CRS 2020: ‘Defending Your Audience Share’

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NASHVILLE — Friday (2/21) marked the final day of CRS 2020, and among the featured presentations was one that delved into “exclusive research findings” conducted by Futuri Media and the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications that sheds some light on who lists Country as their favorite music format — of seven options presented to them.


The panel discussion, “Defending Your Audience Share,” focused on a study of nearly 1,400 people conducted in January. Futuri Media CEO Daniel Anstandig and Rob Harder, Director of Programming and Brand Manager for the University of Florida radio properties (including WRUF-FM, a Country station since October 2010).

The study aimed to answer three questions facing country radio today:

How do we defend our country audience and revenue share?
How should we extend our country content onto new platforms?
How will we transcend our challenges as the country competition landscape changes?

Among the findings:

  • 76% of AM/FM country listeners would prefer more video content from their favorite country radio station.

  • Country radio listeners are tuning in to nearly the same amount of AM/FM radio as in the past, but 23% plan to listen to more country radio streaming in the next three months.

  • Women 18-34 who listen to broadcast radio tend to be more active on social media than streaming listeners. Throughout the study, data shows that country stations should have a social strategy that targets country fans, especially younger females, with sticky and recyclable content.

  • Country listeners who have listened to a podcast in the last month name music as their favorite podcast topic genre. This number is 30%; the next highest topic genre is news/politics at 11%. Country radio station are great at talking about music; this presents an excellent time-shifted and original podcast content opportunity.

  • Quality station-specific mobile apps present a major engagement opportunity. Younger listeners are more likely to install them, and they’re an opportunity for more connected car listening. Of AM/FM country radio listener respondents, 44% have their favorite station’s mobile app installed on their mobile device, a number that jumps to 48% when looking at the 18-34 demo. And 26% of country fans listen to country music via a connected car platform and are highly likely to listen to country music connecting their mobile device to their vehicle.

A host of other results were presented at the CRS 2020 event.

To review the entire study, please click here: futurimedia.com/CRS2020