To P1 or not To P1

In radio, at a basic level, listeners fall into two categories, a P1 (Primary listener) or a P2 (secondary listener). P1 Listeners are a radio station’s most loyal listeners, who report the station as their most frequently listened-to station. P1 listeners typically spend the most time with the station and identify it as their “favourite” or default station. To put it simply they listen most of the time to the station. P2 Listeners are secondary listeners who tune into the station for shorter durations, in other words they listen to the station some of the time. In the US they break this down even further and categorise listeners from P1 to P5 which is more reflective of how various people actually listen, however in this article I’ll use the basic categorisation of P1 and P2.

The diary-based methodology has been a cornerstone of commercial radio audience measurement in countries like the UK, Australia, and the USA (in smaller markets) for decades, providing data for generating ratings that drive advertising revenue. Understanding the distinction between P1 (primary) and P2 (secondary) listeners is essential, as these listener categories significantly influence a station’s ratings and, consequently, its commercial viability. Let me briefly explain the value of P1 vs P2 listeners in the context of a diary-based radio methodology which involves listeners recording their radio listening habits in a paper or electronic diary over a specified period, typically one week. Respondents note the stations they listen to, the time of day, and the duration of listening. These diaries are collected, processed, and analyzed by research firms (e.g., Nielsen in the USA, GfK in Australia, or RAJAR in the UK) to produce metrics such as reach, time spent listening (TSL), and share, which form the basis of radio ratings. P1 listeners are the backbone of a radio station’s ratings due to the contribution they make to key metrics. Their value can be understood through a couple of key aspects:

1. Higher Time Spent Listening (TSL):

• P1 listeners typically tick more quarter-hours of listening in their diaries compared to P2 listeners. In diary-based systems, a listener must tune in for at least five minutes within a 15-minute quarter-hour for the station to receive credit. P1 listeners, due to their loyalty, are more likely to meet this threshold consistently across multiple quarter-hours, boosting the station’s TSL.

• Higher TSL directly increases a station’s share of listening, a critical metric that reflects the proportion of total radio listening hours attributed to the station.

• P1 listeners are more likely to accurately and consistently report their listening to the station in diaries because it is their primary choice. This reliability strengthens the station’s reported audience size and reduces variability.

• In contrast, P2 listeners may underreport or inconsistently record their listening to secondary stations, as their attention is focussed on their primary station of choice.

2. Impact on Reach and Share:

• While P1 listeners contribute to a station’s reach (the number of unique listeners), their primary value lies in driving share. Since share is calculated as a station’s total listening hours divided by the market’s total radio listening hours, P1 listeners’ extended engagement disproportionately boosts share.

While P1 listeners are critical, P2 listeners also play a valuable role in a station’s ratings, particularly in expanding reach. They also are a source of potential P1 listeners. Their contributions include:

1. Expanding Reach:

• P2 listeners increase a station’s cumulative audience (cume), which measures the total number of unique listeners over a given period.

• For instance, in Australia’s GfK radio surveys, P2 listeners may tune in during specific dayparts (e.g., drive time or special programming), contributing to reach without necessarily impacting TSL as significantly as P1 listeners.

2. Opportunity for Conversion to P1:

• P2 listeners represent a potential pool for conversion into P1 listeners through targeted programming, promotions, or content that appeals to their interests.

While the diary methodology attracts some criticism, it is statistically robust, though it does have some limitations and one of those is recall bias: Listeners may inaccurately report their habits, with P1 listeners more likely to recall and record their primary station accurately. P2 listeners may under report occasional listening, reducing their impact on ratings. The other is sample size, diary samples are often small due to a desire from industry bodies to reduce costs and this can amplify the influence of P1 listeners while potentially underrepresenting P2 listeners. Statistics allows for deviations from the average or mean and this needs to be factored into any result. Media in Australia tend to look at each individual survey result rather than trends as they want a headline, and management within stations reacting to one result is something that is frustrating to those who truly understand the methodology. But I digress, more on that though another time.

