Naath FM Audience Survey - Internews · Objectives of the survey:-To establish an understanding of Naath FM’sreach with audiences in Unity State-To provide Naath FM with information

Naath FM

Audience Survey

Report Outline

1. Introduction to Survey and Data Collection 2. Audience Characteristics3. Sources of Information4. Access to and Engagement with Media5. Radio Listening Preferences6. Competitor Analysis7. A Closer Look at Naath FM8. Recommendations

1. INTRODUCTION AND

RESEARCH DESIGN

1.1 Introduction

The Research & Learning (R&L) Group, part of the BBC World Service Trust, conducted a survey with radio listeners in Unity State in November 2010.

Objectives of the survey:

-To establish an understanding of Naath FM’s reach with audiences in Unity State

-To provide Naath FM with information on audience needs and preferences, in order to help the station serve its audience better

-To collect data on audience radio listening behaviours including- Listening times- Competitor stations

1.2 Fieldwork design

The target population was men and women aged 16+ from across the counties of Unity State served by Naath FM: Leer, Koch, Paynajir and Mayendit.

In order to reach audiences in both the urban centres and more hard-to-reach rural areas, local interviewers were recruited who could carry out the survey in their own villages and surrounding areas.

Recruiting and training interviewers

Researchers from the R&L Group travelled to Leer town, where they recruited 6 interviewers from Leer, Mayendit and Koch County. Due to security issues in Paynajir county at the time of fieldwork the survey could not be completed in this region. The criteria for selection were:

- Familiarity with the fieldwork area - Knowledge of local languages- Good written and spoken English - Ability to translate the survey questions and record data accurately on the English

questionnaireInterviewers received 2 days training on survey research methods. The training covered interviewing skills, data recording, sampling methods, and an overview of the questionnaire. Training was followed by supervised practice, during which the R&L researcher provided feedback on performance and decided if the candidate qualified for the work.*

1.3 Selecting the sample

• Each interviewer returned to their local area to recruit respondents for the survey. They worked in their local area for 5 days, with a target of achieving approximately 8 completed surveys per day. The area in which an interviewer worked was referred to as a ‘cluster’.

• Within each cluster it was desirable to select respondents ‘at random’, so that the sample would have a good mix of people of different ages, sex, occupation and radio listening habits and views.

To achieve a random sample the interviewers were advised to: - Walk in a different direction from their starting point (home) each day- Visit every second household on the way - Select one person at each household to be interviewed. Select someone randomly

by picking a person aged 16+ whose birthday was closest to the date of the interview

• As it was expected that recruiting enough female respondents would be challenging, interviewers were also asked to ensure that at least 3 out of 8 respondents each day were female

1.4 Sampling challenges

•As expected, recruiting females to the survey was very challenging. As males are the head of the household, and so the spokesperson, it was sometimes difficult for the interviewer to recruit a female or younger member of the household for the survey. Using the ‘birthday’ method of selecting a household member, was sometimes helpful in overcoming this challenge. However where there was total refusal to allow another household member to participate the interviewer proceeded with interviewing the head of the household.

•Interviewing at ‘every second household’ was difficult, particularly in sparsely populated areas where households were scattered. For example in some areas the distance between households was more than 20 minutes walk. In these situations interviewers were advised that they could visit every household to achieve their sample.

•Participants were sometimes suspicious about the nature of the survey. In order to improve the chances of getting permission from the head of household interviewers carried letters of introduction from the commissioner in Leer and BBCWST.

1.5 Sample profile

§The sample selected was intended to achieve a mix of age groups, gender, education levels, etc, which would closely represent the population of these regions.

§The ratio of respondents recruited across counties closely represented the actual population spread across those areas

§In total 272 individuals aged 16+ were surveyed. A detailed summary of the sample demographics is provided in this table.

