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ESPN Radio Five Owned and Operated Stations Sign For Arbitron Portable People Meter Ratings Service

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) announced today that ESPN Radio has entered into a multi-year agreement for Arbitron’s Portable People MeterTM radio ratings services for its five owned and operated radio stations.   

“We have been looking forward to participating in the technology since its conceptual stage,” said Traug F. Keller, Senior Vice-President, ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes. “We are confident that this new methodology for tracking radio listening habits will accurately reflect the vitality and immediacy of the medium and, in our case, the compelling power of the ESPN brand for our radio listeners. We’re excited about the dialogue that this information will spark with the advertising community.”

[ Full Text of Press Release at Arbitron.com ]

Media Rating Council Accredits Portable People Meter AQH Television Ratings Data in Houston

PPM becomes the first accredited portable meter service, collecting data on radio, local television and cable use from one sample of consumers, at home and away

NEW YORK; Aug 1, 2007 – Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) announced today that the Media Rating Council® (MRC) has accredited the average-quarter-hour, time-period television ratings data produced by the Portable People MeterTM ratings service in Houston.

“This is a significant milestone for Arbitron,” said Owen Charlebois, president, Operations, Technology and Research & Development, Arbitron Inc. “The Portable People Meter is the only personal, portable electronic meter system that’s ever been subjected to an MRC audit and has met the accreditation standards of the Media Rating Council for a portable meter service, collecting data on radio, local television and cable use from one sample of consumers, at home and away from home."

[ Full Text of Press Release ]

Arbitron Releases Philly PPM Data For May

...“Some have suggested that P1 can be seen as a measure of 'loyalty' or 'engagement.' In the case of the Philadelphia May data, you see that eight stations garner more than two-thirds of their AQH audience from P1 listeners with Contemporary Inspirational WPPZ-FM at the top of the ranker at 79 percent.

“The new PPM metric that replaces time spent listening – Average Weekly Time Exposed – also says a lot about the 'loyalty' and 'engagement' of P1 listeners. In the May 2007 Philadelphia PPM data, two stations, Smooth Jazz WJJZ-FM and Urban Adult Contemporary WDAS-FM have a time spent exposed among their P1 listeners at 10 hours or greater.  [ MORE ]

May 2007 Arbitron Philly PPM Data

Latest Philadelphia PPM Data Released

Arbitron

has released new data from the PPM results for Philadelphia, showing the total cume numbers for April and May. Arbitron SVP of Press and Interior Relations Thom Mocarsky says, "In a PPM world, individual station Cumes are larger for all stations, since every exposure to an encoded station is automatically recorded and reported." [ MORE ]

May 2007 Arbitron Philly PPM Data

Time Period: Mo-Su 6A-12A Survey:MAY 2007 - Dates In (05/03/2007 to 05/30/2007) Target: P 6+ Estimate: Average Weekly Cume AVG Daily Population : 4,774,400 AVG Daily Intab : 1476 Percent of Population (Daily) : 100 Geography : Philadelphia-METRO

OUTLET     FORMATS MAY 2007       APRIL 2007  WBEB-FM Adult Contemporary 2,023,300 2,021,600 WOGL-FM Classic Hits 1,481,600 1,365,000 WMGK-FM Classic Rock 1,291,500 1,251,400 KYW-AM All News 1,265,200 1,299,000 WIOQ-FM Pop Contemporary Hit Radio 1,228,400 1,212,200 WBEN-FM Adult Hits 1,182,400 1,222,700 WRDW-FM Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio 1,177,200 1,107,000 WMMR-FM Album Oriented Rock 1,071,800 1,048,400 WISX-FM Rhythmic AC 1,061,200 1,052,100 WPHI-FM Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio 934,500 834,500 WUSL-FM Urban Contemporary 912,500 793,400 WDAS-FM Urban Adult Contemporary 868,900 802,100 WXTU-FM Country 857,900 866,300 WPHT-AM Talk/Personality 754,400 782,100 WRNB-FM Urban Adult Contemporary 580,600 517,000 WPST-FM Pop Contemporary Hit Radio 518,700 473,800 WIP-AM All Sports 499,100 503,300 WPPZ-FM Contemporary Inspirational 446,500 404,100 WYSP-FM Talk/Personality 445,800 535,800 WRFF-FM Alternative 441,200 298,700 WXPN-FM Album Adult Alternative 398,000 354,500 WHYY-FM News Talk Information 393,300 374,500 WJJZ-FM New AC (NAC)/Smooth Jazz 383,700 397,900 WSTW-FM Pop Contemporary Hit Radio 377,900 390,800 WJBR-FM Adult Contemporary 367,800 334,200 WRTI-FM Classical 281,300 284,700 WKXW-FM Talk/Personality 255,900 229,400 WFKB-FM Classic Hits 128,800 ~~ Analysis Total 4,620,300 4,613,700 Market Total 4,639,200 4,631,000

