HBG Media Minute: How do workers pass the time on the job? They are listening to audio.
In this week’s edition of the Harker Bos Group Media Minute, we dive into a recent study that asked 800+ radio listeners nationwide about their audio listening habits on the job. The results are startling, especially if you are a boss (or hold any sort of management position). Of the radio listeners we surveyed, 86% […]
The Power of Spanish-Language Radio: Connecting Cultures and Communities
When Harker Bos Group started doing radio research in the late 1980s, talking to a station’s listeners was invigorating. There was a tangible connection between listeners and their chosen stations. Listeners were part of the club – they participated in station events, went to concerts promoted by the station, called in, and revered the DJs. […]
PPM’s Convoluted Incentives
PPM’s Convoluted Incentives If a Nielsen PPM panelist wants the cash to keep coming, she or he has to do one thing: Keep the meter moving. The device that panelists carry has an accelerometer just like a Fitbit and other fitness tracking devices. In the same way a Fitbit can count your steps a PPM […]
Nielsen’s Fractured Fairytales
Time Spent per Occasion, TSPO for short. It’s a PPM metric that you have probably never heard about. You won’t find it in any of the Nielsen monthly market reports. It doesn’t appear in any Nielsen literature. To our knowledge the only time TSPO was shared with the radio community was in 2011 when Arbitron […]
State of Media 2024 – Hip Hop Radio
State of Media 2024 – Hip Hop Radio Hey there, music aficionados! Today, we’re diving into the world of Hip Hop radio fans. Harker Bos Group’s study, “The State of Media 2024,” surveyed 500+ U.S. media consumers aged 18+, revealing a fascinating array of preferences from Cable/Satellite TV to the latest Music Streaming Services. […]
State of Media 2024 – Rock Radio
In today’s blog, we’ll take an in-depth look into Rock radio listeners. All the following data comes from Harker Bos Group’s “The State of Media 2024” report, which can be found here (link). As a quick overview of our general radio findings from that report, we found that 65% of media consumers tune into the […]
State of Media 2024 – Country Radio
In our latest blog, we explore Country radio enthusiasts. In “The State of Media 2024” study by Harker Bos Group, we surveyed 500+ U.S. media consumers aged 18+, uncovering preferences from Cable/Satellite TV to Music Streaming Services. Our analysis reveals insights across age, gender, and lifestyle/work choices. Join us as we navigate differences between Office […]
State of Media 2024 – Top 40 Radio
In today’s blog, we dive into what makes Top 40 radio listeners tick. Harker Bos Group recently conducted an in-depth study, “The State of Media 2024,” surveying over 500 U.S.-based media consumers aged 18 and above. The participants showcased diverse preferences across various media, from Cable/Satellite TV to Music Streaming Services. We scrutinized age, gender, […]
Accuracy, Precision, and why Nielsen numbers deliver neither
It’s easy to confuse accuracy with precision. At first glance, they may seem to be similar or at least related. However, they are very different, particularly when it comes to radio ratings. Ratings can be accurate but not precise. Ratings can be precise and not accurate. And unfortunately for radio, Nielsen ratings are neither. To […]
Is Nielsen Picking Radio Format Winners & Losers?
Can a company measuring radio station listenership impact the success of music formats? It’s a question Harker Bos Group raised in 2007 when we learned that the largest 50 radio markets would no longer be measured via diary. Instead, with the new method, the Portable People Meter (PPM), stations would encode their programming with an […]