How TV program delivery varies by region

Television has always been a true mass medium – in fact, it was so successful at filling that role that it knocked radio out of the block program business model and moved it to a specialized format-based approach. One television station will use numerous program types during the course of a single broadcast day, whereas virtually all successful commercial radio stations have one and only one format.

This companion piece to our study on radio format delivery by region, Regional Format Popularity Variations, shows that geographic variations from one genre to another on TV are small in comparison to radio differences deep into the media/consumer/retail databases of BIGinsight to find out just what there is to know on this topic.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the different charts is the appearance that viewers in the Northeast and South are more likely to move from one category to another, while thos in the West and Midwest are more likely to stick to their favorite categories.

Methodology
A few other points about this study. This study was created by RBR-TVBR and is completely based on BIGinsight data.

Respondents were allowed to check off more than one program type if they wished, and on average selected about 3.3.

Each chart shows the region where the given format is most popular and runs down in order to where it is least popular, and the total US 18+ survey result is put in by score as well, creating five rank positions. The US score cannot possibly be #1 or #5, and tends to be squarely in the middle at #3. However, on those occasions where one region really loves the format far more than the other three, it will edge the US number into the #2 slot; and when one region really can’t stand a format far more than the other three, it edges the US number to #4. But as a general rule, it does occupy #3.

In this study, the Northeast and South dominated the top of the charts, and the Midwest and West were dominated the bottom.

Here are the top/bottom numbers, and they are stark:
The South was in 1st place in eight categories, last in none.
The Northeast was 1st in seven, last in two.
Meanwhile, the Midwest was 1st in two, last in eight
The West was 1st in only only one, and was also last in eight.

We suspect that is an indication that TV fans in the Northeast and South tend to check off more categories, indicating a wider range of programming taste.

Here, then, are the results category by category.

Cartoons
There is a significant amount of regional separation when it comes to the cartoon category. The West a clear winner, although the Northeast isn’t too far behind. And the South isn’t too far behind the Northeast. But the Midwest is in a class by itself at the bottom of the chart, enough to drag the national average out of the middle slot where it normally would belong.
1. West (17.8%)
2. Northeast (17.1%)
3. South (16.6%)
4. USA (16.5%)
5. Midwest (14.0%)

Cooking
The Northeast edges the South in this category, and once again the Midwest is more or less alone in its relative distaste for cooking programs.
1. Northeast (24.0%)
2. South (23.7%)
3. USA (22.9%)
4. West (22.5%)
5. Midwest (20.9%)

Documentaries
This is yet another category where the Midwest stands alone demonstrating its lack of enthusiasm.
1. Northeast (22.9%)
2. West (22.4%)
3. South (21.7%)
4. USA (21.6%)
5. Midwest (19.0%)

Drama
This highly popular television program format has a very small spread from top to bottom, and given the high number of respondents who checked off on the category, the difference verge on being statistically insignificant. In short, drama works everywhere.
1. Northeast (42.0%)
2. South (41.9%)
3. USA (41.2%)
4. Midwest (40.9%)
5. West (40.0%)

Game shows
The game show category is a virtual four-way tie. In first place, the South was in infinitesimal 0.1% higher that the national average of 14.0, and in last place, the Midwest was an almost as infinitesimal 0.3% below the national average. The Northeast and West hit the average on the nose. It’s great news for Pat Sajak and Vanna White.
1. South (14.1%)
2. Northeast (14.0%)
2. West (14.0%)
2. USA (14.0%)
5. Midwest (13.7%)

Home improvement
Finally, a category the Midwest can love – even if it didn’t get 1st place, which was taken by the South, at least it rose to 2nd. The West was by itself at the bottom this time.
1. South (18.2%)
2. Midwest (17.4%)
3. Northeast (17.2%)
4. USA (17.1%)
5. West (15.0%)

Movies
Movies get the most check-offs of any television program category. They are most popular in the South, and least in the Midwest, with the West and Northeast hovering just below the national 18+ average.
1. South (53.9%)
2. USA (51.9%)
3. West (51.3%)
4. Northeast (51.0%)
5. Midwest (49.9%)

