Country Consultants A&O&B Report 25% Increase Of Mobile TSL

Country Radio Consultants Albright & O'Malley & Brenner kicked off their 25th Annual Pre-CRS Seminar Wednesday with a look at its Roadmap 2019 study.

Key takeaways from the study, which included 10,221 respondents in the 25-54 demo, included:

• The rise of Instagram, both in users and interaction with radio station profiles
• An increase in Spotify and Pandora for in-car listening
• Pure play and owned music becoming the two largest switching destinations, surpassing AM/FM Country radio and that of other formats
• An increase of weekly TSL on mobile devices of approximately 25%
• And radio remaining as a leading source of music discovery 

Also during the free seminar CEO of Ethos3 Scott Schwertly spoke on "The Presentation Revolution: How To Build, Design, and Deliver Compelling Presentations," and Big & Rich's Big Kenny shared his perspective on "Building A Larger Than Life Brand."

Even as in-car listening to services like Spotify and Pandora increases, country radio stations have three important non-music listener “wants.” According to survey respondents, they are: The human factor adds the ability to make me feel good; DJs that are like friends; and audible title and artist identification. “Leveraging these assets is an important, pro-active response to digital intrusion,” Consultant Mike O’Malley said in a release on the findings. “Prioritize working with your talent. The payoffs are huge.”

A huge opportunity for engagement and revenue is texting, which is popular across all demos, the study found. “Stations should look at texting as one of the most personal ways you can connect with your listeners,” partner Becky Brenner noted.