Big Troubles coming down the track at WPRO

[linkanecohen]

Guyssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss, Youre ALL saying the same thing OVER and OVER again..
Lets move on..

Linda. and thank u.

 

[luvcoors]

Secret Agency Man's post cannot be accurate...PRO-AM cant be that bad with 18-34 & 25-54 adults and still be 1/10 from #1 in 12+. It would mean they had to have gotten every single QH of listening from 55+ and those total QH's must be more than everyone else's QH's that are coming from mulitple demos.

I'm not a PRO-AM supporter...but I dont tolerate inaccurate crap being posted in a public forum

Luvcoors, my earlier posting of the Providence ranking is dead-on accurate. Your assumption of bogus information on a board is understandable but in this case not valid. However you are correct in assuming that the majority of PRO’s numbers are from the elderly. Monday-Friday in Morning Drive PRO ranks 11th in Persons 18-54, which is almost 9 shares behind the 1st ranked station. They rank 1st in Persons 55+ and over 9 shares ahead of the 2nd ranked station. The entire station shakes out in the same way. The majority of PRO’s listeners are old. If this story does anything, it will highlight that fact to any current or potential advertiser in bright yellow highlighter. The Channel 12 piece made mention of the median age of PRO is 64. From the data that is easy for me to believe.

Why so much attention is paid to 12+ numbers is beyond me. If Arbitron actually thought those numbers had any relevance to anyone for anything, do you think they’d just give them away?

You mean to tell me that many diaries from 55+ diary keepers generated that many QH's of listening to propel PRO-AM to 2nd place 12+. Damn! Then I'm guess there's else for them to do up there than listen to the radio. Based on the 25-54 numbers..means that about 90-93% of their total listening cam from that demo. Not good IMO...they should be a Top 5 station with 25-54 in order to insure competiveness

 

[Holland Cooke]

Paul: THANK YOU for being here.

Please, don't end the thread!! This is as interesting a line of comments as I've read in a while. And, you really are following Mr. Cooke's "honor system," since no one has complained to the NBC10 ombudsman.

Paul Giacobbe

Doing-what-you-do for NBC10, you must be a fascinated observer of how-WPRO-is-handling-this.

The WPRO Arbitron Stonewall could be a crisis management training case study.

If a complaint was filed I suspect he'd respond that he reviews complaints about fairness, accuracy and balance in news reports. Absent a suggestion that failure to report a story was based on some improper motive, the decision of what to cover is basically a newsroom decision and beyond the scope of what the ombudsman does. That having been said, I agree with you self described "radio freaks" that it's a great story, but I think it has a limited interest outside of people in the business and those relatively few people who listen to talk radio on a regular basis. I suspect that's why it wasn't more actively reported on NBC10.

Suppose -- again, hypothetically -- that the complaint raised-the-issue that, by-virtue-of the NBC10/WPRO content-sharing partnership, NBC10 was conflicted.

Again, hypothetically.

 

[S DANMAN]

Guyssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss, Youre ALL saying the same thing OVER and OVER again..
Lets move on..

Linda. and thank u.

Sure Linda,

Let's just let this topic die, then a personality who is involved with diary fraud can just continue on bashing everyone else, and a broadcast company that has no comment can have no retribution. What stops the next on-air personality from screwing with any diaries that he/she or friends get their hands on ? Let's let it all slide.

 

[wc3434]

Danman, Maybe we need an FBI investigation!! Look, who knows if it was Depetro? I KNOW this crap goes on often with this childish Arbitron system. Geezzz, do you work for 6 ? ? We sound like a bunch of little girls.

 

[Moonstruck]

WOULD YOU DO IT?

Here's a scenario. You have the opportunity to cook the books in your favor or maybe your station's favor. Maybe it's not as glaring a situation as these 6 mystery diaries in this phantom household so you think you can do it or get someone with a diary to do it without getting caught. Would you do it? I think most would say yes. I think most would be cautious and not do it so that the numbers would look unrealistic enough to raise eyebrows at the competition across town but still. I know things wouldn't look as bright down the line when the next book doesn't show such stellar numbers but most in radio live for the quarter. I'm not justifying it but being realistic. I do think most would do it but not be as stupid about it as this situation.

 

[Holland Cooke]

"I KNOW this crap goes on often with this childish Arbitron system."

Think back to when you were in school.
The teachers that gave you As were brilliant.
The ones that gave you Ds were dopes, right?

"This childish Arbitron system" couldn't be further-from-the-truth.
Arbitron sure DOES try real hard, and spends LOTS of money trying to get it right.

Admittedly I say so incapable of conveying, here, what-I-have-gleaned-about how-they-do-what-they-do over several decades of doing-what-I-do-for-a-living.

Follow me, and my fellow research nerds, past Security, and into the fortress: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNU3l4GapXw

 

[S DANMAN]

I've been reconsidering my viewpoint WC, of course !!! We live in Rhode Island where corruption is a way of life. Of course give Frank Corrente his full pension. We've got a convicted felon as the most listened to talk host. Of course the morning drive host of the same station should have no penalty for fraud and cheating. It's the Rhode Island way !! This goes on everywhere, right Holland?

 

[pmgiacobbe]

I don't know that the NBC10/WPRO business relationship, whatever it might be, would be so strong as to ignore the story. Depetro's relationship seems strongest with Channel 6 and Hummel, and 6 made the greatest effort to tie him to the issue.

