The Arbitron Radio Diary Goes Electronic in Winter 2007

Diary survey participants will have the option to use new, internet-based “eDiary” instead of paper and pencil version; Tests show eDiary keepers are younger, more likely to work; Quality of listening entries on par with paper survey tool

NEW YORK October 31, 2006 – Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) announced today that, effective with the Winter 2007 survey, radio survey participants in diary-based markets will have the option to use an Internet-based, electronic diary in place of the standard paper and pencil survey tool. [Full Release at Arbitron.com ]

Wal-Mart Signs On for Project Apollo

Wal-Mart Moves Signal New Power Shift From Retailers To Consumers

Two possibly interrelated moves signal a profound shift for the world's biggest retailer. They may also signal a fundamental shift in the power of consumer marketing. Retail giant Wal-Mart Thursday announced its support of Arbitron's and VNU's Apollo project, and said it would subscribe to the data generated by a pilot project for the new single-source research system that simultaneously measures what advertising and media consumers are exposed to and what products they purchase in retail outlets.

Wal-Mart marks the first big retailer to sign on to the project, and coupled with its other recent moves, including its plans to announce a new ad agency roster, may reveal its need for greater consumer insights than it might have needed in the past. Among other things, one of its new agency partners, Carat, has a division that is deemed the best company at marketing mix modeling, a sophisticated form of marketing research that can also measure how advertising and media directly impact consumer purchases.

The developments are significant, because they also mark another radical shift in the power of marketing information - what some might call the Third Wave of mass marketing.  [ MORE ]

Also see:  Arbitron Press Release, AdWeek, Reuters

Advisory Council: Let's get this show on the road!

Media Week:  Arbitron Radio Advisory Council Moves PPM Forward

The Arbitron Radio Advisory Council issued a resolution Wednesday that all but endorses Arbitron’s impending rollout of portable people meters to the top 50 markets.  [ MORE ]

Inside Radio: "Give us the dates" for People Meter markets, says the Arbitron Radio Advisory Council

They’re asking Arbitron to share the scheduled implementation dates for all the markets it intends to take “live” in 2007 – like New York and L.A. We already know that Philly’s scheduled for January 11 and Houston should be the same month. The Council just wrapped up its three-day meeting in Houston and outgoing Chairman Bill Kelly says "it's time for everybody to know the dates, to get training ready, and to face the reality that the technology's going to be there." The Council knows that radio groups have their own business decisions to make about whether to go with PPM. [ MORE ]

Radio Ink: Radio Advisory Council Passes Resolution Regarding Arbitron PPM

The Arbitron Radio Advisory Council passed a resolution this morning regarding PPM, which will be going live soon as currency in selected markets. The Council says they continue to believe that MRC accreditation of the PPM process will contribute to industry acceptance and support radio's credibility with advertisers.

The council further appreciates Arbitron's commitment to gain MRC accreditation for the Houston PPM methodology prior to commercialization. The Council urges the MRC and Arbitron to complete the accreditation process. [ MORE ]

FMQB: Arbitron Radio Advisory Council Asks For PPM Launch Dates

This morning, the Arbitron Radio Advisory Council passed a resolution asking that Arbitron announce the planned dates for all markets that are scheduled to convert to the PPM electronic ratings system in 2007. So far it has been announced that  [ MORE ]

Ratings for Gamers

Wouldn't it be interesting if the radio industry procrastinated long enough regarding electronic measurement of the medium and found themselves (ourselves) in a position where video games had a more robust measurement system than radio?  MSO

Nielsen Rolls Out GamePlay Metrics Service

Nielsen Media Research has announced the launch of its long-awaited GamePlay Metrics service, a new measurement product designed to collect audience data for video games.

The new service, which is expected to begin generating the video-game equivalent of ratings by mid-2007, is aimed at establishing standard metrics and third-party objectivity to the burgeoning segment of in-game advertising, which is predicted to be a $730 million market by the end of the decade, according to The Yankee Group. GamePlay Metrics will pull data directly from gaming consoles, such as PlayStation 2 and Xbox, through a patented technology developed by Nielsen that will record both game titles and game players demographic information. [ MORE ]

FOXNews.com - Nielsen to Actively Measure Video-Game Usage in Households - Business And Money | Business News | Financial News

Link: FOXNews.com - Nielsen to Actively Measure Video-Game Usage in Households - Business And Money | Business News | Financial News.

