For AC radio, cash is king.

A new Alan Burns and Associates study into female listeners of AC radio shows a bias toward greenbacks.   More women would rather win $1,000 in cash than a new car worth significantly more.   While 51% of women said they’d tune-in at a specific time for a shot at winning $100, the number who’d do that for an iPad dropped to 45% -- even though an iPad retails for $500 and up.

“Cash has always been important,” Burns says. “But based on the employment situation and the economy in general, cash really dominates.”  His study looked at whether disguising a low-budget giveaway, such as ten free song downloads worth about $10, had much of a draw.  It didn’t.  Only 13% of women said they’d make sure they listened at a special time to win such a prize.  Designer shoes (19%), CDs (22%) and movie tickets (35%) prove to be stronger draws.  Burns’ findings are based on a June 7-15 online survey of 2,057 women of which 1,526 identified themselves as AC listeners.