Leer Mayendit Koch Total

Gender

Female 42% 49% 36% 40%

Male 58% 51% 64% 60%

Age group

16-25 41% 21% 24% 31%

26-35 30% 49% 37% 36%

36-45 13% 13% 14% 14%

45+ 14% 18% 20% 17%

Did not say 2% 0% 5% 3%

Educa on

No formal educa on4 6%4 4%6 3%5 3%

Up to Primary 39% 28% 25% 31%

Up to Secondary 10% 13% 8% 10%

College or University 4% 5% 0% 3%

Did not say 0% 10% 5% 4%

Total 100% 100% 100% 100%

Bases (n) 115 39 118 272

1.6 Data collection

ConsentBefore agreeing to take part in the survey each respondent was given some background information on the aims of the research and informed of the following:

§ Participation in the survey is voluntary and not compulsory§ No monetary incentive would be provided but their input would help Naath FM to improve the radio service for the community§ The information they provided would be confidential and anonymous, and their names would not be used anywhere in the report§ They could skip/refuse any questions that they were not comfortable with, or end the interview at any time

Survey interviewingEach survey took approximately 20 minutes to complete. The interviewer read out the questions to the respondent and marked their responses on the questionnaire.

SecurityInterviewers were asked to check in by phone at the beginning and end of each day with the R&L team based in Leer. Any problems or security issues were reported. In case of insecurity in the area, they were asked to stop the work and look for safety.

1.7 Quality control and challenges

Quality ControlThe interviewers returned to Leer with the completed surveys once they had completed their five days of fieldwork. The completed questionnaires were checked by the R&L team in Leer, at which time any errors or clarifications that were needed were dealt with.

Challenges in conducting the fieldwork§ Security had to be monitored constantly, and action taken when issues arose (for example in Koch County in which some state government officials were killed by unknown gunmen). Where security incidents occurred, interviewers were advised not to conduct fieldwork until the situation and safety had been assessed.§Environmental conditions made conducting fieldwork difficult, including travelling long distances to interview participants, and working in strong sun during the day.§Absence of the household head during afternoon hours often made it difficult to get permission for some family members to participate. This meant that interviewers sometimes had to return to households on multiple occasions to complete the interview.§Many individuals expected to receive a monetary token of appreciation for their participation. Where money was requested the interviewers explained that this was not possible and stressed the other benefits of participating in the survey. However at times the lack of incentive meant that potential respondents refused to participate.

2. AUDIENCE CHARACTERISTICS

§ Nuer was the most widely spoken language (99%) among those surveyed, followed by Arabic (57%) and English (34%).

§ The ‘Other language’category includes speakers of Shilluk, Kiswahili, Anyuak, Bari, Acholi, Futug, and Kakwa

2.1 Languages spoken

Languages spoken

99

57

34

5 50.7

0102030405060708090

100

Nuer Arabic English Dinka OtherLanguage

Noresponse

Languages

% of a

ll re

spon

dent

s

Base: All respondents, n=272

2.2 Incomes

§ Over half of those surveyed had a household income of less than 500SDG (Sudanese pounds) per month, with 28% earning less than 200SDG per month.

§ 35% did not answer the question, either because they did not know their income or refused.

Monthly household incomes

35%

28%

24%

10%

2%

1%Refused/ Did notknow0-200 SDG

300-500 SDG

600-800 SDG

900 - 1,200 SDG

1,200+ SDG


2.3 Occupations

§ The Unity State audience is mostly occupied in agricultural work (44% of the total respondents), and this was the most common occupation for males (48%).

§ Over half of the females (53%) were occupied as housewives.

Occupa ons

44

916

2414 11

38

7 8

53

8 10

48

10

22

4

1711

0102030405060708090

100

Farmer/Pastoralist

Teacher

Trader

Housewife

Student

Other

Occupa ons

% of t

he res

pond

ents

Total

Female

Male


§ The ‘Other’ occupation category included: Chief, medical personnel & government personnel.

§ The average number of years respondents had lived in each county were:

Leer: 16 years

Mayendit: 17 years

Koch: 18 years

§ This graph shows that the majority of those surveyed in Unity state are long term inhabitants of the area, i.e. 11+ years. Koch has the greatest proportion of long-term inhabitants (66%), followed by Mayendit (58%).

