Why Listen? Survey

Top Reasons People Choose Christian Radio

Orlando, November 7, 2017: Christian radio listeners are very specific about why they choose to listen to Christian radio stations, according to Finney Media’s Why Listen? survey. They are looking for spiritual growth and encouragement, and that holds true across the Christian radio formats and, importantly, even between programs.

These are the final key findings from Finney Media’s Why Listen? survey, entitled Christian Radio, I Choose You Because.

“If you want to cause your listeners to come back more often, breaks and songs that are focused on helping your listeners grow spiritually, and are encouraging, are the recipe,” said Finney Media President Chuck Finney. “Conversely, breaks and songs that don’t help your listeners grow spiritually and do not encourage them, will cause them to leave.”

Whether your listeners prefer the spoken word or music, this is true. Among those who listen to all teaching/spoken formats, 94% say it helps them grow spiritually and 67% seek encouragement. For those who prefer all music, 70% say it helps them grow spiritually and 77% say they want to be encouraged.

Further, loyalty is very deep among Christian radio listeners as the vast majority listen exclusively or almost exclusively to Christian radio. “That is crucial knowledge for your sales or underwriting department,” Finney said. “The only way to reach these listeners on the radio is through you.”

The Why Listen? survey gathered responses from more than 23,000 Christian radio listeners in the United States and Canada, listening to 72 stations, networks and programs.

Finney Media will be rolling out the next version of its Why Listen? survey beginning in January. Find information on this low-cost, high-results survey at www.finneymedia.net/why-listen/.