III.VI: Research, Innovation, and Performance

Drive Innovation and Performance with Research

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All broadcasting aims to communicate. Successful communication, however, is not solely in the hands of the broadcaster. It depends on the willingness of the target audience to receive the message or even to listen. That is why audience research is the life’s blood of broadcasting and why it is our challenge to use this powerful tool correctly. Audience research tells us what customers want and do not want and it points to the ways to reach them. It does this by informing us in three areas:· Programming – Research identifies outmoded formats, shows how to remain relevant, how to maintain and inspire trust and how to appeal to specific groups (e.g., young people).· Delivery – Identifies the usage patterns of various electronic channels by the target population.· Media Habits – Identifies the best ways to enhance audience reach in a given population by using supplemental media. (e.g. satellite TV simulcasts may make sense in some target countries, but not others.) Audience research can guide at the micro level (e.g. a focus group suggests that a particular newscast is too long) or the macro level (surveys and focus groups across a region point to trends in new media use and therefore that certain changes will be needed to reach audiences there). In FY 2002, the BBG consolidated long-standing individual research efforts spread across theentities and instituted a comprehensive audience research program that now serves all. We will ensure that the results of the research are interpreted and drive change appropriately.

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