NATIONWIDE RESEARCH AT A GLANCE
The 2021 Finney Media Why Listen?® Survey talked to almost 11,000 respondents with over a million data points from three different formats: Music stations, Music/Teaching stations and All-Teaching stations/programs.
There’s much discussion about focusing our radio stations and programs on people beyond the nuclear family. In 2022, there are way more folks with different marital statuses listening than moms who married for the first time. Here are the Top Five Marital Statuses ranked in the recent nationwide survey:
- Married First Time – 52%
- Re-married – 18%
- Divorced – 13%
- Single/Never Married – 11%
- Widowed – 5%
Here’s a way to think about this: If you’re talking to your listener as if she is married for the first time, you’re talking to only half of your listeners. And if you assume she is married – for the first time or re-married – you’re still talking to only 7 in 10. Thirty percent of the CCM listeners in the Why Listen® survey are not currently married.
We’re coming up on Valentine’s Day. It’s a happy day for many people. Not so much for others. And if you’re going to be empathetic with all of your listeners, it’s crucial that you’re sensitive to this. Some of your listeners are happily married, some are single and wish they were married, some are divorced, some are unhappily married, and some are happily single.
It’s complicated. Let’s acknowledge that truth in what we say.
Chuck Finney’s had radio playing in his head since he was just a boy. Over the course of his career, he’s worked in programming, radio research, and audience connection. Chuck’s passion for words and communication is widely recognized and he’s won several industry awards.
If you ask Chuck how he’s doing, he’ll either say “Blessed, thank you,” or “I really get to do this for a living?!” He’s the President of Finney Media, a speaker and author who loves telling stories and helping you do the same. Chuck is married and has two adult daughters. He lives with his wife, Lynda, in the Dallas area. For more information, read about Chuck at finneymedia.com.