Alternative Fares Poorly in 2022 Jacobs Media Tech Survey

The data confirms the ratings: Even fans of Alternative don’t like Alt radio…

By Paul Marszalek
TheTop22.com

Poor ratings have been the primary indicator that the Alternative Rock Radio format is not connecting with audiences.

But if you need another opinion, you can look to the 2022 Jacobs Media Tech Survey.

With survey respondents coming from stations’ own databases, results aren’t coming from a statistical market sample, but rather superfans of the participating radio station.

So as one interprets the data, it is key to remember that these are Alternative Rock Radio fans responding to questions about their primary radio station.

Using something called a Net Promoter Score, Jacobs asked fans of the various radio formats how likely they were to recommend their primary radio station to a friend. Christian, Public Radio, Triple A, and Urban AC scored best.

Alternative was dead last, posting a 27. This is actually down from a score of 38 in the 2021 survey.

Jacobs Media also asked respondents whether or not their primary station was their first choice when they were in the mood to hear the type of content aired by their primary station. In other words, if you were interested in sports, would your local sports station be your first choice?

Turns out, yes, sports actually scored best among formats, with Triple A, Urban AC, Country, and Classic Hits following.

Again, Alternative scored poorest among all formats.

Related to the above, Alternative fans are the most likely to first choose a streaming provider for Alternative music over their primary radio station.