Week 2: Knowing your audience - how can you turn your listenership into money?

Archived English Discussions Generating Revenue
#42

Hello Team

Turning your listenership into money should be every radio personality’s dream. The media sphere has greatly changed integrating new players who explore the aspect of convergence and convenience. Below is my contribution in relation to the questions presented.

  1. During the Music and Broadcast Conference (2016) in Nairobi Kenya , most participants agreed that it is still a tough paper to come by some empirically motivated statistics as far as listenership patterns and media consumption is concerned yet this should be the yard stick for effectively knowing and understanding your audience. Research is still a preserve for top media franchises that are ready to spend in that area. Research is my top suggestion in getting to know your audience. Whatever method is employed as long as it can lead to some formidable analysis of the demographics about your audience should be highly applauded.

  2. CBS Radio Buganda is one of the leading Radio stations in Uganda. Its vision emphasizes the provision of an efficient, professional, cost effective broadcasting service aimed at bringing about social, cultural and economic advancement of the people of Uganda and beyond. We have numerous farmers programs in relation to Poultry schemes, Animal husbandry, Fish farms and crop production. All these have sponsorship of some sort from Agro chemical companies, poultry breeding companies, agricultural development organizations and some national organizations like the operation of wealth creation organization. Since the stations reach is relatively large compared to our competitors, and the loyalty of the listeners since the station belongs to the King of Buganda, many of advertisers have proved the reach and effectiveness of the station through their sales.

Secondly, the non- traditional revenue generation approaches have worked for the station. Each year, the station organizes a trade fair for farmers and small-scale industries to exhibit products and new farming technologies. The audience is always enthusiastic to learn and many companies take advantage of this opportunity to reach out to the masses who turn up in big numbers.

Further still through the Cooperate social responsibility, some companies’ partner with the station to undertake regional agricultural training clinics through sharing costs or having a swap deal arrangement with the station.

Another avenue would be providing a discount rate to one company and then the competitors of that company would also wish to advertise least they are usurped by whoever is already advertising. This tactic has always worked wonders.

#43

Thanks, I think we have always to change with Technology in catching new listeners.

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#44

Very inspired with Men engagement to Mama’s Radio. May be they are there to know Women secretes.

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#45

I agree that knowing your listeners’ needs is very impertinent. People are willing to listen to programs that provide them answers to their problems. They need to trust you that you will give answers to them in an interesting way though. So finding peoples needs and their right time to listen to it are important steps (research). Then endure as you gain farmers trust while you are also making the programme known to many. Ask yourself why do you want farmers to listen to this programme? If the programme is good enough then they tell one another, advertise for you.

As for me I produced a programme called Mwana alirenji, from 1999 to 2011 fully funded by European Union. The meaning of that local phrase is ‘food self-sufficient’. All that it the programme did was to share how farmers can attain that status. There were other sponsors who would sometimes sponsor parallel broadcast. All those years EU was conducting their external assessments and were convinced they needed to fund it. They started funding with other interpersonal activities such as listening clubs and other. One of the well funded radio ever existed I think. They added mobile video and has a fleet of 5 off road cars that came in different phases.

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#46

Wow @Gladson interesting points here and also how you managed to get the EU funding for your radio programme and how it expanded to other activities. I love the title of the programme too-“food self-sufficient”

#47

Yes you are right MamaFM (Catherine)!

For sure, you can not present a programme just for the sake of presenting. This is failure number one! A good programme i suggest; should contain that type of content or information/material that can educate etc…but should also provide solutions or answers to the issue/s or challenges talked about in the programme.

For example; if climate change is the issue, one has to explain what it is, how it is, why it occurs, the impacts it creates, then be in position to tell the listeners the solutions to such that can improve upon the situation or solutions that can enable them cope with it.

#48

It happened because we wrote a proposal to EU, responding to a call for proposal under the Advocacy and Rural Development Campaign in 1999. We had to show in the proposal population of Malawi, how many are small holder farmers? How many listen to radio? Compare advantages of radio to newsletter as many Malawians at the time were not able read and write. We had just completed another developmental radio programming, a Radio drama called Zimachitika meaning it “happens” with funding from UNICEF successfully. We used number of audience in that programme as evidence that we can do it. The drama is one of the first popular soap opera in Malawi and enjoys continued funding up to now. EU trusted us and gave us a six months period of weekly programmes as a trial. We did it successfully. More phases came…That is how it happened. More to come. http://www.storyworkshopmw.org/mwanaalirenji.php

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#49

I have passed the story of this project, it is very interesting. Please If the program alive can you share the script in order to get the real picture content of the Program.

