BYU Radio Research

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Contents

Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4

Background ..................................................................................................................................... 6

Qualitative Section ........................................................................................................................ 17

Quantitative - Survey Research and Analysis ............................................................................... 24

Strategic Recommendations.......................................................................................................... 39

Conclusion and Recommendations ............................................................................................... 43

Appendix A ................................................................................................................................... 45

Appendix B ................................................................................................................................. 114

Appendix C ................................................................................................................................. 145

Appendix D ................................................................................................................................. 164

Appendix E ................................................................................................................................. 172
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Executive Summary

Research Purpose

BYU Radio hired the Bradley Lab to conduct research to gain understanding of who

listens to BYU Radio, why they listen and how they listen. BYU Radio also wanted to know if

its content and relationship with listeners is effectively maximizing its potential as a missionary

tool for the LDS church. Currently, BYU Radio does not have any demographic information

concerning who its listener base is or why they listen. Programming decisions are based on

assumptions of what executives think their presumed audience will enjoy.

The core problem in our research lies in the discovery of three questions. Who is the

average BYU Radio listener, are listeners satisfied with current content, and is BYU Radio

successfully being implemented as a missionary tool?

Research Questions Answered

The Demographics ofBYU Radios Average Listener

Our qualitative research suggests that BYU Radio listeners are typically more than 50

years old with families, and have a household income of over $100,000 a year. In our

quantitative research though, we discovered the possibility of a younger audience base with over

80 percent of respondents with an annual household income of less than $100,000. This lower

age and income may be a result of the channel through which the quantitative research was

conducted. In both sets of data though, listeners were predominantly LDS, Caucasian and from

Utah.

Listener Satisfaction

When asked the question if listeners are satisfied with BYU Radios programming, only

51 percent responded that they were satisfied or very satisfied. Music, the programming genre

with the highest listenership also has the highest percentage of dissatisfaction. We also found


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that the most popular programs were ones that BYU Radio rebroadcasted. Original programming

in comparison ranked in the bottom half in listener satisfaction levels.

BYU Radios Effectiveness as a Missionary Tool for theLDS Church

When asked the question if BYU Radio is an effective missionary tool, 48 percentof

listeners responded that they either agreed or strongly agreed. When asked the question if BYU

Radios current programming is likely to attract non-LDS listeners, only 31.8 percent of listeners

either agreed or strongly agreed. These numbers summarize the thoughts ofall five of the

individuals we interviewed in our qualitative data as well. Our net promoter score, which

measures the likelihood of customers referring friends to a service, is 24, on a scale of 100.

Research Methods Employed

Our research methods consisted of both qualitative and quantitative research allowing for

greater depth and understanding of BYU Radio listeners.

Qualitative ResearchPhone Interviews

Our qualitative research took the form of in-depth phone interviews with listeners whose

names were generated from a list provided by BYU Radio. We contacted these individuals and

gauged their interest in being interviewed with the incentive of a $25 Visa gift card. We then

conducted the interviews, with each one lasting between 10-30 minutes. The interviews were

recorded and coded according to a variety of themes.

Quantitative ResearchOnline Qualtrics Survey

Our class developed an online survey through Qualtrics software consisting of 29

questions designed to identify demographic information, what listeners preferred to listen to,

how listeners listen, and if listeners feel that BYU Radio is maximizing its potential as a

missionary tool. The survey was promoted primarily online. Because of this, we feel that survey

results could be skewed toward a younger audience. Only 83 listeners completed the survey,


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meaning that results cannot be generalized for a population. The information obtained from the

survey results though is extremely valuable.

Important Discoveries of Research Results

In summary, three conclusions can be extracted from our research based on what we now

know. First, the average BYU Radio listener is LDS, Caucasian, from Utah and has children.

Second, only 51 percent of BYU Radio listeners were satisfied with current programming. Third,

BYU Radio is not likely to attract non-LDS listeners with its current programming.


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Introduction

BYU Radios Issue

BYU Radio is one of 140 other stations broadcast on Sirius XM satellite radio. BYU

Radio is a station focused on talking about the good in the world. Programs vary from original

content including talk shows such as Matt Townsend and Thinking Aloud to rebroadcast

programs such as Music and the Spoken Word and other religious devotionals and forums.

Research Questions

Due to the confidentiality of Sirius XMs contract with BYU Radio, little is known about

BYU Radios demographic and its breadth. Therefore, the three main concerns Don Shelline,

manager of BYU Radio, hired the Bradley Lab to identify through background research are the

1) demographic of the listeners of BYU Radio, 2) the satisfaction with the current content among

its listenership and 3) whether or not BYU is being implemented as an effective missionary tool.

Methodology

To generate a better understanding of BYU Radios audience we began our research by

conducting in-depth interviews over the phone to a list of BYU Radios listeners. We compiled

the results and conducted a thematic content analysis on the five phone calls we recorded,

ranking the most frequently mentioned topics regarding BYU Radio. The top four themes

mentioned by the listeners include access, music, time of day and talk.

Using the results from the qualitative research we compiled a quantitative survey asking

in-depth questions about the satisfaction with BYU Radios programming, the association with

non-LDS affiliates, recommendations and listenership demographics. The questions for the

survey were specifically formulated from the inferences and knowledge gained from the

qualitative in-depth interviews.


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Through IBMs SPSS, a data-analysis software, we found many patterns and correlations

associated with listenership and satisfaction. Due to the low number of responses, it was difficult

to deem some responses as statistically significant; however, through these patterns and positive

correlations, we were able to identify a few findings that we believe can be a positive asset for

the future of BYU Radio.


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Background

History

BYU Radio was formerly as Bonneville International LDS Radio, but was given to BYU

in 2002 (BYU Radio). Initially BYU Radio had three internet streams (in English, Portuguese

and Spanish), but the two international channels were discontinued this past year. BYU Radio

used to be a strictly Internet-streamed radio, but is now more commonly viewed as satellite radio

as it airs on both satellite radio and on satellite television services. The newly-acquired state-of-

the art equipment and facility has enabled BYU Radio to address and discuss numerous topics.

BYU Radios mission is to enrich lives by touching the minds, hearts, and souls of all its

viewers and listeners worldwide (BYU Radio). However, this wide-range of topics has not

created an apparent need for the station to specify and target specific audiences, which has

potentially decreased their pool of subscribers. While there are several full-time employees,

BYU Radio has access to numerous students for part-time hire. This demonstrates one of BYU

Radios functionsto employ a number of different students from various disciplines in order to

prepare them for future professional endeavors.


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SWOT Analysis

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

State-of-the-aft facility

and resources

No prior reputation base

from past campaigns

Financial freedom of

BYU Radio

Cost of Sirius XM

Access to numerousfull-time and student

employees

Overly-broad in subjectmatter

Monopoly of Sirius XMon satellite radio

Local free radio stationswith similar

programming (KSL,KNRS, KCPW, etc.)

No real limitations onsubject matter

No knowledge oflistener base

18.5 million subscribersto Sirius XM

Ever-declining economy

Broadcast acrosssatellite, internet and

apps

Repetition in airedprogramming

Internet radioprovidessame services but for

freeEclectic range of

programsNo attainable

listenership data

Past Promotions

Due to tight restrictions from Sirius XM, BYU Radio has not been able to view a pattern

of its listeners because of Sirius closed guards dealing with its ratings. Therefore, little

knowledge is known about BYU Radios audience and supporters. BYU Radio is a non-

commercial, non-profit station. It is only made possible by BYU.

BYU Radios station, launched in 2002, began as a local, developing station. However, in

less than ten years, Sirius XM announced BYU Radio as one of five stations (Accompanied by

Howard University, Eventus/National Latino Broadcasting, WorldBand Media, KTV Radio) to

be broadcasted on its channel after a search to incorporate diverse entertainment content on

Sirius XM (Israelsen-Hartley, 2011). This promotion given to BYU Radio over 40 competing

stations, enabled BYU Radio to broadcast 5,000 hours annually to an audience of 20 million

people (Harper, 2011).

