If you want to attract women to your morning show, we have some research-based information about what they want to hear most and what they don't want to hear at all.

The data comes from Alan Burns and Associates’ 2024 update of our What Women Want  project done in partnership with Cumulus Media/Westwood One’s AudioActive Group.

In this year's study we asked women what's most important to them between 5:00 and 8:00 AM, and what call in topics they would be most interested in. Here's what they want:

Keep The Music Up Tempo - this was the top rated desire in all demos up to 44, and above that it was still #3. Most women need radio to help energize them and get them ready to face the day, and upbeat music is one of their favorite revitalizers.

Give  Her the Weather! - Weather information is in everyone's top five morning needs,  all demos and all formats. Many radio stations have backed off of frequent weather mentions in the morning, reasoning that everyone with a smartphone has weather at their fingertips. Those stations aren't taking into account how incredibly busy women are during morning drive. Give her the weather report, and do it especially frequently early in the morning when she's planning her day and her wardrobe.

Tell Her What's Going On - Local news and information is a top five item with every age group except 15 to 24. Music radio station listeners may not want to hear 5 minutes of “news” delivered by a stentorian voice at the top and bottom of every hour, but they do want to know what's going on around them. It's critical to learn what your audience wants to know; the first and most important filter is local.

Entertainment/Pop Culture News - This element is rated highly by Top 40, Hot AC, and R&B/ Hip Hop audiences, significantly lower on Country and Classic Hits/ Classic Rock.

(Bad) Date Stories - Almost every woman has had one or more dates gone awry, and they love to hear about similar experiences. They're often funny, gossipy, and validating. This element rates very highly all the way through 25 to 44s but not so much above that; thus it isn’t a big hit for Classic Hits/ Classic Rock fans.

Funny Or Unusual Things Other People Have Done - Mood elevation is a giant driver of radio listening, and especially so in morning drive where people are cranky and hurried. “Fun/ funny” is a great mood elevator, and other-people stories are a great source of fun and vicarious experience. You might be surprised by this, but the format with the highest number of P1s saying they're very likely to listen to fun or unusual things other people have done is... Mainstream AC.

Inspire or motivate them - every age group from 15 to 54 ranked “something inspiring or motivating” among their top five morning radio needs.  This may or may not mean motivational quotes since fun, vicarious experience, and upbeat music can all be motivating. People are highly attracted to things that make them feel good, so use your creativity in interpreting this one.

 

If you wanted to simplify this you could boil it down to giving the audience (especially women) the information she needs - primarily weather and what's going on around her - and things to energize her and elevate her mood. The winners will be the stations and personalities who do it in a unique and creative way that incorporates understanding women.

Now what about the “Don'ts” we promised? Fortunately only two types of content were seriously rejected by the 1,001 women we surveyed. Your music radio station’s morning show would be smart to avoid subjecting them to celebrity interviews ( or interviews of any sort, for that matter) and advice, whether it's relationship, health, career, financial, or even makeup advice. They aren't turning to music radio to find out how to get better at something. She just want fun, energy, and to find out what's going on in her world - especially the weather.

So there you have it: the Do’s and Don'ts of morning radio. Now all you need for success is to play the right music and find one or more people who can deliver the Do’s consistently in a creative and fun way that women find entertaining. That’s the hard part.