Cooper is program chairperson for CIBAR – Conference for International Broadcasters’ Audience Research Services – this year hosted by Radio Canada International in Montreal October 31st-November 2nd.
Why do international broadcasters need audience research?
Cooper: For many of the reasons that any broadcaster needs research – to reliably assess how you’re doing, who you’re reaching and where you should be going in future. Even though the international PSBs are not generally driven by commercial imperatives, there is constant and growing pressure to demonstrate accountability and impact, much of which is expressed in audience terms. And the internationals are not immune to the massive technological changes sweeping the broadcast industry, so there’s a significant market intelligence job to do in advising on the best platforms and multi-media combinations, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
To what extent do the major IBs conduct research and how is that done?
Cooper: All the major international PSBs are involved to some extent. US broadcasters under the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) have an extensive annual programme of both quantitative and qualitative research, now entering its 5th year. To date it has covered around 100 countries, most of them annually. The BBC also has a serious commitment to research and commission much of their own work, as do RFI, Deutsche Welle and Radio Australia. Budget restrictions limit what the smaller stations, such as Radio Nederland Wereldomroep (RNW) and Radio Canada International (RCI), can do, but they remain actively engaged. In fact, RCI will be hosting this year’s CIBAR conference in Montreal.
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Nothing attracts broadcasters attention like a hot new market. Even though Belarus is home to Europe’s last major dictator, broadcasters are lined up to get their share of the audience.
Governments looking to spin television news to their liking are setting up satellite channels. And they are avoiding their own international broadcasting agencies.
RFE/RL has a new logo, dumping that old bell for a new flame, RFI and DW partner-up and the BBC World Service wants to send more emails.
Media support agencies and international broadcasters are moving personnel and equipment to Indonesia’s Aceh province, re-building destroyed radio stations.
The end of October 2004 brought the end of Swiss Radio International broadcasting on shortwave and as I considered this I could not help but think of Willis Conover.
Conference of International Broadcasters Audience Research Services (CIBAR) Montreal, Canada Oct 31-Nov 2
For more information contact Allen Cooper
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As far how it’s done, well, that’s a long story. Given the wide range of broadcast environments, the extent of local FM and local radio and TV affiliate arrangements, online connectivity and other factors, it’s very much a case of ‘horses for courses’. Obviously we can only rarely use industry-standard measurement vehicles – they don’t exist in most places where we work - so CIBAR’s strategy has been to develop guidelines for good media survey research practice and to promote these as the research quality requirement for all measurement. Developed by research professionals working in CIBAR member stations with the support of the EBU, these guidelines underpin virtually all of the measurement work done, including the very large BBG master contract.
When circumstances permit, we buy into local media surveys, acquire peoplemeter and local media diary data, and work qualitatively with existing and potential audiences. As the list of ‘why’ questions’ grows ever longer, so we are pushing forward into new areas of research – ethnography looks set to be on the agenda at this year’s conference.
Isn’t that a challenge in places like Kosovo?
Cooper: Comparatively speaking, Kosovo’s not that bad a place to work now, although the growing number of rebroadcasters/affiliates can be a headache. Local researchers have found ways to work within the still-volatile ethnic mix there, which makes it easier to work to the required quality standards. The real headaches are in places like Afghanistan and Iraq (security issues), Iran and much of Asia (political restrictions), and Nigeria and Ethiopia (large, diverse countries). It’s not unknown to have interviewers arrested, albeit briefly, as happened recently in Togo and Zimbabwe.
And then just when you think you’re getting a handle on a place, along comes a revolution (Ukraine, Georgia or Kyrgyzstan) or natural disaster (floods in Bangladesh) to stir up the media scene and make life more difficult for researchers. Never a dull moment.
The CIBAR conference is meant to do what?
Cooper: It’s an opportunity to get everyone together to review experiences, thrash out problems, catch up on new research findings, and generally seek ways to better meet the growing and diverse needs of our clients. In order to encourage maximum participation, the conference moves around, and CIBAR’s membership dues allow subsidies to smaller stations to help them host the conference. This year we’re in Montreal with RCI. Last year we were in London (BBC) and before that Moscow (VoR), Stockholm (Radio Sweden), Washington (VOA, RFA, RFE/RL), Cologne (DW) and Geneva (EBU). All being well, next year we’ll be with Radio Australia in Melbourne.
Inevitably there are recurring themes at the conferences. This year we’ll be picking up the threads on how best to measure affiliates/rebroadcasting, considering how DRM might impact on our work, hopefully find a way through the tricky terrain of research for public diplomacy, and see what possibilities might await us in qualitative research beyond the focus group. And, of course, have a lot of fun along the way.
You've added to the conference agenda a discussion of international broadcasters and public diplomacy. Whether it's through traditional IB channels, as with VOA, or newly formed ventures, such as the French and Russian TV channels - somewhat outside those nations' IBs, it seems awareness of the role of these channels in public diplomacy has increased recently. Am I mistaken in that view?
To what extent are researchers looking into the performance of international broadcasting being asked to ascertain benefits to public
diplomacy, regardless of the broadcasters doing the asking? And, then, if it a factor in the researchers mandate does this compromise the
research process?
Cooper: The issue of public diplomacy is a difficult and sensitive one for IBs, and for those researching them. There may be an inherent conflict between a station's active engagement in public diplomacy, with the associated identification with aspects of foreign policy, and its editorial integrity, impartiality and independence, and by extension its credibility. Nevertheless, as information providers in the international news arena, the IBs are already contributing, whether intentionally or not, to foreign perceptions of their host countries. Researchers really need to understand
the dynamics of these processes, what they mean for the brand and reputation of their stations, and to convey this to their station managements. How best
to do this is the kind of debate we want to launch in Montreal.
It's cliche now to talk about "more channels than ever before" for the media user. What, in your opinion, does it take for IBs to attract and keep a share of those listeners and viewers?
Cooper: IBs have undergone a huge transformation in the past 20 years or so. From largely being external providers of SW radio signals, they have grown to additionally become local free-standing broadcasters and internal content providers of TV and radio programming to other broadcasters, not to mention having a global presence on the web. The drive to access them, however, remains essentially the same - a need for information which audiences feel is not provided in sufficient quality or quantity by other available sources. We know that when information need is acute and choice limited, audiences to IBs can be large - listening in Hausa in northern Nigeria is a good example. We also know that as media choices proliferate and political control over
information reduces, using IBs becomes a small, niche activity, one of many choices open to consumers - look at developments across parts of the FSU.
Ultimately, the consumer will decide. If the consumer feels that IBs offer a service of value to them in a form and at a time when they want it, they will use them. Current audience data suggest this is still very much the case.