Case Studies

Media Research
Content Research / All News Radio Format
In the years prior to 1993, Paragon provided research to Rogers Media in Canada that there was a healthy and large audience for news and information. However, prior to that point, there were only full-service News/Talk stations in Canada offering news and information in limited doses.

By 1993, management at Rogers had seen enough. We were commissioned to confirm the opportunity for a station providing only news and information in Toronto. Top 40 CFTR-AM was flipped to the first “All News” station in Canada. On-going Focus Groups and Perceptual Studies continue to grow the now-envious position. Still today, “680 News” is the only live radio station in Toronto 24 hours a day, and has the largest radio newsroom in Canada. It was also the first radio station in Canada to break the one million listener mark and is consistently the top rated station in Toronto.

Media Research
Content Research / Adult Hits Radio Format
New radio formats targeting adults 25-54 that reach “franchise” status are few and far between. A successful format for adults that BREAKS ALL THE RULES of the radio programming bible was unheard of, and widely believed as simply not possible, until the successful and highly-publicized launch of the new Jack FM format in 2002. That was the year Paragon was challenged by our long-time clients in Canada, Rogers Media, to develop a new format…not an existing format…to replace a struggling AC station in Vancouver.

Knowing that the same old research produces the same old results, Paragon responded by conducting a new type of Market Segmentation that allowed for pure, unadulterated Concept Testing. Paragon tested a half dozen new format concepts, which pointed us toward a new type of format that mixed almost all styles of popular music together.

Rogers spent hundreds of thousands of dollars developing the idea and assembling the strongest creative brain trust possible. Paragon turned its Market Segmentation, Music Testing and Focus Groups upside down to create and evolve the upside down format. Our approach was so radical that other radio consultants and researchers said this new format would never work in America, but they were proved wrong. The end result, “Jack FM,” spread across Canada for two years before launching in America in 2004 in Denver on Paragon client KJAC-FM. Today, there are over 50 Jack stations in the United States alone, more overseas, and dozens more Adults Hits stations with other names. Jack, Bob, Mike, Charlie, Abe, Louie, Max, et al…should all say “thanks” to Roger(s). We do.

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