Study shows RoundAbout listeners 75 percent more involved

RoundAbout is more diverse than the United Nations.

The results of a six-month study, conducted by the Pembroke-Donalbane Marketing Research Institute, show that frequent listeners of the RoundAbout podcast are 75 percent more involved than listeners of other podcasts.  The findings also indicate that fans of the weekly, auto-themed program are eight-times more likely to participate in social media like Twitter and Friend-A-Roo than fans of competing podcasts.

The findings, published last week by the scientific journal “New American Podcast Theory and Review,” indicate that the consumption of audio programs – particularly podcasts – is on the rise, but that RoundAbout was outpacing the overall growth of the industry by a factor of seven.

Dr. Gordon Fondler, the Lead Researcher at the Pembroke-Donalbane Institute said “This is not a statistical anomaly.  Listeners of RoundAbout share pictures, sound clips, artwork and other media they’ve created far more frequently than fans of competing programs, and yes, my last name is Fondler.”  He went on to add that people who listen to other podcasts are usually slovenly and have ugly families.

RoundAbout fans have been known to create elaborate tapestries as offerings to their one true God. Illustration: Lucas Farlow

RoundAbout around the world, seen here rocketing down the German Autobahn. Photo: Mirko ReinhardtPossible reasons for RoundAbout’s high level of listener involvement and breakneck growth include its multiregional, multilingual cast, and low cost.  It also scores well on PASS, the Podcast Awesomeness Scrutiny Scale, with an average rating of 89, nearly 50 points higher than the industry average.

The show is wildly popular with 18 to 24 year-olds; a demographic that accounts for 92 percent of downloads.  The overwhelming majority of the remaining listeners fall into a much more vintage age bracket, with 76 percent of those subscribers clustered in a small pocket near the town of Burton, Michigan.  Dr. Fondler suspects this is because the area is witnessing a revival in the popularity of deceased actor James Stewart, who is a hit with this cultural subset, but his theory has yet to be proven.

Some groups dispute the success of RoundAbout.  Abigail Optar, a columnist for the Kennebunkport Times-Defender and President of the conservative, anti-abortion group “Full-Throttle for Full-Term” alleges that RoundAbout takes an anti-baby stance on the issues.  She said “It seems a week can’t go by without someone on the show making a wisecrack about infants.  Despite their negative attitude, babies are still born every day and they can’t stop them.”

The RoundAbout crew's beverage of choice. Photo: Rich HenionWhen asked about the recently released study lauding the program’s success Optar said “RoundAbout’s alleged popularity is like a mirage – there’s nothing there.  Dr. Fondler’s manhandling of the data is a miscarriage of truth.  His position as Lead Researcher should be terminated immediately.” 

Despite strong dissention from people like Optar the RoundAbout podcast continues to grow.  Port Lee, a South Korean IT manager who runs some of the computer servers that host the show agrees with Dr. Fondler’s findings.  He said, “We have seen a big spike recently in the popularity of the RoAb (sic).  Downloads are way up, mostly because it’s a good show … lots of great, fun stuff every week, and because of the successful Microsoft Zune.”

Some RoundAbout listeners take their fanboism to extremes.Other findings indicate that listening to RoundAbout on a regular basis can have some surprising health benefits.  According the study, avid fans consistently have higher levels of dopamine in their brains and lower blood pressure.  This is likely due to the light-hearted nature of the program and because of the eye-catching, multi-colored sport coats worn by the host.  Listeners are also far more resistant to ailments like colds, the flu, mental retardation and prickly heat.  Additionally, they’re 37 percent less likely to die on the toilet than non-listeners.

On the flipside, fans exhibit slightly higher experimental catheter use and are moderately more likely to smoke generic-brand cigarettes than listeners of other podcasts, although none of these claims have been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

For more information about the show visit their website, www.RoundAboutShow.com.  You can also subscribe, just search for RoundAbout in the iTunes store or on the Zune Marketplace.

- Craig A. Cole



Comments

[Rich]

(Applause) (Continued applause)

[Dad]

"Vintage age bracket" ........I'm appalled !!!