Abstract:

The following paper demonstrates how applied research conducted with Public radio listeners was used to expand listener appeal and increase binding opportunities for a leading public radio station in New York City. By using research to construct detailed psychographic profiles of a range of distinct types of radio listeners (with special attention to each groups’ attitudes toward and responses to both public radio specifically and fundraising in general) research was able to transcend the traditional dichotomy of “passive non-affiliated listener” and “active self-identified member” in favor of a broader more complex range of listener/supporter types. Findings from the research enabled programming and fundraising developers for the public radio station to develop new strategies for increasing listener identification and financial support without alienating the identification and support of the station’s existing core audiences.