Nielsen to Actively Measure Video-Game Usage in Households

LOS ANGELES —  Nielsen Media Research, whose TV viewer surveys have long determined how much advertisers pay for commercials, is getting into the digital joystick business with a new ratings service for video games.

Inside Radio: Arbitron quietly determined to keep pushing ahead with People Meter

Steve Morris says electronic measurement is "overdue" and "buyers are screaming for it" and Arbitron "must move" down the path toward the PPM.  Morris calls it "steady progress" - despite the pushback from some...  [ MORE ]

More PPM headlines from the Oct 20 INSIDE RADIO:

Arbitron suing Media Audit/Ipsos for patent infringement in the U.S. - and Telecontrol in Australia.

Legal costs from the Media Audit/Ipsos suit could run $1 million to $2 million...

No revenue yet from the PPM...

Arbitron not worried about Nielsen crossing over into radio...

The LBO option is low on Arbitron's priority list...

Sample Frame: Address vs Telephone

This story from today's Radio Business Reports becomes all the more interesting in light of the pending PPM roll-out in Philadelphia and beyond.

In Houston, Arbitron is using the address based sample frame that was jointly implemented with their prospective partner, Nielsen Media Research.  Nielsen uses the address based sample frame for their TV audience research.

In Philadelphia and beyond, Arbitron will abandon the address based sample frame in favor of a telephone sample frame that is modified to include cell only households.  Their thinking is that the address approach is just too costly of a methodology for radio alone to support.

Midwesterners cutting the cord fastest

More and more U.S. households are dropping their landlines and opting to go completely wireless. According to Telephia, households in Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul have the highest rate of wireless substitution among the 20 largest cities in the country. Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul posted household wireless substitution rates of 19 and 15.2%, respectively. The Tampa metropolitan area secured a 15.1% rate, representing nearly 177,000 households. Nearly 219,000 (14.3%) households in Atlanta and 220,000 (13.6%) households in Washington D.C. cut the cord. Rounding out the top 10 were Phoenix, Seattle, Denver, Boston and Los Angeles.

[Philadelphia] is Down One in Radio Markets

 

We're No. 7.

Philly is now the nation's seventh-largest radio market, down one spot.

Arbitron Inc., whose ratings are gospel to radio companies and advertisers, reports that the area's population actually went up over a year - but that Houston/Galveston's went up more.

The Houston area now has 4.47 million people ages 12 and up in its sprawling metro area; Philadelphia, which is the city plus the counties of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery, has 4.36 million.

The southeastern Texans had been nipping at Philly's heels for some time. As recently as the 1980s, Philly was in fourth. San Francisco pushed it to fifth before Dallas nudged it down to sixth.  [ MORE at Philadelphia Inquirer ]

Off Topic: Alabama Kitchen Sink

MUSINGS ON LIFE, ART AND STARTING A BUSINESS IN THE HEART OF DIXIE

Me and Arbitron / Wednesday Oct 18, 2006

Last week our family completed an Arbitron ratings survey for local radio. It was quite a little process. First, came a letter of interest along with a crisp new dollar bill promising a future monetary token of appreciation should we agree to participate. Then came a phone call wherein I agreed to do it. I asked the caller how much would we receive, and she said “about the cost of a cup of coffee.” Not that I’m that desperate for money. I’m just interested in marketing. A few days later, we received packets with the surveys for each family member. And there was again a crisp dollar for each of us. Another phone call to make sure we got them. Another letter reminding us of the date to begin our diary entries. Phone call to remind us to start. Letter to remind us to mail them back. And I think another phone call, but I could have lost count.

Now, I only listen to the...   [ MORE ]

Arbitron Inc. Reports 2006 Third Quarter Financial Results

Revenue up Six Percent to $90.7 Million;

Net Income Per Share (Diluted) is $0.68;

Costs and Expenses Increase Due to Planned Spending on Portable People Meter and ‘Project Apollo’ Initiatives and Reporting of Share-Based Compensation Expense

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) today announced results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006.

For the third quarter 2006, the Company reported revenue of $90.7 million, an increase of 6.0 percent over revenue of $85.6 million during the third quarter of 2005.

Planned spending on the Portable People Meter and Project Apollo initiatives along with the required expensing of share-based compensation contributed to increased costs and expenses for the third quarter of 7.8 percent, from $52.7 million in 2005 to $56.8 million in 2006.  [ MORE ]