High Resolution
			Background: Basic definitions
			Background: Intermediate level
			Background: Full Treatment
			Format Flavors
			Operative Affinity

Format Flavors

National programs sound essentially the same no matter what station they’re on. Their appeal is constant across stations.

This is not the case with locally produced programs. It is futile to talk about the appeal of "local jazz" or "local classical" when the same genre appeals to an older audience on one station, a younger audience on another, a racially diverse audience on another, and so forth.

There are, in fact, many "flavors" of local jazz and classical programming. For this analysis we have chosen two classical and two jazz flavors based on the VALS^TM2 characteristics of their local audiences.

• Upstairs Classical attracts very high concentrations of Actualizer-Fulfilleds (38%) and listeners with advanced college degrees (38%).

• Downstairs Classical, in comparison, attracts lower concentrations of these listeners (although at 16% of this VALS type, and 21% with advanced degrees, it is still quite distinct from the American population).

• Uptown Jazz is between Upstairs and Downstairs Classical in its attraction to Actualizer-Fulfilleds (30% are of this VALS type and 28% have advanced degrees).

• Downtown Jazz attracts very low concentrations of Actualizer-Fulfilleds by public radio standards. Still, at nine percent, this VALS type is more than twice as prevalent in this audience as in the U.S. population.

These names convey no value judgments on the formats or audiences, nor do they reflect music selections or presentation styles. They simply describe format flavors having certain Up/Down attributes.

What do these flavors sound like? There’s no simple answer, other than to listen for clues at the stations that produce them.

Why VALS?

Public radio is off the charts in its appeal to the VALS Actualizer-Fulfilled micro-segment. At the nexus of the Actualizer and Fulfilled personalities, this listener’s values and principles strongly reflect the inherent appeal of public radio’s programming; they are what set public radio apart.

Actualizer-Fulfilleds seek weekday news programs and several weekend news and entertainment shows. These programs have high affinity with Upstairs Classical, because it too attracts high concentrations of Actualizer-Fulfilleds.

Programmers who move their local classical from Downstairs to Upstairs have a better chance of becoming valued services to these listeners.

The affinities of Uptown Jazz run highest with weekend entertainment shows.

Programmers who air both will have a more difficult time finding national programming with which to anchor the weekdays, as very little else on public radio currently shares the appeal of Uptown Jazz.

The Downtown Jazz audience is so distinct that no other major programming on public radio appeals to it.

Programmers who serve this audience have only each other to turn to for programmatic support.

– David Giovannoni
AUDIENCE 98 Core Team

Technical note: The number of retirees, eggheads, or other populations under a station’s signal can sway the reported flavor of its music. So can the audience brought to the music by other programming on the station. The full mathematical complexity of these issues is treated in the "Radio Intelligence" anthology. The simpler intent here is to apply the VALS typology to advance the concepts of appeal and affinity.

Upstairs Classical: The left/blue bars on the graphs below show the appeal of Upstairs Classical. The local classical programming on these stations defines the flavor: KBPS, KCFR, KUHF, KUSC, KVPR, KWAX, KXPR, WAMC, WBAA, WCVE, WDAV, WETA, WEVO, WHRO, WKAR, WKNO, WLTR, WMFE, WMHT, WNED, WNYC, WOI, WOSU, WPNE, WRKF, WSHU, WTEB, WUNC, WUOT, WVIA, WVPR, WVTF, WWFM.

Downstairs Classical: The right/red bars on the graphs below show the appeal of Downstairs Classical. The local classical programming on these stations defines the flavor: KANU, KBAQ, KBYU, KCSC, KHCC, KNPR, KPAC, KSJN, KUAT, KUOP, KVNO, WABE, WAUS, WBJC, WCAL, WCNY, WERN, WFCR, WFDD, WGBH, WGTE, WGUC, WILL, WITF, WKSU, WMEA, WMNR, WMPN, WMUK, WPKT, WPLN, WQCS, WQED, WSCL, WSFP, WSMC, WUFT, WUSF, WWNO, WXXI.

Upstairs/Downstairs Classical: VALS Type

Upstairs/Downstairs Classical: Education

Upstairs/Downstairs Classical: Age

Uptown Jazz: The left/blue bars on the graphs below show the appeal of Uptown Jazz. The local jazz programming on these stations defines the flavor: KBEM, KCSM, KLON, KMHD, KPLU, KUVO, KXJZ, WCVE, WDET, WGBH, WJAB, WWOZ.

Downtown Jazz: The right/red bars on the graphs below show the appeal of Downtown Jazz. The local jazz programming on these stations defines the flavor: WBEZ, WBGO, WBRH, WDUQ, WLRN, WRTI, WSIE.

Uptown/Downtown Jazz: VALS Type

Uptown/Downtown Jazz: Education

Uptown/Downtown Jazz: Age

 

This graph shows the relationship among Upstairs/Downstairs Classical and Uptown/Downtown Jazz with regard to their listeners' education and VALS type, compared to the U.S. population.

This graph shows the relationship among Upstairs/Downstairs Classical and Uptown/Downtown Jazz with regard to their listeners' education and age, compared to the U.S. population.

– Jay Youngclaus
AUDIENCE 98 Core Team

 

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