BYU Radio broadcasts a variety of shows such as religious firesides, devotionals,

symposiums, religious music, BYU sports, family messages, cooking shows, etc. BYU Radios


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purpose for broadcast is to spread good to both Latter-day Saints and non-Latter-day Saints alike.

With the exception of Deseret News, there is little information regarding other third party

sources promoting BYU Radio.

Social Media is the current communications force BYU Radio is engaging in to maintain

and foster an interactive relationship with its current viewers. BYU Radio posts constant feeds

both on its Twitter and Facebook page. BYU Radios presence on Facebook began on August 1,

2002. The page is currently owned and updated by Christopher Hoffmann.

BYU Radios self-description on its homepage is BYU Radio produces and airs good

entertainment that is enjoyed by people from all over the world. The type of entertainment

provided includes sporting events, interviews with some of the most influential people, live

musical performances, and many other radio programs.

The purpose of BYU Radios presence on Facebook is to create a place where current

viewers can interact with each other and the station. As of October 9, 2012, there were 5,197

likes and 433 people talking about BYU Radio. The conversations regarding BYU Radios

Facebook page fluctuates depending upon the newsfeed. Several weeks later, on September 25,

2012 there were 620 people talking about BYU Radio, almost two hundred more individuals

talking about BYU Radio than in October. Depending on what is posted in the newsfeed, a

different level of interaction among its viewers is fostered.

In order to satisfy BYU Radios purpose, encouraging interaction, much of the posts

include activities and thought-provoking insights for its viewers to enjoy. These posts include

exercises such as animal searches within an abstract picture, thought-provoking questions to

engage debates, inspirational quotes from Pinterest, as well as reminders for upcoming football

games or apps to download, such as the BYU Radio App.


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Solely in the month of September, up until the 25th, there were 1,764 comments and likes,

accompanied by 257 pictures posted on the Facebook page. The number of pictures is

consistently growing because a majority of the posts published on the homepage incorporate a

picture accompanied with a caption. One downfall to this heavy strive for consumer interaction,

the content being published is generally unrelated to BYU Radio.

In the month of September, BYU Radios Twitter account reported tweeting a total of

805 tweets, acquiring 353 followers and following 252 other Twitter accounts. A few weeks

later, BYU Radios Twitter account tweeted 816 times, followed one less account than in

September (251) and accumulated 23 more followers (376 followers). The content of BYU

Radios tweets deal primarily with sports. These tweets include random updates of football and

soccer games, reports of athletes injuries and celebrations of team wins.

Programming

BYU Radio broadcasts a variety of shows including religious firesides and devotionals,

symposiums, religious music, BYU sports, family messages, cooking shows, etc. This

programming could be categorized

into genres of miscellaneous talk,

religion, music, lifestyle and sports.

With these genres decided on we

categorized each program offered by

BYU Radio into one of these

categories. We then used the weekly

schedule given to us by BYU Radio to add up the number of hours devoted to each genre. With

the total number of hours in a given week for each genre we could divide them by the total

24%

1%

31%13%

31%

Percentage of Time-- Full

week

Lifestyle

Sports

Religion

Music

Misc. Talk


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25%

1%

17%

16%

41%

Percentage of Time-- Weekday

Lifestyle

Sports

Religion

Music

Misc. Talk

number of hours to get a percentage of time devoted to each. The genres of talk and religion

dominate the programming over the space of a week, but this may be deceiving as religion is

played for all 24 hours on Sunday. To account for this additional caused by Sunday

programming we calculated the numbers again, but only adding the time during weekdays for the

genres and then dividing by the number of hours from Monday through Friday. This changed the

top genres with Lifestyle and Talk being the two biggest parts of programming during weekdays.

Although only slightly represented, Sports is also a large portion of programming but the

scheduling varies because of the nature of sports schedules.

Breakdown of Programming by Genre

LifestyleThese shows talk about everyday life events from cooking to traveling. They are

designed to help others better themselves and their families. Shows include Eyres on the Road

Parenting in the Modern World, Living Essentials, Real Families Real Answers, and The Food

Nanny.


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SportsProgramming of this sort includes all types of BYU Sports games. The programming

varies with the season and times and broadcast schedules vary as well. The constant in the sports

is weekly talk show True Blue, which discusses BYU sports from the previous week and gives a

look at the week ahead.

ReligionReligion we classified as all programming dedicated in large part to The Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and its doctrine. Programming includes genealogical and

scriptural subjects along with historical stories from past members. These are shows such as

Ancestors, History of the Saints, Music and the Spoken Word, Road to Zion, and Scripture

Roundtable.

MusicThese are shows dedicated entirely to music and musicians. Shows include Highway 89

and The Tantara Hour hosted by Ron Simpson.

Miscellaneous TalkThese are talk shows that can change from topic to topic each day.

Therefore they cannot be classified as any other specific programming, but in a given day they

may be religious in nature and on another they may be more lifestyle in nature. These shows

include The Morning Show, Insights and The Matt Townsend Show.

Resources

In the fall of 2010, BYU Broadcasting completed work on its new state-of-the-art facility.

The 100,000 square foot facility is now the new home for all of BYU Radio. BYU Radios new

facility has two on-air rooms (one for BYU Radio and one for Classical 89). Attached to these

rooms are small producer news rooms. BYU Radio also has two small post audio rooms, a

recording studio, 260-seat theater and access to all three television studios. Both the recording

studio and theater have the ability to go live on air at a moments notice (Scherer, 2011). The

following statement is found on BYU Broadcastings home page regarding resources:


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The activities and educational resources of Brigham Young University serve as the

primary source of content for television and radio productions; however, BYUB also

partners with independent producers from around the world to create and distribute

values-based programming to appeal to its ever-expanding audiences. Ultimately, each

program supported by BYU Broadcasting seeks to enrich lives by touching the minds,

hearts, and souls of all its viewers and listeners worldwide. (BYU Radio)

BYU Radio is available on Dish Network (channel 980), Sirius XM Radio (channel 143),

Internet, cable systems and satellite. Sirius XM distributes to more than 22 million listeners and

can broadcast to more than 800 different devices. In conjunction with automobiles, Sirius also

works with various marketing partnerships and hardware manufacturers to ensure its broadcast

can be heard all over the world (Sirius). Sirius has more than 180 satellite radio channels and has

become the largest radio company in the United States. Last year Sirius XM brought in over $3

billion dollars in sales surpassing Clear Channel Media, the previous market leader in the radio

industry.

Personnel

At BYU Radio, personnel is compiled of individuals who work for a larger organization

within BYU Broadcasting. The following is a screen shot of the top-tier management for BYU

Broadcasting:


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History of Issue

According to a press release issued by Sirius in August of 2012, Sirius XM radios are

now installed in more than 50 million vehicles. This year, 70 percent of all vehicles sold in the

United States will come installed with Sirius XM Radio. Sirius XM Radio was launched 10 years

ago and is the worlds largest radio broadcaster measured by revenue (Sirius, 2012). Sirius XM

Radio is the only company that has FCC licenses to the requisite spectrum and is the only

company that provides satellite transmissions to car radios in the US (Seeking Alpha, 2010).

BYU Radio was founded as a web stream in August of 2002. Originally the station had

been known as Bonneville International LDS Radio Network. Bonneville International

transferred ownership of the station to BYU, which has continued to add programming. In the

fall of 2011, BYU Radio was added to Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Hartley, 2011).

In a study conducted by the Council for Research Excellence, satellite-radio subscribers

listen to satellite-radio the most at home. The study does not take in to account satellite-radio that

has been streamed via the Internet (Palenchar, 2010).

Location Percent

Home 29.5%

Work 23.1%

Car 21.4%

Source: Palenchar


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Below is a breakdown of how much Sirius XM Radio costs per month:

Plan Number of

Channels

Base Monthly

Price

Base Price

For 1 Year

Base+Internet

Per Month

Base+Internet

For 1 Year

Sirius Premier 140+ $17.99 $215.88 $21.49 $257.88

Sirius Select 130+ $14.49 $173.88 $17.99 $215.88

Sirius XM Internet 130+ $14.49 $173.88 - -

Source: siriusxm.com

After researching sites such as bestbuy.com, most Sirius XM receivers cost somewhere

between $60-100.

According to information released by Sirius to Bryan Katrek, the lead anchor for the

PGA Tour Network (Katrek, 2012), the typical Sirius listener fits a very particular profile.

Generally the typical Sirius listener is a wealthy male with a college degree.


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Industry

A major factor in the satellite radio industry is the status of the current economy.

Although the United States has technically been out of a recession since 2009, the economy is

still very weak. The number of Americans that have a job or are looking for one fell to 63.5

percent of available workers, the lowest percentage since 1981. Of those people, 8.3 percent are

currently unemployed(Reuters, 2012). A large number of Americans are unemployed,

underemployed, and lacking expendable income. As the economy continues in this recession,

retention of listeners will decrease as they will not renew their satellite radio services after the

free trial because they can get free radio through conventional means. These services include free

streaming apps like Pandora and iHeartRadio along with FM and AM radio.

Past Measurements

Ten years ago, Satellite Radio aspired to possess 1 percent of all listeners. Today, according

to Arbitrons Radio Today (2011), 93 percent of the population listens to broadcast 14.3 hours a

week. According to Bridge Ratings, 9 percent of the population listens to Satellite Radio 8.3

hours per week (Johnson, 2011).

FCC created satellite radio broadcasting in 1992. XM and Sirius bid the two highest bids and

consequently received the license to produce satellite radio stations. XM officially launched its

station in 2001 and Sirius launched in 2002. Over the past ten years, each station has mounted to

several million subscribers (Daugherty, 2007).

Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio joined forces in 2007. Combined, Sirius

XM Radio, the station was set to rank as the second-largest U.S. radio organization, providing

more than 300 programs to 18.5 million subscribers. The combination of the two stations brought


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about controversy among the FCC, who previously designated two stations to control the field of

satellite radio to generate competition (Kawamoto, 2008).

Sirius XM reports the viewership and revenue for its station annually. These numbers are

tolled from subscribers (prepaid, discounted pricing plans, regular pricing plan, etc.). With the

presence of Sirius XM in automobiles, subscribers are also counted with the sale of vehicles.

Sirius XM also counted subscribers from the Internet and other data sources. However, the

predominant source of subscribers comes from paid fees.

Sirius XM reports the viewership and investor growth annually. Coming from Sirius

XMs quarterly and final reports as seen from their Annual Reports under Investor Relations

(http://investor.siriusxm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=698545):
http://investor.siriusxm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=698545http://investor.siriusxm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=698545http://investor.siriusxm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=698545http://investor.siriusxm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=698545


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Qualitative Section

Describe Qualitative Methodology

The collected data was gathered through qualitative research, or in-depth interviews.

Qualitative research is a flexible, time-efficient way to gather information from a respondent.

Unlike quantitative research, qualitative is a dialogue between the interviewer/focus group leader

and the participants. It is a better method when trying to understand how to improve a product or

service, taking away the risk of limited and potentially misinterpreted responses gathered from a

survey or poll. As a result, this structure of research enabled our team to form a better survey,

with more accurate questions giving us better results.

Participants for the interviews were located all over the country; therefore, conducting

focus groups was not a viable way to gather the qualitative research. Consequently, we decided

in-depth interviews on the telephone were the best alternative to focus groups.

As a class, we divided a list of 65 BYU Radio listeners into four parts. Each team was

responsible for contacting a portion of the list. We sent an email to 14 listeners informing them

of an opportunity to receive a $25 gift card in return for participating in an in-depth interview

over the phone. Each of the four groups in the class was responsible for contacting and

interviewing five of the listeners. Messages via Facebook were also sent out to ask for volunteers

to participate in this study. As a team we gathered four participants from the list and one from

Facebook.

Once a BYU Radio listener agreed to participate, a time was set to conduct the

interview over the phone. Based upon scheduling, members of the team volunteered to conduct

the interview. Before every interview, the student prefaced that the conversation would be

recorded with a tape recorder so the information received from the interview could be

transcribed. All of the transcripts are attached at the end of the report.


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As a team, we established a blueprint for the interview. This included both a set of

questions to ask and information to tell the participant sometime throughout the course of the

interview. We also asked personalized follow-up questions which resulted in an opportunity to

elaborate on a concern or suggestion. The goal of the interview was to be as transparent as

possible. We wanted honest suggestions of ways to improve the fan-base for BYU Radio. The

questions dealt primarily with radio content and demographic information.

After the interview, each participant received a $25 Visa gift card in the mail as an

incentive for his or her feedback. The interviews were then transcribed from the tape recorders

onto the computer. We collected the interviews and conducted a thematic content analysis, the

process of underlying the reoccurring themes or most often talked about subjects regarding BYU

Radio. As a result, we identified nine overall themes based upon the content and suggestions

given. We then color-coded the themes to identify the most dominant themes from the five

transcripts. For example, dialogue regarding talk shows was labeled yellow. We counted the

number of times a respondent mentioned either positive or negative feedback about talk shows

and totaled it on the transcripts.

Analysis of Qualitative Data

From our analysis we have determined that our main interviews focused on ways in

which BYU Radio listeners access BYU Radio and the choice of music selection by most

listeners. After careful analysis we determined that BYU Radio listeners were also interested in

religion, various programs, and customer service.

We discovered that of the five listeners we interviewed, most access BYU Radio through

Sirius XM satellite radio while driving in their vehicle. BYU Radios current publics tend to

listen sporadically throughout the week with a few of them who listen to set programs while


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driving to and from various activities. The listeners that we interviewed all felt that although

BYU offers a variety of programs, most listen to religious programs or repeat devotionals, CES

Firesides, or other religious oriented programming. Many of our listeners liked listening to the

mix of radio that was being produced before the switch was made to more talk radio. Now most

of BYU Radios clients would like to listen to more music with a good balance of talk in

between.

From our interviews, we have concluded that most of our interviewees tune in because of

their affiliation with the LDS faith or BYU. Most of our interviewees said that if they were not

LDS they would not listen to BYU Radio. We have also concluded that while BYU Radio is

accessible through various outlets it is still hard for a few of its customers to interact and work

with personnel from BYU Radio to either request songs or give commentary. Two of our

interviewees said that although BYU Radio personnel is very helpful, at times they seem to be

spread a little too thin. Some of our interviewees also suggested updates to the website such as

contact information and program descriptions. Although BYU Radio offers a variety of different

sports programs many of its listeners go elsewhere to listen to sports. In short, BYU Radios

current listener base appreciates the content and programming of its station, yet there is still

room for improvement if BYU Radio hopes to expand its reach to those not of the LDS Faith

across the country.

Primary Themes

There are a number of different topics that were discussed throughout the in-depth

interviews that developed into prominent common themes between the different listeners. These

top themes were access, music, time of day, talk and religion.


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Access (29)

This was the dominant theme that was brought up in all of the in-depth interviews. Most

of the commentary in regard to this subject was informative and described how and where

subscribers listened to BYU Radio. Most listeners that were interviewed had a subscription to

Sirius XM and they listened it to it while they were in their car driving.

However, the younger demographic tended to access the programming online or via the

BYU Radio app. One listener even suggested that BYU Radio should make it be available in

MP3 format instead of streaming. This way it can be downloaded and listened to, and played in a

church class, or other places and times. If it is streaming, you always have to have Internet access

and that is not always convenient. There seemed to be two distinct ways to access BYU Radio

(online vs. Sirius) and each seemed to attract and cater to two very different demographics.

Music (27)

While music is only a portion of what is broadcast on BYU Radio, many listeners

explained that they did not listen for the music, but that they listened for various talk shows. If

music was playing on the channel when they tuned in, they might listen to it, but again, it was

not their primary purpose.

As a younger listener, one interviewee commented, students are more interested in

music that I dont think they would play on BYU Radio. Like what type of music would they

play, church music?

Time of Day (26)

This was another prevalent theme that was discussed in the interviews and the results

varied. Some people listened to it while they were driving home from work, running errands, as


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an alarm clock in the morning, etc. Most listeners that were interviewed accessed the channel on

a relatively consistent basis (every day or a couple times a week).

One listener mentioned that it was occasionally frustrating for him because he listens at

similar times every day and programs are often repeated during the same time slots, so he ends

up listening to the something hes already heard before. Some of it I wish they wouldnt repeat

very much. Like some of the choir broadcasts Im like, we just heard that 4 weeks ago.

Talk(18)

Of the two interviewees that mentioned talk radio, one loved it while the other viewed it

as secondary to mainstream national talk radio shows. The interviewee in favor of talk radio,

Vaylene Tucker, particularly enjoyed Matt Townsends show. Vaylene said, Its like education

because I learn about how to treat my teenagers. I learn about parenting. Today they were talking

about personal image and my teenage daughter is really into that. It pertains to me. A lot of the

things pertain to what Im experiencing.

The one interviewee opposed to talk radio, Jerry Hall, was mainly voicing his concern

that BYU Radio is now a variety show, because he used to listen to BYUs classical music

channel frequently.

Religion (15)

This was another primary theme in the interviews because every interviewee responded

that they associated BYU Radio with the LDS faith. When they were asked if they thought

people from other faiths would listen to it, most interviewees made the comment that other

listeners would make a similar association that they did.

For the most part, listeners appreciated that BYU was related to the Mormon faith. I like

that because I like how they embrace their purpose. However, one listener noted, I just think


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they could be like a little looser about it. Im totally fine with the LDS focus, just would think it

would be cooler if they were a little bolder maybe in some stuff, and talked about some stuff they

might avoid because they dont even want to reach a potential controversy.

Secondary Themes

After recognizing our primary themes, we were able to identify four secondary themes

that support the primary, and give more insight into how interviewers feel. The four secondary

themes that we identified were lifestyle, customer service, price and sports.

Lifestyle(14)

Lifestyle programs appear to be more popular, especially as a secondary theme or priority

for listeners. The Wheatley Institution was a particular strong point for two of our interviewees.

Vaylena Tucker said, Im really interested in educational shows that teach me

something. I love the Wheatley series because it keeps me up on current events and helps me

understand whats going on in the world.

Respondents seemed inclined to enjoy lifestyle shows, especially the Wheatley Institute

and the food shows. Lifestyle though remains secondary to other bigger topics that came up.

Customer Service6

Some interviewees were unsatisfied with the quality of their signal. They were convinced

that other Sirius XM channels came in clearly, while BYU Radio had continuous problems.

One customer, George Larsen, responded, I try to tell them about it by email and theyre

like it could just be your receiver. And Im like, no, its not my receiver, its your connection that

dropped off, not me.

Overall however, this issue was only brought up by two of our five respondents that we

interviewed. The other three customers we interviewed were happy with the quality of their


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equipment and signal from BYU Radio. Some customers went out of their way to express

appreciation for the overall quality of program that BYU Radio puts together.

Price (4)

The price of a subscription to BYU Radio did not seem to be a legitimate factor for

listeners, most likely because they already had a subscription and as a result were current

listeners. However, one interviewee commented, I like the fact that its on the Internet and I can

also get it forfree. I really like that a lot.

SportsSecondary 4

When the topic of sports was mentioned, the overall consensus was that it wasnt a

priority for the average BYU Radio listener. Two respondents, one being Jerry Hall, gave an

almost identical response, No, Im not interested in sports radio. If I am going to watch sports,

Ill watch TV.

The other respondent, JohnCharles, also commented that he would specifically watch the

BYU team on BYU TV. These types of responses came from individuals that identified

themselves as both sports fans and non-sports fans.

One individual, Austin Peterson, mentioned that he liked the idea of BYU Radio playing

all different types of BYU sporting events, but didnt admit to actually listening to any of them.

Our conclusion is that sports were not a priority for the customers we listened to.


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Quantitative - Survey Research and Analysis

Methodology

After we conducted in-depth interviews with current listeners of BYU Radio we built a

survey around the results we found. Our class was divided into four different groups and was

tasked to create questions that would give us a better look at what current listening habits of

BYU Radio listeners and suggestions for improvement regarding programming.

After careful deliberation, we narrowed our survey down to 29 questions. We used

Qualtrics, a survey software company, to build and host our survey. The survey began by stating

our purpose for the questionnaire and informing willing participants they would be entered in a

drawing for prizes such as gift baskets and $25 iTunes gift cards donated from BYU Radio.

The survey consisted of demographic questions such as age, gender and residence.

Demographic questions were included in the survey in order to get a better idea of who was

listening to BYU Radio. The survey also asked questions pertaining to programming preferences,

customer service/communication and ifBYU Radios association with the LDS faith is being

used as a missionary tool.

The survey was promoted through BYU Radio programming, BYU Radios website,

social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter and the BYUTV blog. Participants could click

on a link found on the various channels that would take them directly to the survey.

Below is an example of a link found on Facebook:

Take this BYU Radio survey for your chance to win a $25 iTunes gift card or BYUtv gift-set!!

And help us improve the quality of our Radio Programming. Please click here:

https://byu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6nRLUgWdOtFiLVr
https://byu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6nRLUgWdOtFiLVrhttps://byu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6nRLUgWdOtFiLVrhttps://byu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6nRLUgWdOtFiLVrhttps://byu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6nRLUgWdOtFiLVrhttps://byu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6nRLUgWdOtFiLVr


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Sample Selection, Sample Size, and Margin of Error

Our results derive from 83 participants who completed 100 percent of the survey. Of

these 83 participants, 54 percent were male and 46 percent were female. Although we had 83

people complete the survey, the sample size is too small to calculate a 95 percent confidence

interval. Also, due to the lack of participants, it was impossible to calculate a margin of error.

Nevertheless, our team was still able to find significant data from the results of the survey.

Missionary Tool

One of the major topics we wanted to learn more about through the survey was how

effective BYU Radio was as a missionary tool. We found a majority of the respondents are of the

LDS faith or have family or friends who are affiliated with BYU. Only four respondents were

not affiliated with BYU in any way. This demographic shows the trend of an almost exclusive

listenership of members of the church. We also measured the net promoter score for BYU Radio,

which measures the likelihood of a listener referring BYU Radio to others. The net promoter

score for BYU Radio is 24 out of 100. A healthy net promoter score lies above 50 percent. This

shows that listeners are not promoting the station to others.

When specifically asked whether a respondent disagreed or agreed with the statement

BYU Radios current programming is likely to attract non-LDS listeners, there is an even

distribution of respondents both agreeing and disagreeing. The majority of respondents neither

agreed nor disagreed with the statement, and only a handful of respondents strongly disagreed

or agreed with the statement (see graph on next page). This tells us that the programming is

currently not serving its purpose as effectively preaching the gospel to those of other faiths.


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To what extent do you agree with the following statement: BYU Radios current

programming is likely to attract non-LDS listeners.

When the respondents were asked if BYU Radio could be an effective missionary tool for

the LDS church, the distribution wasnt as even as the question asking respondents opinions

regarding BYU Radios attraction to non-LDS listeners. Most of the respondents answered

indifferently, they neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. Combined with those who

said it was ineffective it made a majority of 52 percent. Only 48 percent believed it was an

effective missionary tool (see graph below).

Do you feel that BYU Radio is utilized as an effective missionary tool for the LDS church?


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0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Listens for Devotionals/Inspirational

Messages

What extent they believe

BYU Radio is accomplishing

its purpose as a missionary

tool

As a follow-up question at the end of the survey the respondents were asked to contribute

any feedback to better improve BYU Radio. Many of the recommendations insisted on

incorporating more LDS content into the programming. The respondents want to center the

programming around the LDS Church rather than BYU campus. By centering around church

news, many respondents hope this will create a more global and international approach to the

programming therefore improving the likelihood of BYU Radio being utilized as a missionary

tool.

We conducted crosstabs and ran a T-test measuring the correlation between what

programming the respondents listened to and whether or not they believed BYU Radio is utilized

as a missionary tool. All the graphs featured below prove to be significant figures. The

respondents who tuned in for music and devotionals or inspirational messages were more likely

to believe that BYU Radio could be utilized as a missionary tool (see graphs below).


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02468

101214

1618

Listens for Music


BYU Radio is accomplishing

its purpose as a missionary

tool

0

2

46

8

10

12

14

16

Doesn't listen for Music


BYU Radio is

accomplishing its purpose

as a missionary tool


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The program preferences have a correlation with the respondents opinions regarding the

effectiveness as a missionary tool. To better illustrate the significance of the program

preferences, the crosstab between respondents who listen for talk shows compared with

respondents who do not listen for talk shows is featured below. Respondents who listen for talk

shows are much more likely to believe BYU Radio is effectively utilized as a missionary tool

(see graph below). This shows that listeners believe the content is what makes a useful

missionary tool. If programming were more tied to the context of the gospel as listeners

suggested the trends suggest more listeners would see it as a missionary tool.

Satisfaction with Programming

We also asked respondents to rate their satisfaction with various aspects relating to BYU

Radio such as customer service, accessibility and convenience. For example, 60 percent of BYU

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Strongly

disagree

Disagree Neither Agree

nor Disagree

Agree Strongly Agree

What extent they believe BYU Radio is

accomplishing its purpose as a

missionary tool

Doesn't listen for Talk Shows Listens for Talk Shows


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Radios listeners found BYU convenient, and 56 percent found it accessible. When asked about

satisfaction among BYU Radios programming, only 51 of the respondents were either satisfied

or very satisfied. Though there were fewer respondents identifying themselves as dissatisfied

listeners of BYU Radios programming, many remained neutral. A neutral respondent in a sense

can be identified as a negative respondent because there is no relationship binding them to the

programs. The graph below dictates the satisfaction level listeners have regarding the various

aspects relating to BYU Radio (see graphs below).

Then we asked listeners specifically about satisfaction among the specific programs BYU

Radio offers. Although the various programs have different levels of listeners, every program

had at least three people who listened to the program at least once. The most frequently listened

to program was Music and the Spoken Word.

Generally speaking, most of the responses indicate a satisfaction with the programming

themes of BYU Radio: News, Talk Shows, General Conference, Devotionals/inspirational


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content, sports. Dealing strictly with the content of the programs, the most dissatisfaction

occurred among the original programs compared to the broadcasted programs.

The highest dissatisfaction among a particular genre of BYU Radios programming dealt

with the music content. Ironically, 59 percent of BYU Radios listeners tune into BYU Radio to

listen to music; however, it generates the highest dissatisfaction at 13 percent. Many of the

recommendations regarding the programming included suggestions to improve the music

broadcast. There is a demand for music among listenership, but there is also an opportunity for

BYU Radio to improve the music programming to better satisfy those listeners.

As mentioned before, much of the recommendations from listeners involve improving the

talk show content as well as the news section of BYU Radio. These two themes were also a point

of target in the commentary when respondents were asked in a follow-up question asking for


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feedback regarding the programming. Comments included such things as, I used to Love BYU

Radio, but all the talk shows are boring and uninspirational, News: how about real news, not

recaps from other news sources, or Seems very bland and not very current.

Who is BYU Radios Average Listener

Although we were able to see statistical significance in our results, our sample size was

small, meaning we have a low confidence level for how widespread these results would be in a

larger sample size. However, we were still able to identify some important trends in the

characteristics of listeners. Based on the results of the administered survey, we determined that

the average subscriber was LDS, Caucasian and the majority (over 80 percent) of BYU Radio

listeners had an annual household income of less than $100,000. However, since the results for

other demographic factors, like gender and age, were relatively evenly distributed for each

subcategory (apart from the tail-end age groups), no other category was a dominant factor in

identifying listenership.

Ethnicity and ReligionOur research indicated a lack of ethnic diversity in listenership.

The overwhelmingly predominant ethnicity of BYU Radio listeners was Caucasian at nearly 70

percent of all respondents. The second highest ethnicity was Asian which is under 10 percent.

Additionally, almost 90 percent of the survey respondents were LDS. Most of the respondents of

the survey were from Utah, so these results are reflective of the Utah demographic (see graphs

on next page).


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Income -- In regards to income levels, the most common income of listeners was in the

category of under $50,000 with the second most common category being $50,000-99,999. This

was surprising, because after conducting our initial background research, we expected most BYU

Radio listeners to be in the higher income brackets, as subscribers of Sirius/XM tend to be. The

numbers may also be a result of advertising the survey on social media sites, which attracts a

younger audience. This younger audience is more likely to listen through online streaming and

does not typically subscribe to Sirius/XM Radio. BYU Radio needs to tap more into a Sirius/XM


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listenership because they represent the national audience you are looking for. For this reason,

those in the upper income brackets are an important target audience that needs to be addressed by

BYU Radio.

Gender -- Based on our results, we discovered that although male listeners outweighed

female listeners 57percent to 43 percent, there really is no statistical significance to men listening

at a greater value than women, so this is not a factor in listenership.

However, we did learn that men, more than women, tend to listen on the weekends and

during the 6 pm to midnight time slot, whereas women tend to listen more often in the mornings

between 6 am and noon. This could be a result of the programming on at these hours. Evenings

have more sports programming which is appealing to males.

We learned that there was no significant difference between male and female listening

habits relating to the different programs, except for when it came to sports. In the sports

category, over 60 percent of the male listeners listen to sports broadcast, but less than 20 percent


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of women tune into sports programming. So although the males could be explained by sports,

why females tend to listen in the morning could not be answered by our research.

Age -- The age groups that we analyzed were divided into seven different categories.

Aside from the tail-end groups of the sample size (under 20, and 70-79), most of the other groups

are evenly important for listeners for BYU Radio.

Based on the results from our survey, the age group that most commonly listens to sports

programming is the age group of 20-39, while in comparison, the age group that commonly

listens to Talk Radio are those in the age group of 40-59.

In terms of how the audience accesses BYU Radio, over 65 percent of listeners listen to

BYU Radio via the live stream online, with the remainder of listeners tuning in via Sirius XM.

Interestingly, all 65 percent of respondents that accessed the live stream online were in the age

category of 20-39. (See graph on next page)


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Does BYU Radio Communicate Well with its Audience?

In reviewing the high satisfaction levels in questions related to customer service,

promotional efforts and social media, we were able to conclude that communications with BYU

Radios audience is already incredibly successful.

In regard to customer service, many of our participants appreciated the way in which

BYU Radio ran its operations. About 41 percent were satisfied with BYU Radios customer

service with a small margin being unsatisfied. Many participants appreciated the quick response


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from BYU Radio personnel but felt the accessibility of BYU Radio could improve. After

analyzing our survey we realized that BYU Radio has lacked past promotional value. We feel

that more promotions will increase listener participation and ultimately broaden the listener base.

Many of our participants felt that BYU Radios social media sites could improve in some

way or another. Of those that took the survey, 86 percent suggested that BYU Radio increase its

use of visual aids. Second to visual aids, promotions and the ability to request songs straight

from the social media site were the next highest request from listeners. From the survey we

discovered that most individuals wanted to see an improvement on-line with social media. We

also found most of the respondents that took our survey have not used social media and would be

open to trying it out if introduced to it (see graph below). Effective use of social media could be

key in increasing following.

Conclusion

The results varied from our predictions. Unfortunately, the responsiveness to our survey was

not as large as we initially anticipated. With only 83 survey participants, it is difficult to make any


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concrete, significant statements. However, there are beneficial suggestions and data BYU Radio can

consider to improve its station.

The general demographic is Caucasian of an LDS faith with an income less than $100,000.

There were more male participants than female. The two most popular age group respondents

included 20-29 and 50-59 year-olds.

As a whole, a majority of the participants do not consider BYU Radio an effective missionary

tool. The programming is mildly appreciated, but listeners suggest real news regarding the LDS

church and its international affairs. Most of the indifference and negativity revolve around news and

talk shows. As mentioned above, customer satisfaction levels with social media, customer relations

and promotions in relation to BYU Radio were all favorable or neutral.


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Strategic RecommendationsSWOT Analysis

After conducting our background and primary research, we developed a new SWOT

analysis to better display strengths of BYU Radio, weaknesses and areas for growth.

Situation Analysis:

BYU Radio was formerly known as Bonneville International LDS Radio, but was given

to BYU in 2002 (BYU Radio). Due to BYU Radios similar nature in messaging to LDS Radio,

BYU Radio has been able to sustain the same relatively loyal listener-base that was formerly

listening to LDS Radio. In the turnover from LDS Radio to BYU Radio, BYU Radio sought to

differentiate itself from its former patron and provided a wide variety of programming for its

audience. BYU Radio used to be a strictly Internet-streamed radio, but is now more commonly

viewed as satellite radio as it airs on both satellite radio and on satellite television services. The

newly-acquired state-of-the art equipment and facility has enabled BYU Radio to address and

discuss numerous topics. BYU Radio broadcasts a wide-range of programming subjects;

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

-Already existingcustomer base

-No significant pastpromotional efforts

-Social media expansionand use as missionarytool

-LDS Stereotype

-Customer Service -Doesnt relate tonon-LDS listeners

-Expand listener base tonon-LDS listeners

-Cost of Sirius XM

-Accessible froma number ofdifferent sources

-Lack of popularityfor originalprogramming

-Develop originalprogramming

-Pandora/Spotify/podcasts(create your radio profile)

-Religious content(namerecognition)

-Dissatisfaction withprogramming ingeneral

-Devote more time topopular programming


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including sports, talk radio, music, and religious discussion. BYU Radios current threats include

being stereotyped as an exclusively Latter-day Saint station. More importantly, listeners are

currently dissatisfied with programming.

BYU Radios ability and resources to expand, coupled with the fact that Americans are

spending an increased amount of time with media, provides a good opportunity for BYU Radio.

However, competing radio stations and online streaming channels pose a viable threat to the

audience expansion of BYU Radio. In order to be successful with its current audience and future

audiences, BYU Radio needs to utilize its resources as a missionary tool.

Core Problem/Opportunity

If BYU Radio does not accept its purpose as a missionary tool while satisfying current

listeners, then future development for building and attracting relationships with new listeners

will be hindered.

Recommendations

From our research, we have generated four strategic recommendations that we encourage

BYU Radio to consider and implement moving forward.

1) Improve social media content as a missionary tool -- One recommendation we felt

would greatly improve the quality of BYU Radio is to improve the social media content for its

listeners. To keep in line with the desire for BYU Radio to be a stronger missionary tool for the

LDS church, we recommend that BYU Radio shift its messaging to focus more heavily on LDS

related material. Having more LDS related content on BYU Radios social media will generate a

stronger brand image for the organization as a whole. 31.8 percent of listeners either agree or

strongly agree that BYU Radio does not attract non-LDS listeners. Consequently, BYU Radio

should take advantage of the opportunity to promote missionary content. In conjunction with


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LDS themed material on BYU Radios social media sites, we also suggest an increase in two-

way communication between BYU Radio and its listeners. We suggest that BYU Radio monitor

its social media sites to actively engage its listeners because 54 percent of current listenersare

not aware that BYU Radio has a Facebook page or Twitter account. If BYU Radio can increase

its social media presence and actively engage its listeners, it will in turn be able to take

advantage of search engine optimization and increase its brand recognition in hopes of attracting

a larger audience.

2) Reach a broader base through featuring non-LDS speakers -- We recommend that in

an attempt to reach a broader listener base, BYU Radio bring in non-LDS speakers to talk about

various faith promoting materials. We feel that this recommendation will help increase traffic of

BYU Radio and promote better relationships with other religions and have a wider reach in the

United States. This recommendation is meant to bring in a larger audience base for BYU Radio.

One of BYU Radios main goals was to increase its listener base outside of Utah and attract

listeners from all religions. Most religions are seeking opportunities to share their message with

others. This shows a measure of good will with the LDS faith and may increase listenership if

listeners are aware that BYU Radio offers a large variety of other faith based programs.

3) Develop original programming in consideration of listener preferences -- According

to our research, only 51 percent of the surveyed listeners are satisfied with the current

programming of BYU Radio. We recommend that BYU Radio spend some time reevaluating

their current programming to match what their current listeners would like to listen to. The most

listened to program on BYU Radio is Music and the Spoken Word. Along with Music and the

Spoken Word many listeners tune-in to BYU Radio for devotionals, General Conference talks

and sporting events; it is pertinent to mention that none of these programs are part of BYU


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Radios original programming. Listeners wanted to hear more of the real issues facing the LDS

Church. Another suggestion was to have more news updates. We also found that most listeners

wanted to hear more music broadcast and less talk show type programs.

4) Devote more time to popular programs -- Our last suggestion for BYU Radio is to devote

more programming time to shows or topics of which the majority of your listeners enjoy

listening to. As mentioned above, many listeners wanted to hear more hard news and an

increase in LDS Church discussion. The most important thing to realize is that BYU Radios

current listener base is about 89 percent LDS. Tailoring content to the LDS population is critical.

We feel that if BYU Radio can implement our previous suggestions and tailor its programming

to the needs of its listeners, brand image will increase, the potential of BYU Radio as a

missionary tool will grow, and ultimately BYU Radio will increase its listener base throughout

the country.


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Conclusion and Recommendations

Summary

From the research we have conducted we have determined that BYU Radios current

listener is LDS, Caucasian and has children. From our survey we determined that 14 percent

more males listened to BYU Radio than female. We also found that only 51 percent of BYU

Radios current listener base is satisfied with its programming. Music and the Spoken Word is

the most popular program that BYU Radio offers. BYU Radios original programming is

currently not well received and should be reevaluated. When listeners were asked if they thought

BYU Radio was an effective missionary tool, 48 percentanswered that they either agreed or

strongly agreed. However, only 31.8 percent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that

BYU Radio was likely to attract non-LDS listeners. We feel strongly that BYU Radio could

implement different tactics to increase non-LDS traffic and broaden its listener base.

Strengths and Limitations of Research

While conducting this research over the last semester we experienced both positive and

negative experiences from our methodology. A few strengths include the opportunity to conduct

in-depth interviews with people throughout the nation. We were able to understand why these

individuals listened to BYU Radio, how they listened and possible improvements that BYU

Radio could make to its overall organization. Another strength was the use of the statistical

program SPSS, developed by IBM. With this program we were able to analyze the data received

from our survey which we conducted through Qualtrics to draw conclusions about certain types

of programming, accessibility, and whether or not BYU Radio is meeting the needs of both the

LDS Church and its current listener base.

Although our findings are valuable, there are limitations to both the scope of those who

we targeted and the ability to generalize our information for a population. Due to BYU Radios


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lack of audience understanding and limited awareness of those who currently listen to BYU

Radio, we had to shift our methods from focus groups to in-depth interviews. Although in-depth

phone interviews are resourceful, it still lacked the valuable face-to-face communication that

focus groups can bring. Another problem we faced was the lack of participants in our survey.

The ideal sample size is just under 400 people. We only had 83 people participate in our survey,

and as a result it is impossible to generalize results from such a small sample size. Various

channels were used to launch BYU Radios survey, including a variety of web-based channels,

including social media sites. The survey was also promoted via live broadcasts on BYU Radio.

Online promotion excludes BYU Radio listeners who access BYU Radio entirely through Sirius

XM. This results in a younger, less affluent listener who accesses BYU Radios content through

affordable online streaming.


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Appendix A

Vaylena Tucker-Participant

Brett Lee-Interviewer

Brett: How is your morning going?

Vaylena: Good!

Brett: Im not sure how much Chelsea filled you inon, but Im doing some public

relations work for BYU. Im a student here and were trying to get some information for BYU

Radio.

Vaylena: Okay.

Brett: Is it okay if I record this conversation?

Vaylena: Yeah, thats fine.

Brett: Also, I understand that youre busy, and that you have a lot of other stuff on your

plate, so were actually going to give you a $25 gift card that you can use for helping us out with

this interview.

Vaylena: Thank you!


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Brett: And I can get your information on where to send that later. Also, all of the

information that well be getting from you will remain confidential and will only be released to

BYU Radio so that they can improve their service.

Vaylena: Sure.

Brett: And if at any time you feel uncomfortable with any question, you are not under any

obligation to answer anything-- this is strictly for academic knowledge for BYU Radio.

Vaylena: Oh, okay.

Brett: Are you ready to begin? This shouldnt take longer than 15 minutes tops.

Vaylena: Sure.

Brett: What is your age, Vaylena?

Vaylena: I am 55.

Brett: 55. What is your ethnicity?

Vaylena: White.


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Brett: What city and state do you live in?

Vaylena: Boca Raton, Florida.

Brett: Are you a Florida Native?

Vaylena: No, Im actually from Logan. Logan, Utah.

Brett: Oh really? Cool. Are you married, Vaylena?

Vaylena: Yes.

Brett: Do you have any children?

Vaylena: Six children, four grandchildren and by the end April were going to have seven

grandchildren.

Brett: Oh wow! Thats exciting!

Vaylena: Yep! Its really exciting.


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Brett: Were just trying to get a better understanding of the demographic, so if you dont

mind me asking, I have four different income categories and I was wondering which of them you

fell under.

Vaylena: Okay.

Brett: 0-$35,000 a year, $35,000 year to $75,000 a year, $75,000 to a $120,000 a year, or

$120,000 and above.

Vaylena: $120,000 and above.

Brett: Okay. What is your highest level of school or degree that you have received?

Vaylena: I have an Associates.

Brett: Associates, perfect. The rest of these questions are all about your radio listening

preferences.

Vaylena: Okay.

Brett: Do you listen to the radio?

Vaylena: Yes, I do.


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Brett: Perfect, how often do you listen to the radio? Is it a daily thing or a couple times a

day?

Vaylena: I used to listen to it daily because I used to have more of a routine. Last year I

had a really great routine where I would go swimming and I would listen to the BYU Wheatley

lecture. But now I just listen to it every once in awhile.

Brett: Okay.

Vaylena: Id love to listen to it every day, but sometimes I just cant.

Brett: Just based off of other stuff youve got going on?

Vaylena: Yeah, yeah. Too much going on. I dont have the time that I used to.

Brett: When would you listen during a normal day when you had your routine going?

Like what time of day?

Vaylena: Actually, now I listen to it pretty much every day because driving the kids

around in the morning, I listen to the Mike Townsend show.

Brett: Uh huh.


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Vaylena: ...and if it pertains to something Im interested in, Ill listen to that lecture.

Brett: Okay.

Vaylena: And Ill turn it on in the afternoon and if there is something interesting Ill

listen to it. But mostly I I like to listen to every once in a while, to the devotionals.

Brett: So the radio in general, do you listen to that every day?

Vaylena: BYU Radio?

Brett: Just any kind of radio. FM Radio? Local Radio?

Vaylena: Yes. Every day. Every day.

Brett: Is that in your car or in your home?

Vaylena: Car and if Im interested in a lecture, Ill listen to it online. The BYU channel I

listen to online a lot.

Brett: Okay. Do you not listen to with satellite, or XM or anything like that?


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Vaylena: No, I dont. Actually, I listen to it in my car because I have XM radio.

Brett: Okay, so in your car its XM and at home its online?

Vaylena: Yeah, if Im interested in hearing the rest of the show then I come home and I

hook it up. I hook my computer up to it.

Brett: Oh cool.

Vaylena: ...to the BYU Radio, and I listen to the rest of it.

Brett: Cool. I know that youve mentioned some ofthe shows you liked earlier, but which

shows do you listen to? What shows do you like?

Vaylena: There are two main ones that I listen to. I listen to the Matt Townsend show the

most, and I listen to the Wheatley lectures. I listen to the 2 oclock lecture.

Brett: Is that the BYU devotionals?

Vaylena: No, thats the Wheatley lectures or the other series. Its the Wheatley series, and

there is another series. When Wheatleys not on, theres this other one and sometimes I look for

that. Its the one thatairs at 2 oclock here, but it would be 12 oclock BYU.


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Brett: Perfect.

Vaylena: Its the one that comes on at noon. Its the noon one and the Matt Townsend

comes on at I think its 8 oclock in the morning. So it would be 6 oclock in the morning your

time.

Brett: Okay. How did you start listening to BYU Radio? What got you kind of into it?

Vaylena: Us signing up for XM Radio. We havent had it for very long, but my husband

just decided we needed XM Radio. We pay something like $50 a month for both cars to have it.

Brett: Oh wow.

Vaylena: He likes listening to it.

Brett: Does he like BYU Radio as well or does he listen to other stuff?

Vaylena: Yeah, he does.

Brett: Cool. Are you both BYU grads?

Vaylena: I went to BYU. He didnt. Hes a convert to the church.


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Brett: Oh cool.

Vaylena: He likes listening to some of the programs.

Brett: Oh, thats awesome. What are your thoughts on BYU Radio? Do you really enjoy

it or do you listen to it because its kind of on? Whats your overall experience been like?

Vaylena: Some of the shows I really dont like that much. I would listen to it more if

there were more like theres this show in the afternoon all about music, and Im not really into

that.,

Brett: Okay.

Vaylena: And there is another one the one where he knocks on the door to get the

stories. I dont really listen to that. Im really interested in educational shows that teach me

something. I love the Wheatley series because it keeps me up on current events and helps me

understand whats going on in the world.

Brett: Okay, so you like more of the news aspect of the radio.

Vaylena: The news, yeah, plus the counseling, like Matt Townsend. Its like education

because I learn about how to treat my teenagers. I learn about parenting. Today they were talking

about personal image and my teenage daughter is really into that. It pertains to me. A lot of the


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things pertain to what Im experiencing. If I didnt have any children at home, it wouldnt, but I

have teenagers at home.

Brett: So do you ever listen to the sports that are on BYU Radio?

Vaylena: No. You know what, I never listen to the sports. Im not a sports person. I

mean, I get excited when I hear about BYU, you know, but I dont listen to the games. Im not

really in to the sports.

Brett: Do you ever listen to the classical music thats on BYU radio?

Vaylena: Yeah, I do sometimes and jazz.

Brett: Perfect. So, youre mainly interested in the counseling and the family

programming, as well as some of the classical music as well?

Vaylena: The classical music, I dont really... Im not in the car at the time when the

classical music plays, so I dont really listen to it that much. Id listen to like pieces of music

after the show.

Brett: Okay, I know what youre talking about.


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Vaylena: But I dont tune in to actual music on the BYU channel. I mean, Im sure Id

enjoy listening to classical music, but I dont keep track that well to the BYU channel, because

Im only in the car for limited amounts of time. Its when Im picking up kids, unless its one of

those shows that I continue to listen to here. If its not on while Im driving, then I dont listen to

it.

Brett: Do you have any suggestions to improve your experience with BYU Radio?

Vaylena: I like the fact that its on the internet and I can get it for free. I really like that a

lot. As far as improving, I would say that some of the shows are not that relevant.

Brett: Which shows?

Vaylena: Like the well Im sure they are relevant to some people though.

Brett: Uh huh, but Im just trying to get your opinion.

Vaylena: Like, okay whats that show in the afternoon? That it, actually it would be

your I wish I had the schedule pulled up on the internet. It would probably help if I had that.

Brett: Yea, I dont have mine in front of me either, but you can just describe which type

of shows you feel arent relevant. I think that will suffice.


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Vaylena: Okay, well, theres this show on in the afternoons, and I cant remember the

name of it, but theyre always talking about making music. Different artists and how they make

music.

Brett: Oh okay.