If the six diaries came from Woonsocket instead of East Greenwich, and if they benefitted a larger time block, no one except the station ad people would have cared about this issue and this board would not have run on for 19 pages. What makes this story so appealing is the innuendo that Depetro was involved and there's been no direct evidence of that. To heavily report this story -- or to ambush him in a parking lot -- is to suggest he had something to do with the diaries, and that's not fair.

(Sorry if that blue highlighted summary box doesn't appear to explain this post. I don't know how to do that.)

 

[Holland Cooke]

Recommended reading for WPRO management

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/00...ils?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1218639393&sr=8-1&seller=

 

[someplacesomewhere]

I don't know that the NBC10/WPRO business relationship, whatever it might be, would be so strong as to ignore the story. Depetro's relationship seems strongest with Channel 6 and Hummel, and 6 made the greatest effort to tie him to the issue.

If the six diaries came from Woonsocket instead of East Greenwich, and if they benefitted a larger time block, no one except the station ad people would have cared about this issue and this board would not have run on for 19 pages. What makes this story so appealing is the innuendo that Depetro was involved and there's been no direct evidence of that. To heavily report this story -- or to ambush him in a parking lot -- is to suggest he had something to do with the diaries, and that's not fair.

(Sorry if that blue highlighted summary box doesn't appear to explain this post. I don't know how to do that.)

DePetro was very vocal on his dislike of channel 6 after Hummel left, a situation would likely led to them making so much out of this.

 

[McRadio]

Paul G does make a point about this being a biggie because John is involved although I think even if those diaries were in Woonsocket it would be a story here, especially if they showed Dave Kane owned the market. But back to JDP, other than the fact that these were his numbers, people are pointing to him because he comes across as the type who would do this. Here's a newsflash: he isn't the only one who is the "type". Moonstruck said it. If you thought you wouldn't be found out would you do it? Hell yeah although I'd never say that face to face to anyone. Most radio people feel they've been screwed, are getting screwed, or are going to get screwed. They look down on management and owners and even some PDs as being the enemy. Anything you can do to extend your shelf life may not be acceptable but it's understandable when you're the underdog. Forget the jocks. Take the average OM or GM. A neighbor says he has an Arbitron & asks "should I write in your station in every time slot"? What do you think Mr GM is going to say? This brouhaha could actually be nothing more than that. Bottom line is that if this occurred with a different type of personality with a squeaky clean respectable image you wouldn't see as much finger pointing.

 

[Holland Cooke]

"If you thought you wouldn't be found out would you do it?"

If "Chris Johnson" (the name EVERY Arbitron placement person, male or female, uses when calling out) called, and you worked at a radio station, what you'd be smarter to do is TELL Arbitron you're not qualified. Then document-that-you-did to your boss.

 

[Zach Rules]

Holland,

Why bother being honest? There's apparently no retribution for cooking the books. You get a week off and told that Arbitron is at fault.

 

[someplacesomewhere]

"Cooking the books"

That phrase makes me laugh. Everytime I see it, I imagine a DJ slaving over a hot stove, when finally finished, pulling out a big thick book thats says "Arbitron" on the front.

 

[wknd92]

Let's also make mention that while Ch 10 didn't put the story as prominently in it's newscasts as CH 6 or Ch 12, they did cover the story. I liken it to how the Journal covered it, not Section A, Not RI section (section B); but in the business section, they covered it; but it wasn't front page material (what with a firefighter's funeral, Rhode Islanders in the Olympics, Severe weather throughout the region, homicides in Providence, etc) it may not have jumped up in their face (seeing as they are #1) as it did for the last place station in the market....

 

[BoredModerator]

So Arbitron won't reveal the information, WPRO won't discuss it on the air, and unless there is a leak, we'll never know. This story dwindles as quickly as it escalated. Well played by all parties.

 

[someplacesomewhere]

So Arbitron won't reveal the information, WPRO won't discuss it on the air, and unless there is a leak, we'll never know. This story dwindles as quickly as it escalated. Well played by all parties.

Oh come on! They can't talk about it on the air. Are you serious??

 

[Ill alert the media]

Why won't Arbitron disclose more info?
Was this another "deal of the day"?

 

[Holland Cooke]

RE "Why won't Arbitron disclose more info?"

"Was this another 'deal of the day'?"

Ya...THINK???

Citadel is one of Arbitron's biggest customers.
Re-issuing a book is REAL expensive.
SOMEBODY'S gotta pay for it.
Connect the dots.

You've heard network correspondents TRY to ask various would-be VP candidates if they're being vetted.
Most-specific question is "Have you been asked to supply documents" to the vetting committee.

Wanna hear just-as-quick a "no comment?"
A local reporter could ask Arbitron "Did Citadel fund Re-Issue in-exchange-for-non-disclosure?"

If you REALLY want to know, shell out 99 cents to become a CDL stockholder.
Then, at the next annual meeting, ask.
If Citadel still owns the station then.

But that only relates to actual DISCLOSURE.

How stunningly naive of the WPRO politburo to figure this'll just blow-over.
It is now too late to fend-off peoples' INFERENCE about what happened.
The brand is tainted.

All the station had to say is "nobody here had anything to do with this."
Like Watergate, the Monica Lewinsky episode, and other scandals, the cover-up ends-up doing more damage.

The least they could do is take Salty's name off the sign.