Last-Minute Election Dollars Drive Opportunity For Radio Sales

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A newly released white paper from NextRadio® explains how political parties and candidates can use radio to reach voters effectively in the weeks before the election. The paper's publication coincides with various news outlets suggesting there will be a last-minute influx of advertising dollars to persuade voters in local or down-ticket races.

To help radio broadcasters make a case for spending on FM channels, the latest information compiles granular in-app data about formats, dayparts and states that could provide the most opportunity to influence voters. The data comes from a survey that NextRadio conducted earlier this year, asking its listeners if they intend to vote on November 8. Of the more than 40,000 NextRadio listeners across the U.S. who viewed the survey, almost 10% cast their vote.

Data shows weekend radio schedules might be most useful in helping get out the vote. More people listening on the weekends claimed to be "Undecided" or said "No" to the question of voting in November. In fact, those "Undecided" and "No" accounted for a full 62% of Sunday responses to the question and 60% of Saturday responses.

When asked about voting on 11.8.2016, 35% of respondents to the survey said "No" they don't intend to vote, and an additional 23% said they are "Undecided." Compared with the 2012 Presidential race, in which 38%* of eligible voters abstained from voting, the high number of people willing to sit out the race puts pressure on local races and many down-ballot candidates.

Looking across station formats, Top 40 listeners were the least enthusiastic about voting, with nearly 70% stating "No" or "Undecided" on their voting plans. Country and Spanish Music format listeners fall right behind with "No" and "Undecided" responses (66% and 63%, respectively).

Additionally, 1 in 4 listeners of the following formats says he/she is "Undecided" about voting in November:

• Rock (26%)
• Country (25%)
• Classic Rock (24%)
• Hip Hop (24%)
• Spanish Music (24%)
• Top 40 (23%)

More than 40,000 unique NextRadio app users in all 50 states viewed the poll during a campaign airing June 19 to July 6, 2016. Slightly more than 3,700 app users answered the poll, resulting in 9.3% participation rate. California radio listeners proved to be the most engaged, comprising 21% of responses. Behind them were New York listeners, at 14%.

To get the full white paper on the voting survey visit TagStation.com/news. 

* Source: U.S. Census Bureau

About NextRadio^® powered by TagStation, LLC
TagStation, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emmis Communications Corporation. TagStation, LLC has developed the TagStation^® service to provide radio stations with artist and title information and unique interactivity with listeners. With partial funding from NAB Labs, TagStation also developed the NextRadio^® hybrid radio smartphone app which uses TagStation^® cloud services to provide a rich FM radio listening experience on smartphones and tablets by combining the devices' built-in FM tuner and the internet. NextRadio, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TagStation, LLC and serves as the principle distributor of the NextRadio App. Founded in 2013, TagStation, LLC and NextRadio, LLC are headquartered in Indianapolis, IN with offices in Indianapolis and Chicago, IL. For more information about TagStation^®, visit TagStation.com. For more information about NextRadio^®, visit NextRadioApp.com.

SOURCE NextRadio