P1 Study Shows Popularity of Social Networks

This year’s Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.® and Edison Research’s National Country P1 Study 2009 polled more than 13,000 listeners online via email invitation to explore what listeners expect to see and hear on their favorite stations’ web sites, how listeners feel about syndicated versus local programming and the importance of social networking sites among Country P1s. It is the largest ongoing national study of country music listeners and marks the fourth year the survey has been conducted and results presented at CRS. The results were announced today (3/6) at CRS-40 in downtown Nashville. According to Tom Webster, Vice President of Strategy and Marketing for Edison Research, “The majority of the country radio listeners we surveyed have profiles on one or more social networking sites. Status updates and other ‘presence apps’ are how listeners increasingly share their interests, videos and even new music that they like. Though country radio is still the most widely cited means of discovering new country music, radio stations must learn to embrace social networks and interact with their listeners wherever those conversations are happening.”

Of those surveyed, 62 percent reported having a profile on at least one social networking site. Facebook was the most popular site reported (42 percent). 27 percent of online audio listeners surveyed listened “at least a few times a week” to their favorite local country station on the Internet.

77 percent reported that they are listening more to country music on the radio than they did last year. 84 percent of those expressing an opinion agreed that Country music makes a positive contribution to American life, with 57 percent “strongly agreeing.”

19 percent were “very pessimistic” about the economy, while eight percent reported they were “very optimistic.” 18 percent said the economic situation changed for the worse, with 20 percent reporting that someone in their household lost a job in the last year. 77 percent of the sample reported cutting back on discretionary expenses.