Radio programming and focus group research: a case study

Radio broadcasting today is experiencing a high degree of program specialization, audience fragmentation and industry competition. This has resulted in managers becoming increasingly dependent on research to guide their programming decisions. For many broadcasters today, focus group interviewing has become the preferred qualitative research methodology.

This study applied this technique to evaluate the programming of WUTK-FM by listeners to the station. Three focus group sessions were conducted in February, 1987 to ask listeners about the strengths and weaknesses of the station's programming, the elements that should be changed or added to the existing album rock format, the station's role in its community (the University of Tennessee), and the music and artist preferences of listeners.

The study found that the strengths of the station's programming included its variety of music, its university orientation, its non-commercial nature, its alternative music format, and its specialty music programs. The station's weak signal (a technical problem) and a lack of awareness of the station (a promotional problem) were cited as the main reasons for its limited audience growth.

Future recommendations included applying for an increase in power from the FCC and initiating strong promotions with high visibility to the target audience.