Over the years, a lot of my clients have gone with me on a journey as we sit in a conference room and try to create a profile of their station’s ideal listener. The exercise blends information like demographics from Nielsen with conjecture, such as trying to decide where in town this person is most likely to work.
Credit Where It’s Due: Peter Thiele’s Prompt
Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was forwarded a profile of one of my client stations that was created using ChatGPT and a highly detailed prompt that asked about the likely listening audience. Credit where it’s due. This idea came from Peter Thiele, who is not only a Program Director for Zimmer Communications but also writes a column for Barrett Media.
It got me wondering if my exercise was obsolete and what AI thinks of Classic Rock, Classic Hits, and Adult Hits listeners. So, I fired up ChatGPT and started asking questions. I’m not sure my skill at crafting prompts is as good as Peter’s, but here are some notes about each format’s listeners according to AI.
Asking AI: Who Listens to What?
First, I asked for profiles on who listens to each format. Weeding out the most obvious notes my query returned, here are some of the more interesting comparisons that ChatGPT produced:
Age Cohort: Classic Rock is primarily Generation X (40-59) with some Millennials (30-44), while Classic Hits is mostly Boomers (45-65), and Adult Hits is Generation X and younger Boomers.
Household Income: Adult Hits wins by a hair with a median of $100-$120. While Classic Hits is at $90-$110, and Classic Rock is at $80 to $100K.
Biggest Concerns: Classic Rockers are worried about job security, rising costs and healthcare. While Classic Hits listeners are worrying about retirement and elder care. Adult Hits, skewing slightly younger, is more concerned with debt, childcare and saving for college.
Charitable Causes: Veterans are a big focus for Classic Rockers, along with animal shelters. Classic Hits fans tend to focus more on health-related causes and children’s issues. Education is a big focus for Adult Hits listeners, as well as mental health and the environment.
Surprising Listener Traits, According to AI
Next, I asked for some surprising facts about each listener:
Classic Rock: The thing that surprised ChatGPT most is how many younger people are discovering the music. “While the stereotype is aging male Boomers, a large and growing share of Classic Rock listeners are Gen Xers and Millennials—especially men in the 25–44 range.” Chat GPT also said that Classic Rock listeners are extremely loyal if you don’t change anything. “Classic Rock listeners are deeply loyal to their station, but that loyalty is rooted in familiarity. Introducing too many newer artists (even those with a classic sound) or tweaking the playlist too aggressively can spark backlash.”
Classic Hits: It might surprise you to learn that Classic Hits listeners have some of the highest TSL because they can “count on comfort and nostalgia with a low risk of something that will make them tune out.” It was also surprising to see that these listeners value the hosts having “a strong emotional attachment to local personalities.” They appreciate storytelling, trivia, and community involvement.
Adult Hits: When it came to Adult Hits, ChatGPT said the unspoken thing aloud. Even though they come for the variety, the hidden secret about Adult Hits fans is that they want familiarity. “Research shows listeners aren’t looking for chaos, they’re drawn to a predictable kind of unpredictability. They like variety within a safe zone.”
Visualizing the Audience with AI Tools
Finally, I also asked an AI to create images of each listener. Based on the profile that was developed for each format:
I’m not sure an hour of prompting several different AIs about these three formats unearthed anything groundbreaking. However, it did help bring a few things into focus. Like what charities matter most and what concerns our listeners have.
It’s also a strong reminder that every station should have a profile of its ideal listener. Taking some time to use AI can help develop an even more detailed look at who is listening to your stations than ever before.
A Dare for Programmers and Sales Teams
My suggestion is to start by asking AI for detailed breakdowns on the person who listens to your station. Then see how it compares with the perceptions of the airstaff. And then, just for fun, I dare you to visit a sales meeting and see how the listener profile matches up with the sales staff’s perception.
Cmon, it’ll be fun.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
