Case Studies

Media Research
Content Research
Beginning in 1998 and continuing for several years, Paragon conducted content research for National Public Radio’s news division. While NPR’s audience was already large, there had never been extensive research on the news content itself.

Paragon provided Market Segmentation, Focus Groups and Concept Testing, all focused on what was known as their “newsmagazines.” We discovered a strong and loyal appetite for the newsmagazines, but also for a new and wider audience that would come from adjusting their programming strategy.

Show names, hosts, content hierarchy, vocabulary and language all went under the microscope. A new programming strategy unveiled, and trumpeted by a new brand created from our research and consulting,”NPR News” was born. The NPR News audience has grown by over 20 million listeners since.

Media Research
Marketing Research
Paragon’s work for National Public Radio began in 1998 when their news programs had less than eight million listeners nationwide. We were hired to discover the upside potential for NPR news programs, as well as to help develop a strategy to introduce the programming to a wider audience.

Paragon’s Market Segmentation determined that a full 50% of the potential target audience for NPR were completely unfamiliar with the network. Through testing, we also determined that a large number of them would listen if they were aware of the content.

Through our hands-on consulting that extended well beyond the research, the “NPR News” brand was created. NPR News was marketed to a nation hungry for in-depth news and reporting, and today that audience exceeds 30 million listeners a day.

Media Consulting
Media & Content Strategy
When Mike began consulting National Public Radio on their news programs in 1998, they lacked a singular brand. “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” were well known, but they were lumped into a category known as newsmagazines along with all the other NPR news programs, such as “Weekend Edition” and “All Things Considered Saturday,” etc.

Working directly with NPR’s VP/News and the President/CEO, Mike began a brand assessment that resulted in his recommendation to create a brand called “NPR News.” In 2000, the “NPR News” brand debuted, and since then NPR has clearly identify all its news programs and news content as coming from one credible source. Today, the “NPR News” brand is known worldwide and competes successfully against other international news brands.

During the course of his consulting for NPR over five years, Mike provided critical programming recommendations for “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition.” Mike addressed everything from show names and hosts, to content hierarchy, vocabulary and on air promotion and cross-promotion techniques. Since that time, NPR’s audience has grown from eight million to over 30 million listeners.

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