Fascinating Data from Techsurvey 8

I had a chance to see Fred Jacobs present his findings from Techsurvey8, a comprehensive look at the media habits and attitudes of more than 57,000 radio listeners from across North America.  

I think this is really important stuff.  Everyone in radio should not only take notice but study this data. 

He's provided a link to an infographic with the top-line results.  Meanwhile, here are eight key findings from the survey:

1. Stop doing “random acts of digital” – The survey provides station and format “tech footprints” in the form of our Media Usage Pyramids. Tim Davis developed this graphic depiction for our very first survey in 2005, and it has served us well through the years. These data sets are road maps to help stations, clusters, and companies better understand where their audiences live and connect for media entertainment. You can’t do everything, so prioritize and strategize. This approach will help stations and management teams best use their human and financial resources.

2. “Car Wars” – Techsurvey8 underscores the importance of the automotive world. More than half our respondents spend the lion’s share of their radio time on four wheels. And half can now connect their smartphones and iPods into their cars. Nearly one in ten now has a more elegant in-dash entertainment system like Ford SYNC. Our data suggests that about one-fifth of radio listeners who have these systems spend less time with AM/FM radio. (And I don’t have to remind you about the #1 sales category at most stations, do I?) If this isn’t impetus for an industry task force, I don’t know what is.

3. Winning “First Occasions” – Arbitron has taught us the value of creating “listening occasions” to drive higher ratings. There is no more important one than what we’re calling the “First Occasion” – the medium a person selects to start her day. In Techsurvey8, most respondents are core radio listeners. Yet, nearly six in ten begin their mornings with a channel or gadget other than radio. What does this tell us about the job they hire radio to do in the morning – and how well radio is delivering on that need?

Read the rest here.