Arbitron.Hispanics and younger demo questions

[GregBrady]

Just a couple quick questions for people who understand Arbitron... ??? 1. How can Arbitron say that Eastern Carolina has a 0% Hispanic population in the last two books but yet the Spanish station, has had so much growth!?!?! and ;D 2. Arbitron can only rate people with Land Lines, right!?!?. How many people in the younger demos have land lines these days? Even my 55 year old mother, who still can't work a dvd player, has gotten rid of her land line and now has just has a cell phone. How many people do you know (in the 18-34 year old demo) besides some parents, have cell phones only? Logic says, if you can only rate people with land lines, then there's a problem rating the younger demos...right? Or does Arbitron make up for this some how? ???

 

[RFGuy]

I am wondering the same thing. Granted LaLey has a 1kstick and 100kw, The Hispanic population is, according to Arbitron not rated. Or, is the population of Hispanics under a "threshold" that would grant them a 0% status. If that is the case, If Hispanics did get a diary, would it be weighted? and how much? I doubt, very seriously that there are that many listeners to that signal that is not Hispanic. Heck, I was there when we signed it on and I still cannot understand anything they say!

 

[radiomayor2]

there IS a threshold under which a zip code is not HDHA or HDBA...(i don't remember what it is)however...remember that arb changed the way they measure hispanic......you can be hispanic....or hispanic dominant....( i think that';s the term) the difference is...if you have a mixed home...the hispanic spouse is counted as hispanic and the non hispanic spoouse isn't....

 

[RussAllen]

I believe that whatever population % arbitron is using is based on the 2000 census. In six years the Hispanic population may have grown. Plus keep in mind many Hispanics fly under the radar for obvious reasons. One station can get support from local businesses because they know the audience is there regardless of what the ratings show.As far as the "cell phone only users" that you mention you are correct that it hurts stations targeting the 18-34 demo. The number of cell phone only users increases each year and the bulk of them are 18-34 year olds.At this time households with a cell phone only and no landline are not included in the Arbitron samples because of federal and state restrictions prohibiting the use of automatic dialers with cell phone numbers. Arbitron claims they would have to hire substantially more staff to actually call cell phone only users. For example, if the automatic dialer reached a cell phone and the respondent indicated they don't have a land line number; Aribtron would have to have a person call the cell phone number back to conduct the survey.I think they're targeting 2008 for implementation of this. Oh Joy. :

 

[GregBrady]

Arbitron claims they would have to hire substantially more staff to actually call cell phone only users. For example, if the automatic dialer reached a cell phone and the respondent indicated they don't have a land line number; Aribtron would have to have a person call the cell phone number back to conduct the survey.

So why buy the cow when the milk is free, right? In orther words, why would Arbitron want to help the younger demos and pay a staff, when the upper demo's is where the $$$$ is at. If a station is making great money with upper demos (the money demos), logic says they are more likely to subscribe to Arbitron....right? Or am I looking to deep into it? ???

 

[RussAllen]

If a station is making great money with upper demos (the money demos), logic says they are more likely to subscribe to Arbitron....right? Or am I looking to deep into it? ???[/quote]I think you're looking too deeply into it. Go to Arbitron.com and in the search window type cell phone only users and it will bring up several things you can read up on about the issue. But you may want to save it for a day when you're struggling to get some sleep.

 

[FormerlyGonzo]

No on really gives a damn about Hispanics anyway. Just Mexicans. This new station is not a station geared towards Hispanics, it's for La Raza. Orale, Vato! Simon, Ese!!! Okay, enough of that. Back when I was at WQSL, I tried to get the P.D. to implement a show for Hispanics, with a mixture of many types of Hispanic music. It took me three years of asking before he brought home Pocos Pero Locos. Great Show, don't get me wrong, but a little bit of Daddy Yankee doesn't realy do it over SPM, or any other Mexican artist. Probably a FLUKE anyway, right G? There will never be a real spanish station in Eastern Carolina, because there are too many others who are close-minded to support it. Check out any of the LA MEGA or LA KALLE stations in NY, FL, PR, and you'll hear real spanish stations. Arbitron sucks, and it doesn't matter what the ratings say, un estacion espanol will go belly up in a year. I got behind a n AM spanish station that was close to real, did all their imaging and even some production, on-air and off, trained the jox to use cool edit, and they till flopped. AFTER they went to all mexican sh!#, too. Besides that , ASSitron will not start to call cell phones until a national database is implemented, and that will never happen. Americans won't pay for it. Meaning, if YOU are on your datytime minutes, and ASSitron calls, what would you do? "GET OFF MY DAMN PHONE!!!!" Anyway, just my thoughts, but what does and Eastern Carolina **** who spent 8 years in Radio and that got JAP-SLAPPED out know?Love and peace.....The "Artist Formerly known as Gonzo"

 

[GregBrady]

Gonzo,

Dr. Phil is watching...are you still late to work?

 

[johnqdoe]

No on really gives a damn about Hispanics anyway. Just Mexicans. This new station is not a station geared towards Hispanics, it's for La Raza. Orale, Vato! Simon, Ese!!! Okay, enough of that. Back when I was at WQSL, I tried to get the P.D. to implement a show for Hispanics, with a mixture of many types of Hispanic music. It took me three years of asking before he brought home Pocos Pero Locos. Great Show, don't get me wrong, but a little bit of Daddy Yankee doesn't realy do it over SPM, or any other Mexican artist. Probably a FLUKE anyway, right G? There will never be a real spanish station in Eastern Carolina, because there are too many others who are close-minded to support it. Check out any of the LA MEGA or LA KALLE stations in NY, FL, PR, and you'll hear real spanish stations. Arbitron sucks, and it doesn't matter what the ratings say, un estacion espanol will go belly up in a year. I got behind a n AM spanish station that was close to real, did all their imaging and even some production, on-air and off, trained the jox to use cool edit, and they till flopped. AFTER they went to all mexican sh!#, too. Besides that , ASSitron will not start to call cell phones until a national database is implemented, and that will never happen. Americans won't pay for it. Meaning, if YOU are on your datytime minutes, and ASSitron calls, what would you do? "GET OFF MY DAMN PHONE!!!!" Anyway, just my thoughts, but what does and Eastern Carolina ------ who spent 8 years in Radio and that got JAP-SLAPPED out know?Love and peace.....The "Artist Formerly known as Gonzo"

So many markets have so much "research" and "perception studies" going on that they cannot see all the Spanish speakers at Wal MArt and Food Lion in front of them every day. I may burn my hand on my coffee each morning, but until someone up the corporate chain tells me, I'll think it's cold water.

 

[XTalker]

Ratings are one of the best reasons radio is in the state it is in today. Imagine for a moment that there were no ratings. How would you sell advertising? What would you do differently on the air? How would you convince advertisers you have listeners?

That is really what small AM stations and stations with nitch formats (and there are lots of them who make pleanty of money) do every day.

I know you don't talk much about sales on these boards, but the truth is, without a solid sales team, none of us have jobs. Now don't get me wrong, I spent 40 years on the air and in programming and hate sales people as much as any on-air person ever has - but they are a necessary evil. Unfortunately, we have few good sales people in the business any longer. If they don't have number, they are clueless.

As for Arbitron, the method of determing listening is flawed as previous posters have indicated - and the advent of the people meter is not going to solve the problem. It's about people - listeners who are the most valuable to advertisers won't take the time to keep the diary - wear the meter (along with their cellphone and PDA) nor accurately report their listening.

The answer? Learn to sell the product without ratings. Let programmers develop formats that people will listen to (not that cater to the ratings methology). Air believable, targeted messages and listeners will patronize the advertiser.