My name is Ben Robins.  I’m a Media Researcher, who specializes in helping companies understand how people use media, through audience-based research and audience ratings.  I present research findings to clients and blog about different aspects of the media industry and the latest in media research.

I believe that media and market research should help those who make media content have a better understanding of what keeps the audience engaged and what can drive them away.  I think it’s critical to explain and anticipate how people switch between different media and why they turn it off altogether.  Frequently, people who work in the media industry thinks that everyone uses media like them.  They don’t.

For me, the endearing and enduring challenge about media research is striking the balance between uncovering the simplest explanation and then digging deeper to better understand the truth.

The simplest is the starting point as it helps you communicate the basic observations; others can then understand and scale it for their needs.

The truth is much harder to find, but the more rewarding.  People are complicated but understanding what truly motivates can help predict their future behavior, which after all is a basic requirement of media research.  I want to dig beyond the simple explanation and learn new ways to better understand the quickly evolving media world we all live in.

Previously, I worked at NPR (National Public Radio), leading all audience-based research for the national shows and for all news-topics research, such as Election 2012 and Breaking News coverage.  I’m now a Research Consultant for my own company, BLR Media Research Consulting.

More of my past writings on my research on radio usage can be found at NPR.org.

I tweet numerous updates about media research and media usage at @HowPplUseMedia.

If you want to find out more about me and what people say about me, there’s more on LinkedIn.  If you have any questions or you just want to reach out, please send me an email – I’d be delighted to hear from you.