Research

One complaint I hear time and time again is that radio is researched to death. Some are even blaming the lackluster state of radio today on research.

Well, that's just crap. Research and vision are two entirely different things, though each, combined with talent, is essential to long term success.

Research is nothing more than finding out what people like/want/need/hate/etc.

Research doesn't provide answers. It only guides, based on the reader's understanding of the answers given to questions asked.

In other words, research tells you "what," but wisdom tells you the "why."

Research can be your worst nightmare if the person analyzing it doesn't understand the reasons the research came back the way it did.

Classic example: I worked at a station with a tight playlist. By tight, I'm talking T-I-G-H-T-!!!! Our entire library was fewer than fifty songs during something like a two to three month stretch. It was insane. And our numbers shot way up.

By contrast, our competition had a library of over 200 songs.

One tidbit from the research amazed me. For the question "Which station plays the same songs over and over again?" people said it was our competition, not us, by at least a 6 to 1 margin.

Why?

The answer is sex. And happiness. And money.

When was the last time you heard someone complain about making too much money? Or getting too much sex? Or being too happy?

If someone turns on the radio and hears their favorite song, life is good. If they turn on the radio and hear that ultra-safe gold again for the billionth time, they're going to be bored. Do we really need research to confirm this? Apparently, we do.

By the way, it's worth noting that, if memory serves correct, the first thing our consultant did after going over the research was force us to expand our playlist. I'm not bashing consultants - just stupid ones who've lost touch with real listeners. Real people.

Research is only as good as the person asking the questions and their ability to understand the answers given.

Research gets a bad name because, all too often, it's really research with an agenda. Instead of trying to find out what listeners want, we often see research done to justify what management wants to do. And, worse, we often see research ignored when it doesn't accomplish that goal.

Research will never replace vision and talent. Howard Stern didn't become a legend through research. Neither did Rick Dees. But you can bet your ass they had research on their side.