Radio Reacts to PPM Accreditation Refusal

The Presidents of three US radio stations have given their different reactions to recent news of the Media Rating Council's refusal of accreditation for Arbitron's PPM in New York and Philadelphia. Cox Radio's Bob Neil says Arbitron's 'hollow promises' are on 'full display' while others say the problems are 'not unusual'.

Commenting on the MRC's decision (www.mrweb.com/drno/news8033.htm ), Cox Radio President and CEO Neil says Arbitron should wait until the PPM receives official endorsement before rolling it out to other markets. 'That seal of approval is badly needed to give broadcasters and advertisers confidence that the research is reliable. We were sold PPM on the basis that it was ready to go, and accreditation would come easily and quickly. Once again, the hollowness of Arbitron's promises is on full display for those not wearing rose colored glasses.'

In November Neil stated that poor sampling in Houston and Philadelphia had shaken the users' confidence in the data (www.mrweb.com/drno/news7590.htm ).

His view is not shared by CBS Radio President and CEO Dan Mason, who says the failure to obtain MRC approval should be seen in its historical context and that his firm stands behind the technology. 'We all used Scarborough data for more than 10 years without accreditation, and, during that time, it was a widely accepted local qualitative survey. PPM offers the most accurate, most reliable data collection technology used in radio measurement. We stand behind it 100 percent.'

Emmis Radio President Rick Cummings takes the same line, arguing that it is not unusual for a new ratings system to take some time to earn authorization. 'It's a stringent process that requires progress in a whole host of areas. I don't see this as unusual at all or particularly negative, so long as Arbitron makes progress toward achieving accreditation.'

Arbitron says that it has begun the process of re-auditing the Philadelphia and New York PPM methodologies and expects to continue to work with the MRC to seek accreditation.

Chuck DuCoty, Vice Chairman of Arbitron's Radio Advisory Council confirms that the Council is encouraging Arbitron to proceed with the certification process, but has also expressed concerns over sample size and sample distribution in both PPM and diary markets, stating that 6 to 11 year-old samples should be redistributed to the 12+ samples.

In a bid to improve sample size and increase industry confidence, Arbitron has launched a personal homepage for PPM survey participants. Available in English and Spanish, the My Meter and Me / Mi Medido y Yo web site, allows users to check their earned reward points, review their hour-by-hour use of PPM and share compliance tips with other PPM respondents though an anonymous, moderated web forum.

The company is online at www.arbitron.com.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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