Programming to a P1 listener is different to programming to a P2 listener and the reason is simple. P1’s listen most of the time so are more familiar with the station and indeed the key shows, for example, they know the characters on the breakfast and drive shows and are familiar with the in jokes and the nic names used for each host and the support team for example, whereas a P2 listener is not, and this difference is highlighted when you network an established and successful show from one market into another market

Commercial FM began in Australia in 1980 and since then there have been many network shows however just two attempts to network a metro FM breakfast show and they were The Richard Stubbs Show in 1995 (Triple M Network - Village Roadshow) and the Kyle and Jackie O Show in 2024 (KIIS Network- ARN). Both shows were networked between Sydney and Melbourne initially and both were fantastic shows and were #1FM in their market of origin. Richard Stubbs in Melbourne and Kyle and Jackie O in Sydney. The decision to network Richard came about when the Managing Director of Village Roadshow at the time asked the question, “why can I fly from Los Angelas to New York and hear Howard Stern at Breakfast but I can’t fly from Melbourne to Sydney and hear Richard Stubbs at Breakfast?” That question led to the networking of Richard Stubbs from Melbourne into Sydney.

The Richard Stubbs Show at the time was a seriously good show, on-air with Richard was Tim Smith, Bridget Duclos and a young Eddie McGuire reading sport. Richard was a brilliant ring master and the show was #1FM and much loved in Melbourne and initially Richard wasn’t keen on being networked but eventually agreed and when it went to air in Sydney, from a technical perspective it was seamless. The team did a great job and Richard did split breaks for sport to cover the two codes of AFL for Melbourne and NRL for Sydney, and there was local imaging for each market so it sounded like the show was being broadcast from Sydney if you were in Sydney and it sounded like it was being broadcast from Melbourne if you were listening in Melbourne. Despite all that the show didn’t work, I mean it wasn’t a disaster in Sydney but it didn’t get the ratings they had hoped for, so why didn’t it work?

To P1 or not to P1?, and in the case of the Melbourne audience the answer was yes however in Sydney the answer was no. It was a tale of two groups of listeners, one super familiar with the show, the characters, the shows nuances, Richard’s sense of humour and the relationships between the on -air team, but the Sydney audience was not. To put it simplistically, Melbourne had essentially a P1 audience and Sydney a P2 audience who needed to be converted to P1 for the show to be a success. In Sydney the audience needed context and the show needed to be explained to them, which wasn’t the case in Melbourne. Sydney listeners needed to understand who the characters on the show were and what they were like and they needed to understand the relationship between the characters and what type of show it was in order for them to feel involved and engage with it.

Information without context is irrelevant

Without context converting a P2 into a P1 is much harder, remember a P2 listener listens less frequently or for shorter durations so if there is no context they find it hard to understand the show and therefore conversion doesn’t take place or if it does it takes much longer and in the case of the Richard Stubbs Show in Sydney they were not given the time.

The point here is that a key reason why the show didn’t get traction in Sydney wasn’t because Sydney audiences didn’t like Richard Stubbs or the show, it was because they weren’t familiar with it and not enough was done to familiarise them with the show. A P2 listener already has their favourite station and their favourite breakfast show so you have to make it easy for them to become involved with the show, to understand the show and then hopefully they give the show more of their listening and over time if they continue to give more of their listening to the show they become a P1. However, you need to engage them quickly and in order to do that you have to join the dots for them. There is a famous quote:

Never underestimate a listeners intelligence but never overestimate a listener’s product knowledge.

The average listener doesn’t listen to the radio like people in the industry do. Radio listening is largely habitual and radio is not something they spend a lot of time thinking about. Why? Because when it comes to choosing to purchase a product there is a direct relationship between the time spent thinking about that purchase and the financial cost. In the case of Radio which is essentially free, the financial cost and associated risk in choosing one station and then finding out its not the one they like is zero, therefore little time is spent thinking about it, whereas the financial cost and associated risk if you purchase a house and then realise you don’t like it is very high which is why a lot of time is spent thinking about it. This is another element that makes converting P2’s into P1’s challenging so to make it easier you have to be welcoming to P2’s, don’t assume product knowledge and make it easier for them to understand by giving them context and explain what is going on so its easy for them to get involved or engaged. The goal is for all listeners to love the show and as the famous Content Director Tracy Johnson and author of Morning Radio once said:

I_n order to love you, they must like you, in order to like you they must know you._

I talked about the role of the Content Director in my previous post and said that radio content is a combination of science and art, well this is part of the science. Understanding the value of a P1 listener vs a P2 listener and understanding the importance of conversion is critical. Creatively executing the elements that can quicken conversion is the art in this case. It might not be rocket science but there is science involved and understanding the different types of listeners is critical which is why answering the question To P1 or Not to P1 is an important first step.