The Listener Survey Toolkit
Chapter 2
Every letter or call counts for another 100 people

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview
Why Conduct a Listener or Member Survey
Research Myths and Misconceptions
Building the Survey
Survey Methodology
Survey Questions
Processing the Data
Data Analysis and Reporting
Applying the Survey Results
Station Service and Support for the Listener Survey Toolkit
Sample Questions
A myth exists at some stations concerning listener letters or phone calls. The assumption is that each call or letter received by a station represents a specific percentage of people with similar opinions who did not contact the station. Something like, "for each letter we receive, that represents another 100 or 1000 other people with the same opinion." Statistically, this belief is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. Taking the time to contact the station may be a measure of the intensity of one person's opinion, but that is all that it is. No meaningful projection of the opinions of the entire audience can be made from one person's contact with the station.

There are those in station management who are ready to change or cancel a program, project, or procedure the moment they receive several letters or telephone calls that disagree with actions they have taken. While listening to listeners is important, reacting to the opinions of a few can be a dangerous over- reaction.

We are not suggesting that communications from listeners be ignored. Each listener's ideas and opinions deserve consideration, respect, and response. It is possible to receive valuable suggestions and ideas from listeners. But taking action based on opinions expressed by a minuscule percentage (usually much less than 1%) of your audience without other valid reasons is not logical. Consider how many letters the station typically receives on a particular subject, and compare that number to your weekly or four-week cume audience. The percentage of response to any issue is normally very minimal in light of the total audience size.

Radio stations generally hear from people with extreme, polarized feelings. This means that they contact you when they are emotionally activated, to tell you how much they either "love" or "hate" something. They may say it in other words, but generally the feelings expressed are intense.

The vast majority of listeners do not harbor the intensity of the feelings expressed in direct communications. Nor do they typically express them to the station; they are a "silent majority." A station will never hear directly from the vast majority of its listeners. But by overreacting to the views of a small number of listeners who happen to have the most intense feelings (and the time and capability to write or call), a station could actually make decisions and take actions that are contrary to the wishes of the vast majority of listeners and/or members.

Has your station ever received comments like, "you know, I really feel intensely neutral about your station. It's not great, it's not terrible, but it is just OK." Probably not! This is not how communication from listeners usually happens. Intense, often polarized feelings are the rule.

Letters and calls are very different from information obtained through research in a number of ways, but most important, when listeners write or call, they select the agenda and select themselves to communicate. When the station contacts listeners, they are selected by the station and respond to the station's agenda. This alone will almost inevitably result in a more accurate reflection of listener thoughts and opinions.

Do not ignore communication from listeners and members. But remember that the process of customer service involved in hearing and responding to listener communications, while very important, is a very different process from that of research or of gathering reliable data that can be used confidently in station decision making for programming or development.

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