Multi-Channel News: Arbitron PPM Data Brings Surprises

Arbitron Inc.’s “Portable People Meters” in Houston so far have yielded two big surprises: There’s much more out-of-home viewing than previously thought and a lot less time-shifting through digital-video recorders.

The PPM data for July showed that out-of-home viewing by both men and women contributes significantly to overall TV viewing, roughly 15%, Arbitron officials told a gathering of advertisers and media buyers in Houston, as well as reporters via phone.

In terms of DVR use, only about... [ MORE ]

If Clear Channel Supported The Portable Truth Meter

... This is all about one company -- the largest with over 1,100 radio stations and a near monopoly over this medium -- shirking its responsibility to lead. Not only that -- using its might and influence to obstruct progress for many things that would have been good for radio after consolidation.

Clear Channel has opposed The Portable People Meter (PPM) from the very beginning. It has done little to help it develop into the modern ratings tool the radio industry needs.

If you were to hook up a portable "truth meter" to Clear Channel executives you'd get an ironic story of resistance, lack of leadership and eventually -- once the ad agencies are on board -- compliance.

... Can you imagine if CBS/Infinity or Emmis, AMFM, Greater Media or just about any other company had assembled 1,100 radio stations. I believe things would have been different.  [ MORE ]

TNS wins Danish radio industry contract

LONDON - TNS has won a five year contract to supply the radio industry in Denmark with its electronic audience measurement system, Arbitron Portable People Meter.

The contract was awarded to TNS Gallup, a TNS subsidiary in Denmark. TNS takes on the task from January 2008, with a national panel of 750 Danish consumers equipped with the Arbitron PPM to collect overnight radio listening data.

Danish broadcasters will analyse ratings at one-minute increments and use the data for commercial sales and for programme planning.

TNS already provides the service to the neighbouring Norwegian radio industry, which adopted it in 2006. It is also being adopted in Iceland for radio and TV later this year. [ MORE ]

Oldies' New Lease on Life, Or Maybe An Extended Warranty

...So without knowing what plans the CBS folks might have really had for heritage Oldies station WOGL Philadelphia, it didn't beggar credibility when rumors began circulating this spring that a Web address had been reserved for Fresh981.com. WOGL was a top-five station 12-plus. But, hey, what did that mean anymore?

Then Arbitron made the March PPM figures for Philadelphia public. And while it was hardly an apples-to-apples comparison, WOGL was no longer a 4.5-share 12-plus radio station (still a respectable number by comparison to many of its brethren) but a 7.5-share radio station. Two months later, it's in the high six-share range, No. 4 12-plus in the market and No. 5 in 25-54. And in a format hit by the combination of aging and attrition, having "only" a 4.5 share is a lot easier to walk away from than a 7.5. [ MORE ]

KDAY-FM/Los Angeles Signs for Arbitron's PPM

Arbitron inks Magic Broadcasting's Urban simulcast duo KDAY-FM and KDAI-FM/Los Angeles to a multi-year deal to use its Portable People Meter (PPM) audience measurement service when the PPM system is deployed in Los Angeles, starting in January 2008.

"We see our commitment to the Arbitron PPM as another important step forward in the series of significant improvements that we've made to the 93.5 KDAY/93.5 KDAI synchrocast over the past year," said GM Roy Laughlin. [ MORE ]

[Full Text of Press Release at Arbitron.com ]

WSJ: Arbitron Scores a Hit as Clear Channel Picks Radio-Ratings System

In a major win for Arbitron Inc., Clear Channel Communications Inc. has agreed to a broad deal to use Arbitron's new electronic radio-ratings system, according to a person familiar with the deal.

