Women Dominate Christian Radio

FINNEY MEDIA’S “WHY LISTEN?”™ SURVEY REVIEWS FEMALE PREFERENCES IN CHRISTIAN RADIO LISTENING
Women come to Christian radio to grow spiritually, be encouraged.

Women dominate the listenership of Christian radio stations in both music and talk formats, according to research conducted by Dallas-based Finney Media.

In Finney’s “Why Listen?” Survey, women were identified as key to understanding both Talk and Music listenership for Christian radio stations; Finney released this week a paper drawn from the survey entitled “What Women Want from You, Christian Radio.”

“We found that women can make up three-quarters of a Christian radio station’s listenership,” said Chuck Finney, President of Finney Media. “That is the type of information that can help Christian stations understand their market needs better, and adapt where necessary.”

Finney Media, a research firm in the radio market, surveyed more than 23,000 listeners at 72 radio stations, networks and programs on the relevant formats of Music, Music & Talk, Teaching and Spoken Word; Finney Media periodically releases newly compiled information from the study.

The primary reason women listen to Christian radio is to grow spiritually. More than 80 percent of female participants cite this motivation. Other reasons women listeners give are instructive:

They want to be encouraged, specifically to hear kindness and find calm in hectic lives.

The survey also found that a female listener can be an effective ambassador for Christian radio stations because of loyalty — as long as the station creates an encouraging, positive atmosphere for her and her family.

Finney conducts the Finney Media“Why Listen?”™ Survey to help stations better understand who is listening to them.

“Understanding a radio station’s listeners and how they perceive the station’s message and brand is crucial to making sound ministry decisions that will keep it moving forward,” Finney said.