It's Got Them
Under Their Skins

Underwriting Anxiety is endemic. That’s the diagnosis from AUDIENCE 98^®.

No characteristic, behavior or attitude can predict the nervousness induced when a listener has the combined perception that business support has become more prevalent and annoying and may force programming changes.

Givers and non-givers have it. So do the core and the fringe. It indiscriminately cuts across age, race, sex, income, education and VALS^TM 2 categories. No type of listener is immune.

Listeners with and without anxiety agree somewhat that underwriting spots have increased. They share less the view that underwriters may influence programming.

The greatest difference – and the driving force behind Underwriting Anxiety – is annoyance.

Listeners with Underwriting Anxiety are 12 times more likely to be annoyed by on-air mentions of business support than listeners without it.

Like prevalence and influence, we can control the attributes that lead to annoyance. Annoyance is also the perception we can alter with the greatest benefit and the least financial sacrifice.

Close attention paid to presentation – length, language, production, repetition and voice tone – may maximize underwriting’s return and minimize listener irritation.

On the other hand, some listeners simply may be biased against businesses supporting public radio. It may conflict with their ideal of public radio as a noncommercial medium. For this pre-existing condition there may be no cure.

More research is needed to determine the best medicine.  The healthiest practice is preventive care.

– John Sutton
– Peter Dominowski
AUDIENCE 98 Associates

– Leslie Peters
AUDIENCE 98 Core Team

Audience Research Analysis
Copyright © ARA and CPB.  All rights reserved.
Revised: September 01, 2000 12:38 PM.