#50

Type here. Use Markdown, BBCode, or HTML to format. Drag or paste images.

There should be a focus in setting up a radio station. The focus should have a little research to know what the people want. What their issues are? The language of the people within the catchment areas.
Your program should focus on the needs of the people; road, health, sanitation, education, market and potable water.
Programs should be structured to meet donor and CSO interest so that they can invest in us.
I have done a project with the USAID on ‘resource allocation for the department of Agric’
Done a project with STAR Ghana on ‘teacher attendance to improve performance by school kids’

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#51

I salute the dedicated team working together, brainstorming together in order to find solutions and lasting ones for that matter.
Now am back to continue from where I stopped yesterday.
We must all bare in mind that our audience or our cherish listeners are stakeholders as well as share holders in the program and therefore we must treated them with care and respect responding to their calls when they invites us to their farms, will help boost our audience.
We at Jubilee radio do this by going to spend time with our cherish farmers in the farm and also go to them With our gadgets and do the program with them that way they feel appreciated.
Having discovered our audience, have made funding of the program very easy for us.
Thank you.

#52

Knowing audience to the radio is very important. Audience information will help the producer/broadcaster know what to broadcast. It is good to know their culture,language,believes and how they do their farming. Let us visit them and engage them to the program so that they own it, Let us keep in mind that the program is for them and not for broadcasters therefore let us pack on what they want. Interact with them,by doing different formats from farmers,like dramas,poems,songs,interviews ,discussions and use to make a program.
Farmer will be happy to listen from their fellow farmers from a certain village,this will also increase farmer participation into the program.
I suggest let us reduce using too much time with experts into a farmer program and engage more farmers,though expert also should be there.

#53

Thanks @Gladson for sharing and understanding better how you managed to get the funding. I would like to know more how you produce the radio programme.

#54

Thank you Abu for your observation regarding my post, however I would also want to thank you for your post for having shared with us how you have managed to sustain your radio station and how you generate revenue from your audience.

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#55

I wish to share with you members some information which I ahared with a colleague who works for a community radio - this happens to be an international radio which does not use adverts for sustaining their radio yet the audience itself contributes to the well being of the station.

First, this radio formed Listeners’ clubs in different areas where the station reaches - by language or region. They explain to them the objectives of the radio and its needs and also the need for it to sustain itself. They encourage the people to like the radio and also keep on informing them that it is their radio, in so doing they contribute whatever they can.

Two:Appreciating whaever is give/contributed by sending sms messages to the people. I will add on more late on.

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#56

Am most grateful to be part of this great family am learning a lot of and I can assure you that the the lessons here will be of a great benefit to all those who will put it in to use.
But Sister Busi please tell us something.
Thanks.

#57

Hello colleagues,

In response to the discussion in week two, these are my thoughts in knowing your audience.
Our audience needs to feel valued and connected to the radio. We should ask questions like what are the listener’s needs and interests. This will help the presenter package content in relation to the needs. Some of the ways of knowing your audience include:

Conduct community dialogues

Community dialogues are a good way to knowing and understanding your audience because of the ideas shared on particular issues like reproductive health, climate change, women and children’s rights. The dialogues help in asking questions to a particular focus group like women, male youth, female youth and Persons with Disabilities and the content generated forms the basis for programme packaging not forgetting other ways like surveys, listeners groups. At Mama Fm we usually conduct community dialogues on health particularly and it is interesting to understand how men and women perceive the radio and what they would like to hear more on air. From these community dialogues, Mama FM has organized a number of Agricultural trainings at the radio station. Listeners are invited to learn from experienced urban and commercial farmers, etc. Therefore, besides the radio program helping the listeners to improve their farming methods, they also get an opportunity to interact with other farmers face to face. The listeners do not pay any money to attend the trainings because of the partnerships we built with experts, but are encouraged to come with a pen, note book and lunch.

