Date of Award

12-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. John Caputo

Second Advisor

Dr. Cher Desautel

Third Advisor

Dr. Sara Johnston

Abstract

As the Millennial generational group (individuals aged 34 or younger at time of publication) ages, it becomes a more important fundraising target for public radio organizations. This study explored ways to get members of the Millennial generational group more actively involved as financial contributors to public radio organizations. The Literature Review examined a brief history of public radio in the United States, including its move to listener funding, and the consolidation and homogenization of programming, which only occurred relatively recently and during the formative years of Millennials. The study used Social Judgment Theory as a theoretical framework to help identify commonly held preexisting attitudes in Millennial public radio listeners. The study sampled the non-contributing audience of a single public radio station through a quantitative survey made available to listeners of all generational groups and Millennial focus groups. The Thurstone Attitude Scale was used to aid in identifying Millennials' common latitudes of acceptance and rejection and common preexisting attitudes. The findings provide public radio professionals with considerations for creating more effective Millennial fundraising messaging.

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