissioned by RRC.

The first of these reports, Interim Report 1: Approach, describes the approach that Walrus Research and AudiGraphics Inc will follow to answer: What must we do to reverse Public Radio's audience loss, and reinvigorate public service?

The second report in the series, Interim Report 2: XM & Sirius, eliminates listening to XM & Sirius as the cause of lost listening to Public Radio and offers some strategies for Public Radio to rejuvenate public service.

A third report, Interim Report 3: Reliability & Integrity, examines and eliminates Arbitron methods and sampling as the cause of lost listening to Public Radio. The authors remind us that not all research is equal and that we should always question the methodology behind any research findings.

Interim Report 4: An Historic Loss of Momentum examines the ramifications resulting from a change in the growth pattern for Public Radio's audience. The authors first report on the change in momentum that has occurred and then focus on the programming and, especially, the financial implications for stations.

The last of the series to run through a double-check on factors external to public radio itself, Interim Report 5: Historic Sources of Growth busts a couple of myths about public radio listeners today. If you had to guess which demographic cohort was increasing its share of the public radio audience, would Gens X & Y have been top-of-mind? Read too about listening levels to radio: AM vs FM band; younger college graduates vs older college graduates.

Interim Report 6: Losing Our Grip looks at the programming that drove Public Radio's audience upward, until recently. The emphasis is on loyalty, because its recent decline is pervasive. Can Public Radio win back higher levels of listener loyalty?

The last in the series of Interim Reports Interim Report 7: 21st Century Trajectories looks at the listening trends on stations since 2002 to define three station groupings: Divers, Cruisers and Climbers. Is the programming on Climbers different from the programming on Divers? What can a Diver do to become a Climber?


Audience 2010: Purpose and Background
A study, investigation, analysis, a goal for Public Radio.

RRC has reported a disturbing lack of growth in the recent national audience levels for Public Radio. We have read some guesses about why the downturn is occurring. But, for now, guesses are all that we have seen. RRC believes we need a better understanding of what has happened, is happening, so that Public Radio can make appropriate investment decisions for the future.

Radio Research Consortium has contracted with George Bailey of Walrus Research for an exhaustive data analysis. He is working with David Giovannoni of AudiGraphics Inc to:

• report on the components of the growth of the Public Radio audience until 2003;
  
• identify, within the available data, the causes of stagnation;
  
• determine which causes are within Public Radio's control;
  
• focus on strategic opportunities for the resumption of increasing levels of service.

Public Radio Nationwide 2007
(10.26.07)

Public Radio Audience: Up 3% to 27.9 Million

There is positive news for public radio in the Spring 2007 Public Radio Nationwide report; however, it comes along with a dose of reality regarding overall radio usage.

Public Radio Nationwide 2006
Public Radio Audience: Up from 26.8 Million to 27.0 Million in Cume, but other Estimates are Down

There is one piece of good news from the Spring 2006 Public Radio Nationwide estimates that Arbitron has made available to us: Half of the missing Cume Persons for CPB-Stations (P12+, Mon-Sun 6a-Mid) from Spring 2005 have returned. (Spring 2004 is the survey period when Cume Persons peaked.) In Spring 2006, there were 27,034,300 listeners to CPB-Stations weekly.

Now for the bad news:

Public Radio Nationwide 2005
Public Radio Audience: Down from 27.2 Million to 26.8 Million

Last year we could say that there seemed to be a four-year pattern to the minimal growth in audience estimates reported by Arbitron for CPB-Stations in Public Radio Nationwide. This year, though, we must say that we have seen some firsts, and they are not positive ones to report.

1) For the first time ever, CPB-Stations (P12+, Mon-Sun 6a-12m) have declined in share of listening nationally.
2) For the first time ever, in two successive years, Cume Rating for CPB-Stations has shrunk. From 2004 to 2005, the Rating loss was two-tenths, matching the Rating loss of 2003 to 2004.
3) For the first time ever, in two successive years, AQH persons for CPB-Stations has shrunk. From 2004 to 2005, the loss was 2.3%. It had been a more minimal loss of .3% from 2003 to 2004.
4) For the first time ever, both AQH persons and Cume persons estimates for CPB-Stations have dipped in the same year.
5) For the first time ever, the AQH persons loss year-to-year exceeded 2%. In 2004, the loss had been .3%; in 1988, the loss was 1%.
6) For the first time ever, the Cume persons loss year-to-year exceeded 1%. The 1.5% drop 2004 to 2005, exceeds the .9% loss recorded in 2000, the only other year when CPB-Stations, in total, have lost Cume (in RRC-recorded history).

eRANKS - Public Radio
Who is #1? Find out in eRANKS. For each Arbitron quarterly survey, the RRC presents the Top 30 Public Radio Subscribing Stations ranked by Metro AQH Persons, Metro AQH Share, Metro Cume Persons and Metro Cume Rating (Monday-Sunday, 6AM-Midnight, P 12+).

eRANKS - Non-Commercial Religious Stations
Who is #1? Find out in eRANKS. For each Arbitron quarterly survey, the RRC presents the top Non-Commercial Religious Stations Subscribing Stations ranked by Metro AQH Persons, Metro AQH Share, Metro Cume Persons and Metro Cume Rating (Monday-Sunday, 6AM-Midnight, P 12+).

Ralph Award
The RRC's annual station audience growth award.