SALEM RADIO LISTENERS MORE LIKELY TO BE AFFLUENT, EDUCATED FAMILIES; National Research Uncovers Lifestyle Habits of Christian Teaching and Talk Radio Audience

Listeners to Salem Communication’s (Nasdaq:SALM) Christian Teaching and Talk-formatted radio stations are affluent, educated, married families who spend time enjoying family activities, home improvement and are net-savvy shoppers. These are some of the findings in a recent analysis of Salem listeners from Scarborough Research, the leading market research firm for identifying shopping, media and lifestyle patterns for U.S. adults. Salem, the leading U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider and magazine publisher targeting audiences interested in Christian and family themes, operates radio stations in three strategic formats; Christian Teaching and Talk, Contemporary Christian Music and general market News Talk.
Results indicate that the average age of Salem’s Christian Teaching and Talk Listeners* is 49. Listeners of Christian Teaching and Talk programming are more likely to be women than men (56 percent vs. 44 percent), and 67 percent of them are married, (18 percent higher than the general population). They are family-friendly, with 28 percent of families having two or more children under age 17 living at home (17 percent more likely than the overall U.S. population).
Financial security is another notable attribute of Salem’s Christian Teaching and Talk Listeners. Compared to all U.S. adults, Salem listeners are 58 percent more likely to have an annual household income of $100,000 or greater, more than twice as likely to have a home with a market value of $500,000 or greater, and 43 percent more likely to have a college degree. They invest for the future with 40 percent of the listeners indicating they have mutual funds, which is 23 percent more likely than the general population.
Salem's business strategy is to super-serve the large and growing audience interested in programming that is faith-based, family-focused, and traditional in its approach to values," said Joe D. Davis, Salem's chief operating officer. "Christian Teaching and Talk is our foundational format and we have partnered with nationally-recognized ministries to deliver quality programs listeners want to hear and support. Scarborough's research helps our ministry partners and advertisers better understand our audience so that together we can deliver content, services and products that our listeners desire.”
The Scarborough analysis also uncovered numerous lifestyle attributes of Salem’s listeners. They are physically active; they enjoy going out as well as giving back to their communities. They are 34 percent more likely than average to belong to an exercise or health club and are 10 percent more likely to see at least two movies each month. Some 38 percent of listeners volunteer their time to help others, which is 32 percent more likely than the general population. Not surprisingly, they take their civic duty seriously and more than half (57 percent) say they always vote in statewide elections, which is 22 percent more than all U.S. adults.
Slightly more than half of Salem’s listeners shop online (25 percent more likely than the general population). Nearly 25 percent said they spent $500 or more online in the last 12 months (27 percent more likely). Top online categories include airline tickets (44 percent more likely), books (54 percent more likely) and computer hardware/software (27 percent more likely). Salem’s listeners are nine percent more likely than the general population to have plans to purchase a new car in the next 12 months and they are 75 percent more likely than the general population to purchase a minivan.
Salem Communications is the leading U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet provider and magazine publisher focused on Christian and family themes. In addition to its radio properties, Salem owns Salem Radio Network, which syndicates talk, news and music programming to approximately 1,900 affiliates; Salem Radio Representatives, a national radio advertising sales force; Salem Web Network, a leading Internet provider of Christian content and online streaming; and Salem Publishing, a leading publisher of Christian-themed magazines. Upon the close of all announced transactions, the company will own 104 radio stations, including 66 stations in 24 of the top 25 markets. Additional information about Salem may be accessed at the company's website, www.salem.cc.