The speaker’s premise is that radio listeners are fond of call-in advice programs. The logic that the station manager of KICK in Medway, Massachusetts, has followed is that, because listeners are fond of such programs, the station will increase the number of call-in advice programs it broadcasts. Many listeners would agree with the idea that listeners are fond of call-in advice programs, so management would be wise to follow that logic. Unfortunately, this assumption is flawed. Although some listeners are indeed fond of call-in advice programs, there is no evidence to show that all listeners are fond of call-in advice programs or even that many listeners are fond of call-in advice programs. Surveys have revealed that many listeners are dissatisfied with call-in advice programs. In 2003, the Pew Forum on Public Life conducted a study and found that 26 percent of radio listeners use call-in advice programs, and of those, 33 percent have a negative attitude towards these programs.

Another survey, conducted in 2008 by the RAB, also indicated that 26 percent of listeners use call-in advice programs, but only 14 percent have a favorable opinion of these programs. The RAB also conducted a study in 2009 that discovered that 40 percent of radio listeners use call-in advice programs. Still, only 50 percent of those listeners have a favorable opinion of these programs. So, although this logic appears to be sound, additional research is needed to determine whether or not KICK should include more call-in advice programs.

Some of the survey research suggests that listeners are dissatisfied with call-in advice programs. The RAB study indicated that 73 percent of listeners who listen to call-in advice programs found these programs less attractive than other types of programming. Another survey conducted by Arbitron found that, among the stations with the highest listenership, only 16 percent of listeners said that call-in advice programs were the most exciting programming that they listened to. It is also important to note that many listeners find these programs to be a waste of time. Arbitron’s survey found that 70 percent of listeners who listened to call-in advice programs found them to be boring. There are several reasons why listeners become bored by call-in advice programs. Some listeners believe that call-in advice programs allow callers to share their experiences but do not solve the caller’s problem. Other listeners feel that call-in advice programs provide information that they have already heard, and callers can rarely come up with new solutions.

Another reason some listeners become bored by call-in advice programs is because they often do not provide answers to the caller’s specific question. One survey respondent was interviewed about her opinion of call-in advice programs. She said that: “From what I’ve learned, and from my own experience, I wouldn’t consider call-in advice programs, or talk radio, to be reliable sources of reliable information. […] Call-in advice programs are supposed to be for practical, everyday situations. […] And, in my experience, call-in advice programs don’t offer clear, concise, practical, actionable advice.” One survey respondent also observed that, although callers often provide practical solutions to the caller’s problems, they rarely offer the caller any insight into how they can apply the solution. As a result, some listeners feel that they are wasting their time listening to call-in advice programs when they can be listening to a program with a better subject matter, such as music, sports, news, or comedy, or when the program can provide additional information that the caller can use to solve their problem.

Although there is no question that some listeners are fond of call-in advice programs, there is no denying that most listeners are not fond of call-in advice programs. As the station manager of KICK in Medway, Massachusetts has observed, many listeners have a negative attitude about these programs. Unless KICK can determine which listeners favor call-in advice programs and which listeners are opposed to these programs, it is unwise for KICK to include more call-in advice programs.