§ Leer has the highest number of people who are new to the area (22%), in comparison to Koch were only 6% have lived there for less than 3 years.

2.4 Length of time resident in the area

Time resident in area

22

116

3429 28

41

58

66

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Leer Mayendit Koch

County

% of r

espo

nden

ts

New to area -less than 3yearsIntermediate -4 to 10 years

Long-term -11+ years


3. SOURCES OF INFORMATION

§Radio is a key information source for the majority of respondents in Unity state (90%), followed by word of mouth (87%) and the church (82%).

§Just over one quarter of participants use text messages (27%)

§All other information sources were used by relatively few respondents, with internet being used by only 5% of respondents

§The ‘Other’ category combines police, hospitals, schools, and the mosque

3.1 Popular information sources

Sources of Informa on

90 8782

27

13 137 6 5 7

0102030405060708090

100

Radio

Word o

f Mouth

Church

Text Messages T.V

Newspapers / M

agazine

s

Billbo

ards/Posters

Public Events/M

eetings

Internet

Other source

s

Informa on Sour ces

% of a

ll re

spon

dent

s

Base: all respondents, n=272

3.2 The most used source of information

Radio is the predominant source of information for the audience, being chosen by 70% of the audience when they were asked which information source they ‘use the most’.

Word of mouth (13%) and the church (9%) also featured. All other sources combined (i.e. television, text message, newspapers and magazines) were only mentioned by 2% of the sample as their most used source of information.

•6% of respondents did not answer this question

Most used source of informa on

70%

13%

9%

2%6%

Radio

Word of Mouth

Church

Other

Did not say


3.3 Variations in most used source by education level

§Across all education levels radio is the most used source of information.

§However those who were less educated were more likely to mention word of mouth or the church as their most used source, with 20% of those with no formal education using word of mouth more than any other source.

§Only a fraction of respondents who had been educated up to secondary level said that newspapers were their most used source.

Most used source of information, by education level

70%82%

96% 100%

3%

9% 12%

20%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

No formaleducation

Up toprimary

level

Up tosecondary

level

College oruni level

Education level reached

% o

f res

pond

ents Other

Newspapers

TV

Text

Church


3.4 Variations in most used source by age group

§While radio was the most used source across all age groups, there are variations in the degree to which the other sources are most used.

§An increase in the use of word of mouth as an information source by age is evident. While only 3% of those under 25 years say it is their primary source, over one quarter of people aged 45+ (25%) rely most on word of mouth for their information.

Most used source of information, by education level

70%82%

96% 100%

3%

9% 12%

20%

0%10%20%30%40%50%

60%70%80%90%

100%

No formaleducation

Up toprimary

level

Up tosecondary

level

College oruni level

Education level reached

% o

f res

pond

ents

Other

Newspapers

TV

Text

Church

Word ofMouthRadio


3.5 Most useful source of information on CPA

§When respondents were asked which source was most useful for their CPA related information, radio was chosen by 71% of the audience.

§Just 10% of the audience said that word of mouth was most useful, 5% cited the church and 1% television. No other sources were reported to be ‘most useful’ for the CPA

§13% of respondents did not answer this question

Most useful source of informa on on the CPA

71%

10%

5%

1%

13%

Radio

WordofMouth

Church

TV

Did not say


4. ACCESS TO AND ENAGAGEMENT WITH

MEDIA

Radio is used by 77% of the respondents on a daily basis, and only 9% of the sample reported never listening to the radio.

All other media sources are used much less regularly, with internet being the least accessed (94% reported never using it).

Mobile is the second most frequently used media source, with 18% using mobile on a daily basis.

4.1 Most frequently used media sources

Based on responses to this question, all respondents except those who listened to the radio ‘never’ were defined as ‘Radio Listeners’.

All data in the rest of this report is based on these Radio Listener group (n=244).

Media Usage - frequency

77

182 2 1

12

6

133 2

9

6780 86 94

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Radio

Mobile TV

Newspap

ers

Intern

et

Type of Media

% o

f all

resp

onde

nts

Never

Less than onceper monthAt least once permonthAt least once perweekDaily


4.2 Access to radio

Table 1 shows that the majority of those surveyed said that their household had a working radio (75%). However the graph below shows that of those who do not own a radio, 58% still manage to listen to the radio outside of their own household.

Of those who reported having a working radio in their households (n=205), the majority had access to FM only (63%)

Radio ownership and listenership

58%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Radio inHousehold

No radio inhousehold

% o

f all

resp

onde

nts

Non-listener

RadioListener

250Base

100%Total

25%No working radio

75%Working radio in household

%Table 1: Radio ownership

205Base

100%Total3%Did not say

34%FM & Short wave

63%FM

%Table 2: Waves

5. RADIO LISTENING PREFERENCES

§When asked what programmes they listen to on the radio, 86% of respondents said that they tune into local news and discussion. Over half of those surveyed also listened to programmes on health matters (66%), religion (61%), culture (58%), music (53%) and education (51%)

§Politics, English education and International news and discussion were mentioned least by respondents.

§Some of the ‘other’ responses given by respondents included programmes on: Child development and education, peacebuilding and conflict resolution, cattle raiding, business, domestic violence and antisocial behaviour, and the CPA referendum.

5.1 What programmes does the audience listen to most?

Radio programme audiences

86

66 61 58 53 51 5044

36 32 2719

7

0102030405060708090

100

Local new

s and discu

ssion

Health m

atters

Religion

CultureMusic

Education

- general

Agriculture

Wom

enSport

Intern

ational News an

d Disc...

Politics

English ed

ucationOther

Programmes

% o

f rad

io listen

ers

Base: Radio listeners, n=244

5.2 What are the most popular programme formats?

Formats (%)

Community Announcements 75

Experts 72

News 55

Phone-ins 44

Drama 36


§The responses to the question ‘Which of these programme formats do you like listening to?’ indicate that audience primarily value the radio as a source of local information and also expert knowledge of topics

§The most popular formats were those which provide relevant information such as community announcements (75%) and expert opinion (72%), while the entertainment format ‘drama’ was enjoyed by only 36%

§The graph below shows the most popular times to listen to the radio, based on 244 radio listeners in the sample.

§Most respondents enjoy listening in the morning, with 9am to 12pm being the most popular slot (50%), followed by 6am to 9am (38%). The evening slots are less popular with only 11% reporting that they listen after 9pm.

5.3 Most popular audience listening times

6. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

6.1 Station awareness and listenership

Station Reach

89

61

50 47 45

27

5 7 7

83

38 35

2430

92 2 4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Naath

Bentiu

Omdurm

anSRS

BBC

Miraya

Nhomlaau

Dabanga

Other s

ta tions

Station

% o

f rad

io li

sten

ers

Aware of thestation

Personallylistens to thestation


§Naath FM was the most well known (89%) and listened to station (83%)among the audience surveyed.

§No other station had a listenership close to that of Naath FM, as it had more than twice the number of reported listeners than any other stations.

§ However Bentiu FM was the closest competitor, followed by Radio Omdurman, with 38% and 35% respectively reporting that they personally listen to the station.

When the audience were asked to select the station they listened to the most, Naath FM was chosen by more than two thirds of respondents (68%).

6.2 Most listened to station

Station listened to the most

68%

9%

5%

3%

2%

1% 12%

Naath FMBentiu FMBBCSudan Radio ServiceRadio OmdurmanOther stationsDid not say


§ Naath FM has more listeners than all other stations at almost every time of the day.

§ 40% of those surveyed listen to Naath FM between 9am and 12pm. Only 8% of radio listeners said that they listen to the second most popular stations, Bentiu FM , at this time.

§ However between 3pm and 6pm in the day, the Naath FM listenership is only 5%, which is equal to its competitors including BentiuFM , Radio Omdurman and BBC.

6.3 Comparison of listening times

This graph compares the most popular stations on the number of listeners they attract at different time of the day.

Comparison of station listening times

23%

40%

10%

5%

17%

7%8% 8%

4% 5% 4%2%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

6am-9am

9am-12pm

12pm-3pm

3pm-6pm

6pm-9pm

9pm-12am

Times

% o

f rad

io li

sten

ers

Naath

Omdurman

Bentiu

BBC

SRS


Naath FM was the most frequently listened to station, with 71% of radio listeners tuning in at least once per week. Less than 20% of listeners tuned in regularly to other popular stations.

6.4 Frequency of listening

Regular Radio Listening(Daily or at least once per week)

71

20 18 1710

0

20

40

60

80

100

Naath Bentiu Omdurman BBC SRSMost popular stations

% o

f all

radi

o lis

tene

rs


7. A CLOSER LOOK AT NAATH FM

7.1 Who are the Naath FM audience?

§This table compares Naath FM listeners and non-listeners on demographic factors.

§Listeners and non-listeners to Naath FM do not differ significantly on gender or location.

§ However compared to listeners, a greater proportion of non-listeners are aged 45+ (13% vs 29% respectively) and over 72% of listeners are aged under 35.

§ Over 60% of non-listeners have no education compared to 49% of listeners – although this is a characteristic of radio listening overall and is not unique to the Naath FM audience. 4442202Base (radio listeners only)

100%100%100%Total

2%10%0%Did not say

14%10%14%Secondary level or above

34%21%37%Up to primary level

50%60%49%No formal education

Education Level

36%26%39%Urban

64%74%61%Rural

Location

3%10%1%Did not say

16%29%13%45+

14%14%14%36-45

34%29%36%26-35

33%19%36%16-25

Age group

60%57%61%Females

40%43%39%Males

Gender

TotalDoes not listenListens to Naath

FM

Across all radio listeners, Naath FM is listened to most between 9am and 12pm (40%). The following graphs show variations among different audience members

Listening me s by gender

28%

48%

8% 8%

24%

8%

26%

47%

15%

5%

18%

9%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

6am-9am

9am-12

pm

12pm

-3pm

3pm-6pm

6pm-9pm

9pm-12am

% of g

roup

who

listen

at th

is tim

e

Females

Males

Base: Naath FM listeners, n=202

Gender

§ Males and females listen to Naath FM at an equal rate at most times of the day.

§ However in the afternoon between 12pm and 3pm 15% of males tune in compared to just 8% of females.

§ And in the early evening between 6pm and 9pm females (24%) are more likely to listen than males (16%)

7.2 Who listens to Naath FM at what time?- Gender differences

Age

§ Younger audience members (16-25 years) are more likely than the other age groups to listen in the early morning from 6am-9am (40%)

§ Listeners in the 45+ category are less likely to listen from 6pm-9pm than the other age groups (10%)

Listening me s by age

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

6am-9am

9am-12

pm

12pm

-3pm

3pm-6pm

6pm-9pm

9pm-12am

% of g

roup

who

listen

at th

is tim

e

16-25

26-35

36-45

45+


7.3 Who listens to Naath FM at what time?- Age differences

LOCATION

§ Listening times for urban and rural populations did not vary greatly during the day and early evening (12pm-9pm)

§ However, urban listeners are significantly more likely to listen from 6am to 9am (42%) and in the night from 9pm to 12am than rural listeners (18%)

§ Over half of the rural audience reported tuning in mid-morning from 9am-to 12pm, compared with only 29% of urban-based listeners

7.4 Who listens to Naath FM at what time?- Location differences

Listening me s by loca on (Urban/Rural)

18%

58%

10%3%

23%

2%

42%

29%

15%10%

17% 18%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

6am-9am

9am-12

pm

12pm

-3pm

3pm-6pm

6pm-9pm

9pm-12am

% of g

roup

who

listen

at th

is tim

e

Rural

Urban


§Local news and discussion programmes are by far the most listened to on Naath FM (91%)

§Two thirds of the audience also tune into programmes on health matters (66%) and religion (66%), and over half hace a preference for culture and music programmes (58% and 57% respectively).

§ International news (28%), politics (28%) and English education (23%) had fewest numbers of reported listeners.

§The ‘other’ programme category included: girl child education, domestic violence, conflict resolution, programmes about disability and referendum issues.

