Research report prepared for the
Australian Communications
and Media Authority
Author: Tom Loncar, Ipsos MediaCT
FEBRUARY 2010
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Published by the Australian Communications and Media Authority
acma | lxii
Contents (Continued)
1. Executive summary 1
1.1 Research context 1
Background 1
Research design 1
1.2 Key findings 1
Overall radio listening patterns 1
Concern about offensive material 2
Complaints in response to offensive material by commercial radio listeners 3
Offensive content and non-target audiences 3
Offensive content and children 4
Trends in community attitudes to radio 4
News and current affairs media sources 5
Commercial influence and disclosure on commercial radio 5
Commercial Radio Codes of Practice and complaint channels 5
1.3 Conclusions 6
2. Research context 7
2.1 Background 7
2.2 Research objectives 7
Listener preferences 7
Views on inappropriate radio content 8
Views on advertising, influence and disclosure in current affairs programs 8
Complaints process 8
Community differences and trends 8
3. Research design and sample characteristics 9
3.1 Sample design 9
3.2 Information collection 9
3.3 Survey content 9
3.4 Fieldwork 10
3.5 Sample characteristics 10
4. Research findings 11
Statistically significant differences 11
4.1 Radio listening behaviours and preferences 11
Regular radio listening 11
Main radio station listened to 13
Radio content preferences 16
Summary 17
4.2 Nature of offensive material heard on radio and action taken 17
Offensive material heard on radio 17
Sources of concern or offence 19
Summary 24
4.3 Responses to inappropriate content and understanding of the complaints process 25
Complaints about inappropriate content 25
Area of complaint 27
Satisfaction with manner in which complaint handled 28
Reasons for not going ahead with complaint 28
Channels for making a complaint 29
Summary 31
4.4 Offensive content and non-target audiences 31
Times of day suitable for potentially offensive content 35
Summary 36
4.5 Offensive content and children 37
Concern about content that is not suitable for children 37
Summary 40
4.6 Trends in community attitudes to radio 41
Attitudes in 2009 41
Demographic differences 43
Listener differences 44
Summary 46
4.7 Media preferences for news and current affairs information 47
Importance of key media sources 47
Commercial listener differences 48
Age differences 49
Summary 50
4.8 Commercial influence and disclosure on commercial radio 51
On-air disclosures by radio personalities on commercial AM radio 54
Summary 59
4.9 Commercial Radio Codes of Practice 59
Announcements about the Commercial Radio Codes of Practice 59
Summary 61
Appendix: Community attitudes to radio content questionnaire 62
Community Attitudes to Radio Content Survey 62
acma | lxii1. Executive summary
1.1 Research context
Background
Ipsos MediaCT was commissioned by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to undertake the Community Attitudes to Radio Content study. This research examines the views and attitudes of Australian radio listeners to the material they hear on radio. It places emphasis on commercial radio services in order to explore matters that are covered in the Commercial Radio Codes of Practice and Guidelines and the commercial radio program standards applying to disclosure, advertising and compliance. The research specifically covered:
broad radio listening behaviours and preferences of Australians aged 15 years
and over
extent and nature of community concerns about offensive radio content
attitudes towards inappropriate radio content, and views on the potential for certain types of content to impact secondary audiences, including children
the importance of commercial radio (including commercial AM talkback radio) as a source of news and current affairs information, relative to other media
views on advertising (including the ability to clearly distinguish advertising from other program content), influence (including the potential for sponsors to influence news and current affairs content), and disclosure of sponsors (including awareness and perceived importance of on-air disclosure announcements) in commercial AM radio current affairs programs
listener understanding of the commercial radio complaints process.
Research design
A national telephone survey of Australians aged 15 years and over was undertaken in February 2009. A nationally representative sample of N=1,537 was achieved, of which 1,423 were radio listeners.
1.2 Key findings
Overall radio listening patterns
In all, 93 per cent of survey respondents, or 90 to 95 per cent of Australians[1] aged 15 years and over indicate they are radio listeners, with 91 per cent indicating regular (at least once a week) listening. Commercial FM radio is the most popular with 54 per cent reporting they listen regularly to this type of service, followed by ABC stations (not including Triple J—40 per cent), commercial AM radio (25 per cent), Triple J (15 per cent), and community radio services (14 per cent).[2]
Music and news and information remain the most preferred radio program formats in 2009, similar to the finding established in 2003 research by the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA). Substantial age differences underpin listening preferences, for example:
Music is highly preferred in the younger 15–24 (92 per cent) and 25–34 (91 per cent) listener age groups, and less with increasing age (down to 50 per cent for 75+ years).
News and information programming is most popular in older age groups, peaking at the 55–64 age group (83 per cent), and least preferred by 15–24 year olds (45 per cent).
The popularity of talkback programming increases with age. More than half of radio listeners aged 55+ indicate regular talkback listening, while almost three-quarters (71 per cent) of those aged 75+ listen regularly. Fewer in the 15–24 and 25–34 age groups said they listen to ‘talkback’[3] regularly (35 per cent and 31 per cent).
Breakfast programs on commercial FM radios are most appealing to 15–44 year olds (between 36 per cent and 42 per cent). This preference falls markedly from ages 55 plus, down to five per cent for listeners 75 years and over.
Concern about offensive material
Just over a fifth of all radio listeners (22 per cent, 24 per cent of commercial radio listeners) indicate they have heard something that caused them concern or offence on radio over the preceding 12 months. Just over half of this group (12 per cent of all radio listeners) had heard such an item in the seven days prior to interview. These results are very similar to those reported in the 2003 ABA study.
