Axiom 2001 Report

Axiom Research conducted a series of focus groups in 2000 for WBUR, attempting to find out what listeners thought of the station, the Web, and the station's Web site. They wrote a 21 page report (released in 2001) which is not available online, but included the following:

1. Listeners have a strong personal and emotional attachment to WBUR.
2. Listening is passive in nature. Listeners wonder if the positive aspects of their relationship to the station can be transfered to the interactive sphere of the Web.
3. Listeners like: "apolitical," "factual," "detailed," "humorous," "quirky" and "off-beat" in content and style. They want Web content that is not available elsewhere (i.e. not headline news, weather or stock quotes, they go elsewhere for those).
4. Listeners don't like: redundant links and "busy."
5. Listeners want: unique content, "cutting room floor" content, "in-depth," archives, schedules and online pledging.
6. Listeners don't want: "too commercial."
7. Some listeners had trouble discerning between wbur.org and npr.org and were confused about where to find desired content.

Axiom Recommendations:
1. Make program icons the focal point on the homepage.
2. Make the homepage clear and calm.
3. Reduce headline news, focus on expanded information from shows.
4. Enhance the schedule.
5. Create a feedback forum.
6. Carefully integrate revenue generating activity.

The Axiom report, even seven years later, has some interesting information, particularly in the profounder aspects of listeners' perceptions of their relationship with the station. These probably remain unchanged. What has changed is the context of the report, which was written at a time when few people had broadband, streaming audio was far from mainstream, and blogs were unknown.