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Arbitron

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Arbitron (NYSE: ARB) is a radio audience research company in the United States. It collects data on radio audiences similar to the data collected by Nielsen Media Research on television audiences.

Contents

[edit] Methods

[edit] Survey

Arbitron collects data by selecting a random sample of the population to maintain a written diary describing what radio programs they have listened to. For each selected household that agrees to participate, Arbitron sends a diary for each member of the household age 12 or older. Each person maintains a diary for one week, typically starting on a Thursday and ending the following Wednesday. At the end of the week, the diaries are mailed back to Arbitron. Participants in Arbitron's survey receive an untarnished $1 bill with their diaries.<ref>http://www.aimcmc.com/arttoart/artto9.html</ref><ref>http://www.theweekbehind.com/articles/radio.html</ref>As of the rating period for Fall 2006, Arbitron has begun sending 3 dollars with each survey.<ref>http://www.ronfez.net/messageboard/viewmessages.cfm/Forum/52/Topic/47353/page/Arbitron_called_me____Rate____THIS_.htm</ref> A new random sample is selected to participate each week. Arbitron's surveys are broken down into four key ratings periods, roughly corresponding with the seasons and bearing their names.<ref>http://www.arbitron.com/home/surveysched.htm</ref> The term commonly used in the radio industry for these quarterly ratings is "Arbitron book," or more specifically, "the Spring book," "the Fall book," etc. Arbitron also releases monthly information twice between the release of each book. These ratings, called Arbitrends, are labeled "Phase I" and "Phase II".<ref>http://www.arbitron.com/home/delivsched.asp</ref> The Arbitrends, despite being mid-term indicators, nonetheless reflect the entire three-month block leading up to them.<ref>http://www.rogerwimmer.com/researchdr/arbitronquestions.htm</ref> Arbitron surveys listener habits from 6 a.m. to Midnight, Monday through Friday<ref>http://www.arbitron.com/home/ratings.htm</ref> for 48 weeks a year, with one week off at the end of the Spring book, and three weeks off at the end of the Fall book. The turnaround between the end of the survey period and the release of the information is about three weeks.

The information collected is then sold to radio broadcasters and advertisers on a regional basis. Major ratings products include cume (the cumulative number of listeners over a period), average quarter hour (AQH), time spent listening, (TSL), and market breakdowns by demographic.

The seasonal books' 12+ ratings, a measurement of the overall number of people 12 and over listening to a particular station, are available as a free service by Arbitron for noncommercial use in most markets, except in cases where radio companies request an embargo. More detailed data, such as demographics and Arbitrends, requires a paid subscription.

[edit] Portable People Meter

To collect more accurate ratings data, Arbitron is introducing the Portable People Meter (PPM), which can be worn in a similar fashion to a pager or cell phone, and electronically records the listening behavior and history of a single panelist throughout the day for several months. This information will be used in a new monthly ratings service that will provide radio station listening performance numbers. The PPM service is currently collecting ratings data in the Houston, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<ref>Arbitron Installs First Households For Rollout Of Portable People Meter Ratings Service In Philadelphia</ref><ref>List of Encoded Outlets - Philadelphia</ref> markets, and is scheduled to be installed in the top 10 American markets within the next few years.

[edit] List of Defined Arbitron Radio Markets

See List of United States radio markets

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

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