In our years of partnering with some of Africa’s leading radio stations in supporting them plot their paths to growth, some clear trends have emerged that demonstrate the value of collaborating with an external team of audience research professionals.

With our expansion across the African continent, to Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, now servicing East and West Africa, we’ve gathered even deeper insights into the heartbeat of the continent’s radio stations and audiences.

Make sure your tagline aligns with your identity and your audience

A leading commercial broadcaster was ready to launch a new station, and wanted to gauge audience responses to its proposed tagline, wanting to understand how the station’s audience would respond to the word, which had many different associations, depending on demographic profiles.

We conducted an in-depth research project that delved into the nature of radio and how its content resonated with consumers. Using analytics to hone data-driven insights, we helped the station align the research findings with its marketing plans, coming up with a more comprehensive mission station and tagline that resonated with its growing audience.

Know what listeners expect from programming

The radio station had introduced a new specialty sports show from 18h00 to 19h00 on weekdays, and wanted to find out whether listeners were enjoying the show’s presenter and format. Quantitative research set out to explore the role played by sports in listeners’ lives, and assessed listeners, recall, familiarity, likeability, and resonance.

The comprehensive research campaign drew on data analytics to help the programming team and the presenter to refine their content strategies. One of the key findings was that listeners value the back stories behind sportspeople and their teams, and the presenter embraced this feedback, and set about incorporating more such features into the show.

Other important results revealed that more than four in ten (43%) of the station’s listeners were tuning in between 18h00 and 21h00, citing the station as their ‘station of choice’.

Find ways to leverage what your audience loves best

A leading regional radio station with an adult contemporary content profile including popular local and international chart toppers wanted to grow its audience without alienating its existing loyal listenership. As music was central to the station’s identity, the programming team needed to find a way to leverage music to keep its loyal fans engaged, while also attracting new listeners.

A comprehensive year-long research programme including three weekly call outs to test current tracks with audiences was rounded off with annual online music testing to build the station’s golden play list of around 1,000 songs.

The research gauged which songs were positively and negatively received, set out to understand which songs that audiences felt ‘belonged’ on the station, and how likely it would be for a listener to switch stations based on their love or dislike of a song.

Casting their net wider for a more inclusive approach to audience testing saw the station growing its audience and claiming its place in the top 10 stations nationally, with the outgoing managing director being lauded in media for her successful data-driven approach to audience growth.

Building an iconic and instantly recognisable sonic identity

A leading commercial station had built its listenership by offering extensive talk programming during the week, while offering music over the weekend. Even though listeners identified with the weekend playlist, the station wanted to update its playlist, and to find growth potential for its weekend offerings.

The research project tested music from different eras and genres to establish a fit between audience preferences, and the station’s playlist. While the station had previously been sought after for music from the 1980s and 1990s, African music artists, jazz, and R&B music was really well received by the research audience.

Based on the data-driven insights gleaned from the research project, the station broadened its music offering and expanded its talent of presenters, responding to audiences’ feedback without alienating any listeners.

In our experience, consistent research across diverse audiences, including ongoing music testing, helps stations grow their second and third favourite station listenership, while making sure that they maintain the loyalty of their primary audiences. This is just one of the many ways that a carefully designed and thoughtfully implemented research project can support radio stations’ growth plans, rewarding them with growth.

For more information please visit our website: https://www.groundcontrolresearch.co.za/

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Ground Control Research.