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 ]

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 ]

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 ]

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? ]

Newark Star Ledger: People Meters let radio tune in to audiences

... the radio ratings game is about to catch up to technology. The imminent arrival of a device called a "Portable People Meter" in the New York radio market could spell big changes for listeners as programmers and advertisers get faster, more detailed and more accurate information about who listens to what.

Will rock stations come back into vogue? Is disco really dead? Will talk radio recover from the controversies involving Don Imus and various zinger-slinging shock jocks?

The Portable People Meter just might tell the tale.

The small electronic device, which gets clipped to a user like a cell phone, listens for signals embedded in programming and records that information. It goes beyond traditional radio, recognizing programming delivered via satellite radio and broadcast, cable and satellite TV. Arbitron says it can even detect cinema advertising.

In other words, if you can hear it, Arbitron will know.   [ MORE ]

P1's in a PPM World: New Insight Into Who Matters Most

DMR and Arbitron set to release groundbreaking PPM research this summer

CINCINNATI, Ohio – May 31, 2007   DMR, Arbitron and the University of Wisconsin's AC Nielsen Center for Marketing (UW-Madison) are set to release in depth PPM research this summer. The new study, entitled: P1's in a PPM World: New Insight Into Who Matters Most is the first-ever study of listener loyalty and preference (P1, P2, etc.) patterns over time. The research team analyzed over one year’s worth of daily panelist-by-panelist level data from Houston PPM.

...not all radio listeners are created equal: heavy radio users drive nearly 90% of the ratings. According to UW-Madison’s Ty Henderson PhD, “The listening preference patterns in this analysis mirrors what we see in many consumer products: a select few drive the majority of the category. Knowing who matters and who to target will be critical to stations’ marketing and programming.”

Another important finding is that not all P1's are created equal. Although this was more or less known to be true in the diary world, a new measure, "percent of listening" (POL) uncovers the select few who REALLY matter the most. In fact, even so-called "mass appeal" stations derive the majority of their listening from a very small, important group: less than 2% of the Houston market drives nearly half of the listening for a leading AC station. Bill Rose, senior vice president of marketing, Arbitron Inc. says, "Understanding P1 listening is crucial for radio programmers and this study will provide fresh insight into the dynamics of how it works in the PPM world.”   [ Full Text of the Release ]

PPMNews Note:  We will post a link to download the study as soon as it is available.

Radio INK: Hispanic Broadcasters Urged To Embrace The Future

Speaking during Wednesday (5/23) afternoon's Group Heads panel at the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference, Clear Channel senior vice president for Hispanic Radio Alfredo Alonso warned broadcasters that they must embrace all methods of expanding their brands and reaching listeners if they hope to compete in an ever-changing radio landscape.

... Alonso said this acceptance of new ideas must also extend to Arbitron's Portable People Meter. "The PPM is the new wave of measuring radio," he said. "We can't be afraid of it; we have to accept it. We need to do a better job of taking our medium and embracing new technology, so that advertisers feel we are embracing the audience. If we don’t' embrace this new technology, we will be left behind."  [ MORE ]

Forbes: Radio Redux

Q&A with John Hogan

After voicing concerns about the effectiveness and cost of Arbitron's Portable People Meter, Clear Channel agreed earlier this year to use the system in Philadelphia. Now that you're on board with PPM, how quickly do you expect to adopt it in other markets?

It depends on how quickly they commercialize it in other markets. We continue to have concerns about the PPM methodology and reliability, as well as the price. We are a very, very strong proponent of electronic measurement [but] it's baffling why in this instance, technology is making things more expensive, rather than less expensive.

We continue to talk with Arbitron and we've shared these same concerns with them. I'm not particularly impressed with it thus far. They're showing an increase in the number of listeners and a significant decrease in the amount of time people are spending with radio. I question the methodology. I question the way they assemble a [listener] panel, I question their ability to accurately reflect black and Hispanic listening.   [ MORE ]

FMQB - What we've learned from the Philly PPM... So Far

Useful Insights for PPM and Diary Markets  by Gary Marince

With the successful launch of the Arbitron Portable People Meter as the official source of ratings in Philadelphia late last month, we’re witnessing history in the making: electronic ratings for radio is finally a reality. And as exciting as it is for markets who are converting to PPM, the lessons learned from Philadelphia and Houston are easily translatable to markets which may not see PPM anytime soon.

Keep in mind that PPM is actually a form of behavioral research. Among the benefits of using a panel of consumers who wear the PPM over a long period (as opposed to Diarykeepers who are engaged in the ratings process for only a week), we’re observing the same group of people using radio over time. We see how they change listening habits and often can associate why they do so. Programmers now have unprecedented insight into how people use and listen to radio.

So, what behaviors are we seeing and what lessons can we learn?  For programmers, the importance of P1 listening is...  [ MORE ]

Also see  ArbitronPDCentral.com Blog

From Your Lips to Philly's Ears

This morning's RBR addresses the concerns about the Cost per Point issue related to the "recalibration" of the numbers in Philadelphia:

Radio Business Reports:  Kathy Crawford: Nothing to fear on PPM in Philly

Well, the first PPM numbers are coming out today for the City of Brotherly Love and there's a bit of apprehension from the radio stations. We will be asking for opinion on those numbers, but for now we asked Kathy Crawford, MindShare President/Local Broadcast, about fears that there will be lower AQH numbers and therefore less dollars for radio in the market.

Will buyers increase the CPP value to compensate? How will it pan out in negotiations?

"The same way that it happened with the LPM [Local People Meter-for TV]. The bottom line was the pricing