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WMRA Listener Survey Results

More than 400 individuals participated in WMRA’s electronic survey, which was completed in September. Thank you!

Following are some key results:

  • 70% of all participants are very satisfied with WMRA, while 25% are somewhat satisfied
  • 94% indicate they will continue to listen to WMRA
  • More than 80% of all respondents have college degrees (bachelor’s or higher-level degrees)
  • 50% have household incomes of $50,000 or more—with most earning between $50,000 and $100,000

Most respondents identified where they live as the Shenandoah Valley and Charlottesville.
In terms of WMRA listening locations:

  • 60% listen to WMRA on 90.7 Harrisonburg
  • 25% listen on 103.5 Charlottesville
  • 15% listen on our other frequencies

Unsurprisingly, Morning Edition and All Things Considered are our two most listened-to programs. NPR’s Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! is tied with American Public Media’s A Prairie Home Companion for the third most listened-to program. Virginia Insight and Acoustic Café are WMRA’s favorite local programs, with The Spark close behind.

In response to what WMRA can do to improve its service to listeners, the three top categories are:

  • Signal improvement
  • More news/talk programming
  • More local news

When asked about WMRA’s news balance, 33% prefer more state, local and regional news, with 52% expressing no strong opinion.
Organizations named as being the most essential to the community are:

  • The Blue Ridge Food Bank
  • James Madison University
  • The University of Virginia
  • Eastern Mennonite University
  • Blue Ridge Community College
  • Mary Baldwin
  • Bridgewater College

In response to the question "What is the one Best thing about our community?", natural beauty ranked highest, followed by friendly and caring people.

Thank you again to everyone who participated in this survey. Your input helps to guide our steps, going forward, and we will continue to have a dialogue with our community of listeners so we can improve our service to you.

Best regards,

Al Bartholet
WMRA Executive Director and General Manager

Al Bartholet was Executive Director of WMRA/WEMC from July 2013 to October 2016.