Music videos
We believe there have been better days for music videos, back when MTV was young and actually played them. In its current state, it is a relatively flat category, with the most viewing taking place in the Northeast and with the Midwest once again bringing up the rear.
1. Northeast (11.2%)
2. South (11.0%)
3. USA (10.7%)
4. West (10.4%)
5. Midwest (9.5%)

NASCAR/racing
If you thought the South would be the base market for NASCAR programming, you’d be right. It’s also a category that is able to make some inroads with those picky Midwestern viewers. The West follows the pack.
1. South (10.0%)
2. Midwest (9.8%)
3. USA (9.4%)
4. Northeast (8.8%)
5. West (8.2%)

News
Finally, a category that puts the Midwest at the top. However, the margin between the top and bottom of this high-volume category is very flat. The separation amounts to a mere 1.2%. News is another category that works absolutely everywhere.
1. Midwest (43.2%)
2. Northeast (43.1%)
3. USA (42.4%)
4. South (42.0%)
4. West (42.0%)

Police/detective
The South is the clear leader, although the category is yet another that enjoys ubiquitous popularity and thus presents a very flat chart.
1. South (41.2%)
2. USA (40.1%)
3. West (39.1%)
4. Midwest (39.8%)
5. Northeast (39.7%)

Reality
Although the distances between regions in the percentages indicating there appreciation of the Reality genre are not great, there is are noticeable rungs in the latter from the top to the bottom of the chart. The South is Reality’s most fertile ground.
1. South (23.7%)
2. West (23.2%)
3. USA (22.7%)
4. Northeast (22.0%)
5. Midwest (21.1%)

Religious
It turns out that Religious programming is more popular on the radio than it is on television, or maybe it’s just more available. At any rate, the South is at the top of the chart for both, but although only 7.2% checked it off on the TV side, 16.2% did so on the radio side. Likewise, the Northeast was at the bottom of both, but with a 5.1% for TV and a 7.1% for radio, it still did better on the radio side even in last place.
1. South (7.2%)
2. USA (6.1%)
3. Midwest (5.8%)
4. West (5.4%)
5. Northeast (5.1%)

SitCom
Sitcoms work everywhere, and produce a relatively flat chart. That said, they still do noticeably better in the Northeast and Midwest than in the other two regions.
1. Northeast (29.9%)
2. Midwest (29.7%)
3. USA (28.6%)
4. South (28.0%)
5. West (27.6%)

Soap
The distance from top to bottom is not great, but with a relatively small number of people checking off the category, the South clearly dominates. We suspect that telenovelas on Hispanic stations may be partly responsible, and note that both Texas and Florida provide the South with large Hispanic populations.
1. South (10.4%)
2. USA (9.5%)
3. Northeast (9.3%)
4. Midwest (9.0%)
5. West (8.4%)

Sports
The Midwest is the number one place for Sports, which by the way, blows radio out of the water when it comes to fans. We personally used to love to pass the time listening to baseball on the radio, particularly when we were on the road, but generally we’d rather watch the action than hear it described to us, no matter how talented the sportscaster.
1. Midwest (38.9%)
2. Northeast (38.3%)
3. USA (37.4%)
4. South (36.9%)
5. West (36.0%)

Talk
The West comes in 1st in Talk radio, but it’s last on the television version, which is not nearly as politically charged as it is on the audio service. The Northeast and South tie for 1st on a very flat chart.
1. Northeast (13.8%)
1. South (13.8%)
3. USA (13.4%)
4. Midwest (13.0%)
5. West (12.7%)

Wrestling
This category has a surprisingly wide distance from top to bottom given the low number who say they are fans of the genre. The Northeast is at the top of the chart by a wide margin.
1. Northeast (8.1%)
2. South (6.8%)
3. USA (6.6%)
4. West (6.0%)
5. Midwest (5.7%)

South edges Northeast in first place finishes
Here is the chart showing how often each region finished in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th place, with USA representing the total 18+ response to the survey. USA should tend to finish third, an average of two stronger and two weaker regions. As we noted earlier, when one region is particularly strong or weak it pushes USA to 4th or 2nd respectively, but it is statistically impossible for it to ever finish 1st or 5th.

Here’s the chart, with the program types listed in order of overall popularity.

Regional state breakdowns:
Northeast: CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT
South: AL, AR, DE, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
Midwest: IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI
West: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT. NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY