Publication Date

Summer 2014

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Theatre Arts

Advisor

Michael Adams

Keywords

Marketing, Promotion, Radio, Radio Programming, Young Adult

Subject Areas

Mass communication

Abstract

As young adults have adopted the use of digital new media technologies, previous scholarly research has predicted a lack of interest by young adults in traditional media, including radio. This waining interest in traditional media by young adults has also been reported in the popular press. An abandonment of radio by young adults could bring about an eventual decline in audience, resulting in adverse economic effects to the broadcast radio industry and related industries, including a decrease in radio revenues, the deflation in the value of radio properties, and potential job loss. This research examined the challenges radio programmers and marketers feel they are having in reaching out to and growing young adult audiences in the face of competition from new media and new media technologies as well as new opportunities for programming and marketing that these new media present. This research surveyed websites and interviewed radio broadcasters in the San Francisco Bay Area who demonstrated success in marketing to young adults in an attempt to ascertain the challenges and new opportunities in reaching and cultivating radio listeners is presented by new media. It was found that these San Francisco Bay Area radio stations are using new media tools to market and program to young adult listeners, and that these tools are key in keeping the radio medium robust.

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