Arbitron
From Free net encyclopedia
Arbitron 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.
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 [1][2]. 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[3]. 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"[4]. The Arbitrends, despite being mid-term indicators, nonetheless reflect the entire three-month block leading up to them [5]. Arbitron surveys listener habits from 6 a.m. to Midnight, Monday through Friday [6] 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.
According to some critics, the data collected by Arbitron may not be as accurate as the data collected by Nielsen or other companies. Critics base their opinion mainly on two arguments. First, Arbitron's surveys have a relatively low response rate of approximately 30 percent (actually, 30 percent is a very good response rate). Second, the written diaries may not accurately reflect the programming actually listened to by the survey participant. For example, the participant may not remember exactly when they started or stopped listening, or they may forget to record an entry in the diary altogether. In addition, it is difficult (and unsafe) to record the listening done in automobiles while driving, though a large proportion of radio listeners primarily tune in while in their cars. For this reason, Arbitron has spent over 10 years and millions of dollars in research and development to produce a new, more accurate rating system. This new device, called the Portable People Meter (PPM), which can be worn in a similar fashion to a pager or cell phone, will electronically record 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 more frequently and more accurately than ever before. The new PPM service is currently being tested in the Houston (TX) market, and is scheduled to be installed in the top 10 American markets within the next few years.
See also
- Nielsen Ratings (for television programs)
- B_News USENET B NetNews system
- Time spent listening, one of the metrics measured