NuVoodoo Webinar To Take Fresh Look At Music Hosts

With so many changes in listening through the pandemic, NuVoodoo Research has decided to take a fresh look at the relationship listeners have with DJ’s and hosts on FM music stations. Overall, it’s more positive than negative – but there is a sharp generational shift. Gen Xers – raised on radio and now 40-plus – are largely positive, with a 43% plurality giving DJ’s a thumbs up.

Millennials are somewhat less positive, but it’s Gen Z (the under 25’s in our sample) where only 26% are positive about DJ’s.

NuVoodoo always highlights the differences between those who’d say “yes” to Nielsen and those who would never participate in the radio ratings in our webinars – and the differences in DJ appreciation across these groups reveal some polarization. Those who model through as likely to participate in a metered-type ratings methodology (“PPM Yes” in the chart) have significantly larger group who appreciate DJ’s and hosts (43%) – but also a larger group who don’t like them (34%).

It gets even more stark when we filter down to subset of those likely to participate in a metered-type ratings methodology who also listen to broadcast radio at least an hour a day (“PPM 60” in the chart): there, the number of those who appreciate DJ’s climbs to 47% — but the number who don’t like them also climbs. It’s a case where to know them is to love them for some – and not so much for others.

In a competitive landscape where consumers have lots of choices on where to turn for music entertainment, radio needs to make sure its human hosts are true positives for as broad an audience as possible. On-air talent have to be given the support and the flexibility to build connections with listeners and enhance the regard for their role on the station.

During the upcoming webinar, NuVoodoo will dive deeper in the webinar and show the differences in DJ perceptions across demos, ethnic groups and format preferences. They're also pulling together the latest data on:

• Smart speaker penetration and listening to FM radio on them
• Work-from-home and workplace listening trends
• National and local contests
• Marketing messages that drive tune-in or boost TSL
• Social and digital channels that move the needle
• Podcasts & streaming

The first NuVoodoo webinar for 2021, “How to Get Your Ratings From Here to Vaccinated,” starts Thursday, February 11 at 1 PM Eastern, with four opportunities to be on the livestreamed webinar (so you can get answers to your questions on the spot). A fresh sample of nearly 3,500 14-54’s across PPM markets will help you with new ideas to put your radio station on top of the Nielsen ratings. Register at nuvoodoo.com/webinars.