Page 52 - The Channel Issue 2 2010

52 | ISSUE 2 2010 | THE CHANNEL

The multi-plier effect of word-of-mouth networks and opinion leaders can even be felt within media industries

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AudienceScapes survey research approach integrates a few development-specific elements that can be of value to the broadcasting community. Notably, it sheds light on how word-of-mouth

communication patterns potentially can boost the impact of a given broadcast programme or channel. In other words, what happens to broadcast information once it is viewed by an audience member? AudienceScapes can give broadcasters a better understanding of their reach beyond simple listenership or viewership rates.

The fact is, some viewers and listeners tend to play more prominent roles than others in word-of-mouth networks and thus can have a greater impact on the

nternational development organisations, like international broadcasters, want to understand the media and communication habits of their "audiences" – the people on the ground whom they aim to help. Critical information about health care, farming practices, sanitation and other development issues won't travel far unless it is delivered in an effective format and via a well-targeted conduit, be it radio, TV, cell phones, friends, colleagues or otherwise.

DEVELOPMENTNEEDS

InterMedia created the AudienceScapes project

(www.audiencescapes.org) to apply our two decades of expertise in

audience measurement to the needs of development. So far, the AudienceScapes research program has focused on Africa – specifically, Kenya, Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania – with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Our nationally representative surveys track general use of media and communication technologies, personal communication habits, and information-gathering patterns related to a few key topics: health, agriculture and personal finance issues. Meanwhile, in-depth interviews with policymakers provide an outline of the information ecology at the policy level.

Of course, audience measurement is nothing new for most global broadcasters. But the

The African AudienceScapes project taps into InterMedia's special expertise in audience measurement. It looks at audiences' habits from a development perspective but some of the survey's findings make interesting reading for broadcasters too, as InterMedia's research analyst David Montez reports I

SHEDDINGLIGHTON AUDIENCES