It's just more data food for us nerds to pig out upon! And I'm certainly speaking for myself here.
For somebody who didn't like math all through school, I am fascinated by numbers now. I think for me it started in radio when all you heard about, beyond the next hot record was "the numbers." Translation: "the ratings." People almost literally lived and/or died by the numbers. Certainly their careers did. And their shift assignments absolutely did! You were good enough and were getting lots of good feedback? You might get pulled off nights and slotted in morning drive.
Numbers, numbers, numbers. Stars were born, and heads rolled, by and on the numbers. But I began to appreciate what they meant and what people who could do something about them and use them professionally made of them. You could design campaigns. Maybe do it around your new morning talent. Or your obscenely-large ratings results from the latest book. Or the big-name guest you were gonna have in to be guest-DJ on such and such a morning. Or your hot new contest where you're giving away an obscene amount of money.
When I worked at the big oldies station in L.A., they devised a contest wherein the winner got - I think - 100-thousand dollars or a million dollars. Back then, in the 1980s, that was a ridiculous amount of money. Usually it'd be thousands of dollars, or maybe 50-grand. And this contest was promoted multiple times every hour, around the clock, before and during the contest. And viewers responded accordingly. And there was a winner, and the winner got a big fanfare and an equally big check! But the station got numbers. Bigger numbers. WAY bigger numbers! Boy did it work! They got a million new listeners. The air staff got bonus checks and a ride around Marina del Rey in a big boat! That was a nice touch. Usually only the morning man (it was always a well-established male), and MAYBE the morning team got the VIP treatment. Not this time. Everybody on the air got to go. Even us lowly news folks!
The numbers start to take on added layers of significance as you start splitting hairs and looking at how many of which groups of people/where/when are listening or present or purchasing or otherwise indicating a level of receptivity to your message. Demographics. That becomes SERIOUSLY fascinating, and it's almost as infectious a pursuit as a virus is. Anal-compulsives like me are like the kids who've given up candy for Lent and then Easter morning means you can HAVE all the chocolate eggs in the Easter Basket that the Easter Bunny left you overnight, and all the ones you can find at the Easter Egg Hunt!
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