From Insights to Impact: How Radio Milwaukee’s Research Led to a $2.25M Donation

Radio Milwaukee, a station committed to breaking down barriers and bringing people together, celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2023. With this milestone, Radio Milwaukee wanted to keep growing by deepening its understanding of the diverse and historically divided Milwaukee audience.

With its reach spanning five counties, Radio Milwaukee recognized the need to gather meaningful insights into media consumption habits and priorities of different demographic groups. Understanding these dynamics was essential for shaping the station’s strategic direction, enhancing community engagement, and ensuring its role as a unifying force in the region.

The Solution: A Comprehensive Listening Tour

To address these challenges, Radio Milwaukee partnered with Magid to conduct an extensive five-county listening tour. This research project combined qualitative listening sessions and a quantitative survey to gather insights from diverse communities across Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Racine, and Washington counties.

Key areas of focus included:

• Understanding how different racial and demographic groups see their place in Milwaukee
• Identifying media consumption patterns and unmet needs
• Exploring the potential for Radio Milwaukee to expand into news and storytelling
• Gauging the reception and potential growth for initiatives like HYFIN (a radio station focused on Black audiences)
• Assessing opportunities to serve the Hispanic community more effectively

Through this research, Magid provided data-driven insights that helped Radio Milwaukee strategically refine its content, community engagement, and future initiatives to ultimately allow the station to serve as a stronger and more inclusive voice for the community.

The Results: Research that Drove Tangible Impact

The listening tour provided invaluable insights that helped Radio Milwaukee position itself as a public service leader in the community.

1. Securing Major Funding: One of the most immediate impacts of the research was its role in fundraising. Maxie Jackson, then Executive Director of Radio Milwaukee, leveraged the insights to demonstrate opportunities for public service, securing a transformative $2.25 million anonymous donation:

“The real value in the research was being able to go to funders and tell that story… corporate funders as well as major donors. And the big fish, if you will, that we caught was a $2.25 million gift that in large part came as a result of me communicating to that donor the research we had done, the opportunities it suggested were available to us.” – Maxie Jackson

2. Expansion into Journalism and Storytelling: The research validated that Milwaukee residents saw a role for Radio Milwaukee in providing news and journalistic content, creating a roadmap for the station’s expansion beyond music:

“There is a space for Radio Milwaukee to do news and information, to be journalistic. When we found out what are the subject matters that resonate across different groups, but also what are unique to specific cohorts, that gave us an understanding of how we could change our storytelling and introduce journalistic efforts.” – Maxie Jackson

3. Strengthening Community Engagement and Audience Growth: The study revealed opportunities to refine and expand existing programs like HYFIN while also identifying gaps in serving the Hispanic community.

“There was a clear indication that HYFIN had value but needed to be promoted in a way that the Black community could be more aware of it… There were some other content opportunities that availed, there was also an opportunity for us to serve the Hispanic community in a unique way from the market, but also in alignment with how we were using HYFIN to serve the African-American community.” – Maxie Jackson

4. Informing Strategic Planning for Long-Term Impact: The insights from the research positioned Radio Milwaukee for greater strategic alignment with community needs:

“Radio Milwaukee is positioned in a way that they’ve never been before to do public service because of the listening tour. And so that research allows them to step up, and provide the public service that the community deserves.” – Maxie Jackson

Conclusion: Research as a Catalyst for Growth and Community Impact

By collaborating with Magid in a research-driven approach, Radio Milwaukee not only deepened its understanding of its diverse audience but also secured the funding and strategic direction needed to expand its role as a public service institution. The listening tour laid the groundwork for long-term impact, ensuring that the station continues to serve as a unifying force in Milwaukee.

As Maxie Jackson reflected:

“No matter where I go next, I will probably engage in a listening tour again… I value communications that come from a deep understanding of research, qualitative and quantitative.”