PRPD: McTaggart’s Seven Questions

2007 September 28
tags: , ,
by Todd Mundt

I moderated a really fascinating session today – “Building Audience Beyond Broadcast” – which, despite the title, looked at the new broadcast technology, HD Radio, as well as the strategic assessments that stations are making as they consider an array of non-broadcast channels to reach their audiences.

Robin Gehl of Cincinnati Public Radio, talked about the station’s recent expansion of service through HD Radio – 2 new channels of service: Jazz and a partnership with WOXY.com. Jennifer Ferro of KCRW detailed some of KCRW’s internet strategy, from the web platform to its streaming and on-demand options. And Jon McTaggart of Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media spoke about APM’s strategic approach to broadcast and non-broadcast channels.

McTaggart talked briefly about the three legs of a tripod that will support APM and help it sustain itself: broadcasting – anything related to radio; new media – any service delivered to an IP-enabled device; and face-to-face engagement with the audience. Each has to be treated differently: new media can’t be treated like it’s a broadcast channel. McTaggart says APM takes a generational view when planning and developing its services.

He also offered a list of seven questions that he says he asks when APM is faced with an opportunity, whether it’s a new platform or a new station.

McTaggart’s Seven Questions of Effective Audience Planning

  • Who do you want to serve?
  • Why do you want to serve this audience? What’s your motivation? strategy?
  • What do you know about them? – describe the target individual, give them a name
  • What do they know about you?
  • How many ways do you reach and serve them?
  • What response do you want or expect from them? Do you want them to consume the product? What revenue do you expect from them?
  • How will you know that you are succeeding with this audience?

Speaking only for myself, I’ve looked at a number of opportunities in the past few years, and have asked – at best – only one of those questions. This is one of the big take-aways from the conference.

from → hdradio, prpd, publicmedia

  • Great summary post, Todd, and thank you for sharing. I've actually e-mailed this to our entire management team. It's especially relevant to us as we're engaging in strategic planning shortly.

    These kinds of short, to-the-point strategy summaries are great for framing discussions that can be very complex and can easily ramble off course.
  • John Barth
    I thought this PRPD session was especially good--McTaggart's Seven Questions being one of the many highlights. But since the session I've thought really hard about these rules and put them in the HEAD portion of the public media being.

    There is a valuable HEART aspect as well. David Isay, The Kitchen Sisters, Jay Allison, Jad Abumrad and Ellen Horne --these astounding artists and practioners do not, I think, ask these questions. It begins with a very passionate idea, a sound perhaps, and from THAT beginning they create.

    Do these approaches get to the same place? Yeah, many times. Perhaps excellence and talent surface no matter what, but we should also concentrate on the HEART attributes, too, to fill out the public media picture.
blog comments powered by Disqus