WEEI Convenes Focus Group of Sport Hub Listeners

From Chad Finn, Boston Globe

A focus group’s findings can be misinterpreted and the reaction misguided. But they are commonplace in the business world, including sports media, and the reason is because if the right questions are asked, the information can provide great value, and perhaps even some real solutions. 

“These things are common,’’ said WEEI program director Jason Wolfe via e-mail Thursday. “All companies do market research from time to time to gain insight into how they can improve.’’ 

Which brings us to WEEI, and a recent effort by the sports radio station, through a third-party Seattle-based research group, to gather opinions on current and potential personnel from listeners who had been identified as converts to their rival station, 98.5 The Sports Hub. 

Actually, where it literally brings us is to the Fieldwork Boston facility in Waltham on Jan. 22, where 15 men, all appearing to be on the younger end of the age 25-54 demographic, were paid $75 each to answer specific questions for little more than an hour about the state of sports radio in Boston. 

Participants were specifically asked how they heard about The Sports Hub, which launched in August 2009, almost instantly became competition to be reckoned with in the Arbitron ratings, and finished first in the recent fall ratings among men 25-54 — while WEEI fell to a seventh-place tie with WBUR. 

They were told to focus on the morning and afternoon drive programs — “Dennis and Callahan” and “The Big Show with Ordway and Holley’’ — and were asked how they would fix those programs.

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