Vaylena: Good listening for musicians probably.

Brett: Okay, but not necessarily for you?

Vaylena: Definitely not for me and I cant imagine that it would be relevant for very

many people.

Brett: Okay. What other types of shows dont really interest you at all?

Vaylena: Well I like the show where the lady goes around to different homes and helps

people eat better at home.

Brett: Yeah, I know which one youre talking about.

Vaylena: Yeah, I like some of them. I like the ones with recipes, I like cooking different

things, so I like that. Yeah, I like that show, but I think it should be more about...it just has a lot


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of non-essential stuff in it. You know, blah, blah, blah. Talking nothingness. She has a hard time

getting down to the meat of the subject, so to speak. Do you understand what Im saying?

Brett: I do, I perfectly get where youre coming from. Youve kind of mentioned some of

the shows that you like on BYU Radio, are there any other types of programming, or are there

any other types that you would like to see more of, like anything that would make you want to

listen to BYU Radio more?

Vaylena: More educational, more current events, political science type things. I love

political science. Anything to do with current events and parenting. I love the different parenting

programming Ive listened to. Theyve been really great.

Brett: Okay.

Vaylena: Townsend actually had, whos that guy fromAlabama? Anyway, hes a very

popular parenting guy, who was a lecturer, and I really enjoyed listening to him.

Brett: Perfect.

Vaylena: I love the way he has the actual people talking on the show instead of just him

talking.

Brett: Okay, so you like his guests?


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Vaylena: I like his guests. Yeah, theyre talented and I get to hear from them and its

great.

Brett: You mentioned that your husband also listens to BYU Radio, do you know anyone

else that maybe is in your neighborhood or your congregation that listens to BYU Radio?

Vaylena: You mean that would be interested in interviewing?

Brett: What I mean is, other people that might have an opinion of BYU Radio, like if you

ever talk about it with friends, or people that you might associate with in any way.

Vaylena: I dont talk about it with friends.

Brett: Okay, I was just curious if there was a collective opinion about BYU Radio in

general that you might be aware of based on where you live.

Vaylena: No, but I have told my friends about it, but most of them dont have XM radio.

Its too expensive.

Brett: Yeah, its pretty pricey.


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Vaylena: Yeah, they can go online and listen to the BYU Radio lecture. I told them about

that because they are great lectures.

Brett: Are these people of the LDS faith or just other friends that you have?

Vaylena: Yeah.

Brett: In that regard, this is kind of my last question-- do you associate BYU Radio with

the LDS faith.

Vaylena: Yes.

Brett: Would you ever see anyone that is not of the LDS faith ever listening to BYU

Radio?

Vaylena: You know, no I havent. Someone I think would have to be familiar with or

gone to BYU, unless I tell them about it. Theyre not actually going to look it up.

Brett: Okay.

Vaylena: I would have to tell them about it. Theyre not familiar with it generally. I

havent met anyone that is.


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Brett: Is there anything else that you feel that BYU Radio should know. Anything that

might help them out or make their product better suited for you and your family?

Vaylena: Well, I think that radio, this is just my opinion, with the radio, music is

important with the radio, the type of music that they play, and also if they are going to air a

show, it needs to have a lot of substance in it, so that people will really listen.

Brett: Okay.

Vaylena: If its got, you know, it needs to be pertinent and worth listening to. You know

what I mean? Pertinent enough that Im going to listen to it.

Brett: Okay.

Vaylena: And there are a couple of shows that you dont get very much out of it, you

know what I mean?

Brett: I do. If you could do a guess for me, what percentage of the programming do you

think is pertinent to you?

Vaylena: Oh I dont know. I couldnt even tell you that because I only listen at certain

times of the day. If I were to listen to it during the evening, there would probably be a lot more

pertinent shows for me to listen to.


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Brett: Okay. So maybe its just a timing thing for you then.

Vaylena: Yeah, its all in the timing for me. Its not whats pertinent and whats not, its

whats the best for me to listen to at the time Im on the road. I dont spend a lot of time listening

to BYU radio in front of my computer unless Im at home doing something and I just turn it on. I

have a tendency to listen to BYU TV in the mornings when Im home. I love BYU TV because I

can do scripture study, old testament scripture study. And I love listening to old devotionals, I

love that on BYU TV. Thats really great.

Brett: Uh huh.

Vaylena: And I love listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Music and the Spoken

Word.

Brett: Yeah.

Vaylena: And the devotionals. Thats really great.

Brett: Well cool. Thats so great, I mean, is there anything else you think we should know

about?


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Vaylena: Um, just keep doing your early shows because us on the east coast love it.

(laughter)

Brett: Sounds great! Keep doing the early shows.

Vaylena: Yeah, were driving around during the early shows.

Brett: Well perfect, Im so grateful for your time, thanks for taking these 20-25 minutes

with me.

Vaylena: I wish I was more knowledgeable about BYU Radio.

Brett: Oh no, Vaylena youre perfect. You were perfect. You are exactly what we were

looking for. We were just trying to get different perspectives from people all around different

parts of the country. Some that listen to it in the morning, some that listen to it in the evening,

some that listen to it only in their car, or only on their computer, or a combination of both. No,

you were perfect.

Vaylena: One thing I didnt mention is that when Im traveling on Sundays I can always

turn on the BYU Radio and Ill listen to some church talk going on or spiritual music.

Brett: Perfect. Thats good to know.


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Vaylena: Thank you.

Brett: No, thank you.

George Larsen-Participant

Katherine Orgill-Interviewer

Katherine: George?

George: Yes.

Katherine: Hi, this is Katherine, how are you?

George: Im doing fine, thanks.

Katherine: Okay, great. So youre ready to go?

George: Yes, I am.

Katherine: Okay, I just wanted to let you know that for your time were giving you a $25

gift card.


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George: Really?

Katherine: Yeah, just for the time that you spent helping us out.

George: I love gift cards.

Katherine: I like them too. Just to preface the conversation will be recorded, are you okay

with that? I just need to transcribe it after we talk.

George: Thats fine, thats fine, they do that all the time to me when I call into T-Mobile

or somewhere.

Katherine: Okay, good. Do you mind if I ask hold old you are?

George: Thats fine, I can tell you that. I am almost 46Im 46 in December.

Katherine: Okay, 46 in December. And whats your ethnicity?

George: I am Caucasian.

Katherine: What state do you live in and what city?

George: I am in Ogden, Utah.


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Katherine: Okay, so are you married?

George: Yes, I am.

Katherine: Do you have kids?

George: Yes.

Katherine: How many?

George: I have three boys, maam.

Katherine: Three boys, okay. Alright and just to get a better understanding of the

demographic do you mind if I ask about income? So like last year what was your annual

household income? You can just tell me in between like 0-35k, 35-75k, 75-120k, 120 and above.

George: Ahh, I wish I had $120,000.

Katherine: Yeah, me too.

George: I think we were about $39,500.


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Katherine: Alright, perfect. And what is the highest level of schooling that youve had?

George: I have about 700 hours of post high school training to applied tech colleges.

Katherine: Alright, perfect. Okay, so you listen to the radio?

George: Yeah, I listen to the radio for my wakeup calls.

Katherine: Oh, okay, so do you listen every morning?

George: I tune into radio stations that are out of state. Say like out of Wyoming. If I can

get it out of Nebraska. Mostly California and Wyoming.

Katherine: Okay, during a normal day, at what times would you be listening around?

George: Normal day I might listen to 3 or 4 radio stations.

Katherine: Do you listen in the mornings, in the afternoon, at night?

George: I listen throughout the day, some mornings, some afternoons, some evenings.

Katherine: Okay, great. And how do you listen? Do you listen via satellite, digitally,

online, via apps?


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George: I listen by way of a digital radio receiver, so its kind of wired to a copper wire

antennae. So like I get KBYU 1 and 2, I get KSL,I also listen to other radio stations

throughout Salt Lake and through Utah County.

Katherine: Oh, alright, perfect. Where do you normally listen? Do you l

BYU Radio Research

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