The radio-station chain is expected to sign a multiyear agreement to subscribe to Arbitron's "portable people meter" -- or PPM -- system to measure radio audience. The contract covers the [ MORE ]

Trends to Watch

Michael Tchong (Ubercool Trend Analyst) posted a very interesting article today on iMedia Connection entitled, "5 Trends to Watch... or Else!"  The post is a fascinating read.  But this note caught my eye:

The New York Times reports that in Manhattan, where the population is growing at an annual rate of about 10,000, the 2007 Verizon White Pages was 142 pages smaller than the 2006 edition, as more consumers give up landlines.

The surging use of wireless devices to keep us connected is leading to a "instant on" culture. Gartner predicts that an astonishing 1.15 billion mobile phones will be sold this year, up 14 percent over 2006.

Tonight, add a prayer that Arbitron's got the cell phone only household initiative right.  MSO

[ iMedia Connection: Which current consumer habits will impact digital marketing most profoundly? ]

MediaPost - Commercial Ratings: Yes, but...

THE DEVELOPMENTS OF THE PAST 12 to 18 months regarding commercial ratings have certainly been fascinating to follow. With continued pressure from advertisers for increased accountability, it's encouraging to see the industry getting closer to more precise and relevant data. And regardless of its quality at this early stage, the data has been laid in front of buyers and sellers who must now come to terms with it and figure out how to shape and work on its evolution. However, in the industry's mad dash to obtain average commercial ratings, I believe a crucial issue has been overlooked. Specifically, how compliant are members of Nielsen households in "punching out" on their People Meters when they leave the room during commercial breaks?

... While average commercial audiences are reported to be lower than program minutes, advertisers/agencies may find themselves still paying for some viewers who aren't actually present. That's why it's important for continued industry pressure on Nielsen for deployment of a passive meter, perhaps similar to the one being used by Arbitron in Houston and Philadelphia as well as in the test of Project Apollo (the joint venture between Arbitron & Nielsen). This meter picks up imbedded audio signals (for radio and some in-store media as well) and dispenses with button punching by respondents.

... Analyses of minute-by-minute data show that during the average commercial minute, audiences are generally 5% to 10% lower than during the average program minute. But does this reflect the reality of TV viewing? 20 years ago a company named RD Percy tested a passive heat meter for TV measurement. I recall reviewing a presentation that showed audience levels dropped significantly, 25% to 40% during some commercial breaks. That strongly suggests that Nielsen overreports audience levels during commercial breaks. It would be helpful if Arbitron had minute-by-minute data to share from Houston & Philadelphia that might confirm (or refute) that audiences indeed drop more than what the People Meter reports.  [ MORE ]

Column: Radio Activity

Big deal for B101 owner Jerry Lee, who on Sept. 28 will get the National Radio Award from the National Association of Broadcasters. Lee is a rare solo owner of a big-signal FM radio station. Light rock WBEB (101.1) had the highest audience share in Philly in May, according to Arbitron figures released yesterday.

WDAS-FM (105.3) saw a ratings bounce last month. Arbitron figures say the urban adult-contemporary station rose from fifth to second in the "money demographic" of listeners ages 25 to 54, behind rock WMMR (93.3). In third was B101, followed by oldies WMGK (102.9) and classic hits WOGL (98.1). Among listeners 18 to 34, WMMR was tops, followed by top-40 WRDW (96.5), top-40 WIOQ (102.1) and a tie between hip-hoppers WPHI (100.3) and WUSL (98.9).

WJJZ (97.5), the smooth jazz outlet, should be [ MORE ]

Crawford Broadcasting Signs for PPM Service in Chicago

NEW YORK, June 18, 2007 – Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) announced today that Crawford Broadcasting Company has entered into a multi-year agreement for the Arbitron Portable People MeterTM audience measurement service when the PPMTM system is deployed in Chicago, starting in January 2008.

Crawford Broadcasting owns four FM stations in Chicago and its suburbs: WPWX - 92.3 FM; WSRB - 106.3 FM; WYRB - 106.3 FM; WYCA - 102.3 FM.  [ Full Text of Press Release ]

RW Online: Arbitron Cites User Commitment to PPMs

Arbitron, saying its panelists are committed to PPM, passed along anecdotes about people who wear the Portable People Meter.

“Many of our PPM panelists go to great lengths themselves to live up to their commitment to carry the meter with them wherever they go,” the company stated in a press release.

In one household with seven people, everyone had a meter except a 4-year-old who was...  [ MORE ]