The main areas of unprompted concern in 2009 are:
Offensive language (4.4 per cent of all radio listeners, 5.1 per cent of regular commercial radio listeners), includes vulgarity and coarse language used mainly by presenters, and often in song lyrics.
Immature attitudes of presenters (3.2 per cent, 3.7 per cent), includes presenters putting others down and their stupid behaviour.
Sex-related advertisements (3.1 per cent, 3.1 per cent), mainly advertising nasal sprays for erectile dysfunction.
Sexual references (2.4 per cent, 3.1 per cent), usually sexually suggestive discussion by presenters.
Presentation of talkback programs (2 per cent, 1.5 per cent), includes bias, making fun of others and providing inaccurate information.
Bias/disagreement with opinions (1.8 per cent, 1.4 per cent), primarily a sub-category associated with the presentation of talkback programs and news stories.
Some of these concerns are expressed with regard to children hearing offensive material (2 per cent of all radio listeners, 2.7 per cent of commercial listeners), and mainly in association with inappropriate sex-related advertisements and sexual references.
Females, metropolitan listeners, households with children, radio listeners aged 55–64 and commercial talkback listeners are groups particularly likely to have heard offending radio content.
Since 2003, the community ‘concern mix’ appears to have shown some stability, particularly for concerns about offensive language and sexual references. However, 2009 has uncovered sex-related inappropriate advertisements as a new area of offence. Concern about the presentation of talkback programs, discriminatory language, and bias have fallen notably as areas of concern since 2003.
Commercial FM radio represents the main source of concern or offence for more than half (54 per cent) of concerned radio listeners, followed by commercial AM radio (23 per cent—this yields a net commercial percentage of 76 per cent).
Complaints in response to offensive material by commercial radio listeners
Only four per cent of commercial radio listeners have ever made a complaint in response to hearing inappropriate content on radio, while a further 27 per cent indicate they have thought about making a complaint but chose not to go through with it. These results are very similar to those reported in the 2003 ABA study.
Complaints and potential complaints relate mainly to program content (76 per cent), compared with advertising (26 per cent) on radio.
Commercial AM listeners show a stronger tendency to have either made a complaint (seven per cent) or to have thought about making a complaint (32 per cent) than commercial FM listeners.
Listeners aged 15–24 are least likely to complain or think about making a complaint (12 per cent).
Main reasons for not proceeding with a complaint are: not worth the effort/couldn’t be bothered (30 per cent of potential complainants); lack of time (29 per cent); and didn’t think that complaint would be taken seriously (13 per cent).
The majority of those who had gone through with an actual complaint (24 respondents out of n=41) were satisfied with the manner in which their complaint was handled. Within the dissatisfied group (n=17), most responses related to no action being taken by a station in response to their contact.
Offensive content and non-target audiences
Thirty per cent of all radio listeners indicate that offensive content should never be broadcast on radio regardless of a station’s targeted audience. A greater proportion of 49 per cent feel that content that could offend non-target listeners is acceptable, but only in some circumstances or with restrictions. The views of commercial radio listeners do not vary significantly from all radio listeners.
No age group is particularly indifferent to offensive content on radio, however, more respondents aged 15–24 accept offending material in some circumstances or with restrictions (59 per cent) than those aged 65+ (37 per cent).
The main restriction identified is the broadcast of certain content at appropriate times (18 per cent of those who identified restrictions), with acceptable if in context/use common sense and decency (eight per cent), and provide a prior warning (seven per cent) also suggested as key restrictions. The time periods most appropriate for the broadcast of potentially offensive content are seen to be late at night to early morning (from 9 pm until 6 am). In aggregate, this time period represents the preference of 24 per cent of all radio listeners, and 26 per cent of commercial radio listeners.
Offensive content and children
Almost half of radio listeners (49 per cent) indicate a moderate-to-high level of concern that children under 15 years of age might hear unsuitable radio content. Concern across key radio listener types is similar, with no significant differences emerging.
Listeners aged 65–74 are most concerned that children might hear unsuitable content on radio (62 per cent of those with concerns), while those aged 15–24 are least concerned (21 per cent).
Sexual references (51 per cent of those with any concerns; 37 per cent of all radio listeners) and offensive language (41 per cent of those with any concerns) were the main types of offensive content indicated, followed by violence and crime (22 per cent) and racist content (12 per cent).
Concerned commercial AM listeners have a higher concern about crime, violence, graphic news (32 per cent) than concerned commercial FM listeners (22 per cent), with concern for other key categories of offence relatively even across listener types.
Trends in community attitudes to radio
The responses by radio listeners to a range of attitudinal statements reveal particularly high agreement and preference (in excess of 80 per cent for all radio listeners) for:
obtaining personal permission from affected listeners before broadcasting a prank call (85 per cent of all radio listeners, 86 per cent of commercial radio listeners)
personal sponsorship deals not influencing the on-air opinions of radio personalities (81 per cent, 86 per cent)
advertising being clearly distinguishable from other radio content (80 per cent, 79 per cent).
There is also high overall agreement that the language used on radio is usually suitable for its audience (81 per cent radio listeners, 82 per cent commercial listeners) and that the subject matter covered by radio presenters is usually suitable for the time of day it is broadcast (76 per cent, 75 per cent).
Following these, there are moderate-to-high levels of agreement about:
the inappropriateness of language that stereotypes certain groups in the community (62 per cent, 62 per cent)
some radio competitions encouraging dangerous or anti-social behaviour (48 per cent, 49 per cent)
There are also moderate levels of agreement that some radio announcers have too much influence over the community (56 per cent, 54 per cent) and radio content encourages tolerance of particular groups in the community (52 per cent, 52 per cent).