7.5 Most popular programme types for the Naath FM audience

Radio Programme Audiences

91

66 6658 57

51 49 48 44

28 2823

7

0102030405060708090

100

Local news and discussion

Religion

Health m

atters

CultureMusic

Education - general

Agriculture

Wom

enSport

International News and D...

Politics

English educationOther

Programmes

% of N

aath

FM

listen

ers


When different audience members were compared on reported programme listening the main differences were found between urban and rural listeners:

§A significantly higher number of listeners in urban locations reported listening to music (71%) and culture (69%) shows on Naath FM, compared to those in rural places.

§Rural listeners were more likely to listen to programmes about religion (72%).

7.6 What is the appeal of Naath FM programmes for different audience members?

Additionally, younger audience members (16-25 years) were more likely to listen to programmes on English education (31%) compared to those 25 years and older (18%).

No significant differences were found between males and females on programme listening.

Programme preferences - significant loca on differences

48%

72%

51%

71%58%

69%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Music Religion Culture

Programme type

% of N

aath

FM

Listen

ers

Rural

Urban


8. RECOMMENDATIONS

§ Radio is the most used source of information for people in Unity state. The audience most highly values the community information and expert knowledge that they can gain by listening.

§ However reliance on radio as the most used information source decreases slightly with age. This may be because those in the 45+ age group radio do not feel that radio provides as much relevant information as word-of-mouth. Finding out more about this group’s information needs could improve Naath FM’s offering.

§ As mobile phones are only used frequently by one quarter of the audience in Unity state, encouraging audience participation by means of phone-ins or text messages may be challenging for Naath FM at present. However as mobile phone penetration increases in the state these options should be further explored.

§ Nuer is spoken by 100% of the audience, so programming should be primarily be in this language. Producers should be aware that programmes in Arabic will only reach approximately half of the potential audience, and English language programmes will be understood by just one third. However this does indicate a potential need for English education programmes pitched at beginner level in these counties.

8.1 Recommendations for Naath FM

§ Naath FM dominates the radio listening landscape in Unity state, attracting more than twice the number of reported listeners than it’s closest competitor Bentiu FM.

§ Naath FM is also the most frequently listened to station, with 70% of all radio listeners tuning in daily or at least once per week (and 68% daily). This means that Naath FM is well-placed as an efficient broadcaster of community announcements or other important news and messages which are intended to reach the population quickly.

§ Naath FM has a large audience at these specific times of the day, and during periods when the following programmes are aired:

§ Times: 6am-9am and 9am-12pm§ Programmes: Local news and discussion, religion, health matters

These would be appropriate times to broadcast particular programmes or messages that aim to reach the largest audience.

§ Programming and advertising targeted at specific groups could be considered during the following periods when these groups appear to be in the majority:

• Youth (16-25): 6am-9am, and before/after English education programmes• Women: 6pm-9pm• Urban audience: 6am-9am• Rural audience: 9am-12pm



§ Naath FM’s most popular programmes are local news and discussion, religion and health matters, however interest is much lower for other important programmes such as international news and politics, and so efforts may be needed in these areas to generate more interest or make the content more relevant to the audience.

§ Naath FM’s music and culture programmes have a lower audience among rural dwellers than urban dwellers. This may be because the musical and cultural interests of rural dwellers are somewhat different to urban. Research into the preferences of rural audiences may be beneficial to offer more interesting content to these listeners.

§Naath FM’s English education programmes attract a relatively small audience (23%). However programmes on education attract a larger audience of 51%, which suggests that there is interest and demand for informal learning through radio programmes. As only 17% of the audience are engaged in formal education and less than one third have English language skills, there is potential for Naath FM to provide an English teaching production to the community.

§When asked what ‘other’ programmes they listened to on Naath FM, many respondents mentioned programmes on social issues such as domestic violence and anti-social behaviour. These are clearly well-received by the audience and Naath FM should continue to broadcast.

Documents

Naath FM Audience Survey - Internews · Objectives of the survey:-To establish an understanding of Naath FM’sreach with audiences in Unity State-To provide Naath FM with information