Talk Radio Turns Off Women; Women Turn Off Talk Radio

[fred flintstone]

{b]Chicago Tribune: Talk radio finds softer side {/b] In rush to attract female listeners, programs multiply For the better part of two decades, talk radio has been a largely male enterprise: men arguing -- not always politely -- with other men about politics or sports, taking on-air calls from a vast audience of mostly men.And women mostly have been tuning out, research shows. A survey commissioned by ABC Radio Networks last year found that only 3 percent of women ages 18 to 54 strongly agree that talk radio is relevant to them, and half cannot cite anything they like about talk radio.Radio executives increasingly are seeking talk-radio programs aimed at female listeners. Programmers are looking to build female listenership with shows that answer women's common complaints: that talk radio is boring, argumentative and too political. ...READ MORE (Registration May Be Required)http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0605160314may17,1,5989993.story?track=rss

More fragmentation: Traditional talk skews old, so we have Free FM and Hot Talk. It skews conservative, so we have progressive talk. It skews White, so we have Urban talk. It skews male, so we have the Satellite Sisters and now Whoopi.It also could mean FM will more and more pick up the various talk formats and music more and more will the domain of satellite radio.

 

[Alex B]

{b]Chicago Tribune: Talk radio finds softer side {/b] In rush to attract female listeners, programs multiply For the better part of two decades, talk radio has been a largely male enterprise: men arguing -- not always politely -- with other men about politics or sports, taking on-air calls from a vast audience of mostly men.And women mostly have been tuning out, research shows. A survey commissioned by ABC Radio Networks last year found that only 3 percent of women ages 18 to 54 strongly agree that talk radio is relevant to them, and half cannot cite anything they like about talk radio.Radio executives increasingly are seeking talk-radio programs aimed at female listeners. Programmers are looking to build female listenership with shows that answer women's common complaints: that talk radio is boring, argumentative and too political. ...READ MORE (Registration May Be Required)http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0605160314may17,1,5989993.story?track=rss

More fragmentation: Traditional talk skews old, so we have Free FM and Hot Talk. It skews conservative, so we have progressive talk. It skews White, so we have Urban talk. It skews male, so we have the Satellite Sisters and now Whoopi.It also could mean FM will more and more pick up the various talk formats and music more and more will the domain of satellite radio.

Or, just as likely, Talk Stations that have heavy male listenership might use HD2 and HD3 channels to program shows targeted at women. That is, IF HD Radio flys.