Bring the listeners to Studio

Hosting them in the programs as guests, with the experts builds the relations and dedication. When a farmer is hosted in the radio programme to share his or her experience and he gets feedback from the listeners this helps the presenter to clearly understand their needs and thereafter follow up on the issues raised. It also helps the producer to package content in the interests of the listeners. Hosting of experts can be done once in a while like I mentioned earlier about the community dialogues, the issues raised that the listeners would like to be addressed or need answers can be handled by the expert so it should not be an expert farmer radio program rather an interactive program from both sides. The farmer needs to feel 100% level of ownership of the program.

#58

Thank you Abu, for sharing with us. We have a lot to learn from CBS and aspect of providing a discount to one company which will force the competitors to advertise with you too is a good one. However, stations like Mama Fm face challenges in getting to some of these possible sponsors. Any advise please.
Thanks

#59

quote=“Busi_Ngcebetsha, post:1, topic:794”]
This week we are focusing on knowing your audience and how you can turn your listenership into money and we want to hear your experience and ideas. We have some questions to guide the discussion:

What are your top suggestions for getting to know your audience?

firstly,is to establish strong and educating programs which will help them to get improvement their life and change them against poverty.

Is there a relationship between knowing your audience and how many regular or dedicated listeners you have? Please explain.
yes we have good relationship with listener for visiting them for the purpose of program preparation .

What information about your audience helps you attract potential advertisers or program sponsors?
we have different social programs and abundant listeners which helps us to get adverts and sponsors.

Do you have any success stories of getting funding for your farmer programs? Please share the details of your experience.
our program is called sauti ya mkulima found twice per week and according to the materials we succeed to get sponsorship from farm radio international organisation.
This is what you are expected to do this week:

Share your experience and ideas on one or more of the questions above, or another topic related to turning listenership into money.
Go through other participants’ contributions and comment or respond to at least two of them.
[/quote]

#60

Dear Busi and our other facilitators
Am Victor Asumani, here is my Suggestions on this week`s topic
Week 2: Knowing your audience - how can you turn your listenership into money?
My ideas:

  1. What are your top suggestions for getting to know your audience?
    Below are my suggestions for getting to know my audience.
     In getting to know your audience the station first need to conduct the base line survey communities within the reach of the station to find out what the audiences want to hear from the Radio and the contents the information which they want to listen to. At the same time through the same baseline you will be able to the time these listeners most listen to the station and why?
     Another suggestion for getting to know your listeners is by conducting live phone ins in different programs ranging from youths to agriculture, where the station can be able to measure the distance where its signal reaches and at the same time you will really know who most listens to your station (meaning men, women and youths). Through this mode of survey, you will also measure the language which the listeners mostly use.

  2. Is there a relationship between knowing your audience and how many regular or dedicated listeners you have? Please explain.

 The relationship is there yes, for example you can measure your listeners after getting to know them through all means of communications with your audiences.
 Therefore, in most Community radio stations like ours here you can find that most listeners who calls especially in musical are regular ones unless when it comes that it’s a new program where you will get new listeners calling

  1. What information about your audience helps you attract potential advertisers or program sponsors?
     Most of the information which most sponsors and advertisers like to hear about listeners are;

a. Time which they frequently listen to the radio,
b. when they demand organizations which can help them with where to get farming inputs and,
c. Those does with the community development issues.
4. Do you have any success stories of getting funding for your farmer programs? Please share the details of your experience.
 As for Nkhotakota Community Radio Station for almost three years secured sponsorship from Farm Radio Trust for the program Ground Nuts and Soya beans Value chain program. The sponsor did pay for all field trips all year round and also did pay for airtime at the station.
Though FRT was ready for the program, but it was also open to engage any organization or advertising agents to slot the adverts into the program to boost up financial status for the station through the program. But now the sponsorship has hence phased out in December 2017.
The most interesting thing is that the programs moto is Farmers first, farmers throughout and farmers last. This moto alone can hook advertisers to come in since they all know that Malawi`s highest population is made of farmers.

#61

Point Sara,
Thats the way to go. But on the issue of sponsors to produce scripts ithink that is not the way togo.
You the producer is the one to come up with the script after producing a Programmatrix together with the sponsor and aligned ministry for example Min of agriculture