How have things changed now that people meters are used?

[soundblast]

I got our of radio before the people meter rating method was available. Back then of course the diary system was in place so we used cume building, and quarter hour maintenance to increase ratings.
For example both the way contest were promoted and for cume we made sure a cume building categories (Heavy rotation, power gold and recurrents came up at the quarter hours. There was a lot more to get the listener to write down you stations but for time sake I am not going to get in to that. I want to know if stations in markets still using the diary system still use this general method of programming and is that kind of programming meatless . Is there any kind of strategic thinking to get better response from people meters. If so please give me a general idea.

 

[davideduardo]

I got our of radio before the people meter rating method was available. Back then of course the diary system was in place so we used cume building, and quarter hour maintenance to increase ratings.
For example both the way contest were promoted and for cume we made sure a cume building categories (Heavy rotation, power gold and recurrents came up at the quarter hours. There was a lot more to get the listener to write down you stations but for time sake I am not going to get in to that. I want to know if stations in markets still using the diary system still use this general method of programming and is that kind of programming meatless . Is there any kind of strategic thinking to get better response from people meters. If so please give me a general idea.

The PPM matter makes for a lengthy subject, and many of the best programmers and researchers in the country have written about it.

First, the components of any radio survey today are cume (did they listen?) and Time Spent Listening (how long did they do it for?). All other figures in a ratings book come from these two: share, AQH persons, rating, etc.

PPM picks up two kinds of cume that are not often or ever put in a diary. First is unrecognized listening, such as a station on in the background while you wait to pick up a prescription. Second is listening you did not initiate, like "the station the old bat in accounting puts on in the office." That makes cumes in most cases double, although this kind of listening is mostly short duration.

The PPM also shows exact, not rounded, listening time, the length of each incident of listening is shorter. So the net result is that cume is relatively more important than it used to be, and TSL is lower and the range for major stations is much tighter.

Cume building is done by outside promotion... TV, billboards, etc. TSL promotion is mostly done on air, by encouraging repeat visits.

Cume building techniques really don't change. But there is more recognition that building length of listening means getting people back more times, not lengthening each incident. This is because it is clearer that extending incidents is limited by ability to listen to radio at any particular time.

TSL can be extended, so it is not just cume building. But the chnages will be in fractions of quarter hours, not full hours. A big performer will have 4 hours TSL, and the mid-range will be around 3 to 3:15, while in the diary we saw 10, even 12 hour TSLs on some formats.

 

[whit979]

I like to keep up with the radio processing industry, and I am particularly interested in how PPM is affecting (or will affect) how stations do their sound/processing. I have a feeling, albeit unsubstantiated, that we will see a change from 'loudness wars' to 'quality wars' in many markets. I would love to hear from others who have thoughts on this subject!

 

[davideduardo]

I like to keep up with the radio processing industry, and I am particularly interested in how PPM is affecting (or will affect) how stations do their sound/processing. I have a feeling, albeit unsubstantiated, that we will see a change from 'loudness wars' to 'quality wars' in many markets. I would love to hear from others who have thoughts on this subject!

Unfortunately, I fear the opposite if anything. Since the PPM is more cume than TSL responsive, the desire to pop out at the listener will be strong, particularly since either scan or presets are the tuning methods of today.

 

[choicevoicepro.com]

David:

How does PPM (or those that read the data) differentiate between incidental listening (listening you did not initiate) and unrecognized listening?

And how does PPM “know” what’s initiated or not?

You make a salient point about time spent listening (some stations logging 12 hours in the dairy method) this is one of the advantages I see in the PPM... more realistic numbers - a least where TSL is concerned.

 

[davideduardo]

How does PPM (or those that read the data) differentiate between incidental listening (listening you did not initiate) and unrecognized listening?

There is no way, except by interviewing panelists after they leave the panel as Coleman did. What was found is interesting: half the incidental listening has no awareness ("I didn't know I heard that") and the other half is recognized but not listened to by choice ("yeah, the woman in accounting listens to that"). And the intentional listeners are made up of loyalists and fickle listeners who change stations a lot.

TSL is more accurate with the meter... the person who put down a station from 6 AM to 8 AM likely only gives 45 minutes of real listening in the meter.

 

[choicevoicepro.com]

Thanks for the response, David. I suppose in the long run being able to differentiate between the two doesn’t matter.

What matters is that true listening (or “hearing”) is recorded.

While the idea of participating in the survey might sound kind of fun at the moment – for the respondent, the reality of accurately recording everything you hear with the diary method is cumbersome.

I believe this is why many people write one entry in their diary and line down through the rest of the day. Thus giving many stations five or six hours a day… when in fact, the listener was all over the dial.

This is one problem PPM can fix – my concern as a programmer though would be the sample problems that still plague the system.

One thing is for certain – PPM has made radio reexamine its day-to-day procedure... in fact, it's minute-to-minute procedure.

What we arrogantly accepted as the right thing to do has been challenged.

PPM showed us almost instantly what was “wrong” – or forcing tune out.

That can only be a good thing.

 

[Sgeirk]

Apparently, with the PPM, there are many major market programmers and vice presidents of programming that feel it's no longer necessary to remind people what station they are listening to. (i.e.: consistently identify the dial position of the station)

This flies in the face of everything I've seen. When you take into account that a pretty fair majority have no idea what station they're listening to or fall into the category of "just tuning around." Why on earth would you pass up an opportunity to introduce yourself to a listener for the first time.

Being only concerned with a fickle P1 base is certain long-term death!

 

[davideduardo]

Apparently, with the PPM, there are many major market programmers and vice presidents of programming that feel it's no longer necessary to remind people what station they are listening to. (i.e.: consistently identify the dial position of the station)

Not that I am aware of. It's just that the diary mandated reminding people what they had dond (memory) while the PPM demands asking for the next appointment (incidents).

This flies in the face of everything I've seen. When you take into account that a pretty fair majority have no idea what station they're listening to or fall into the category of "just tuning around." Why on earth would you pass up an opportunity to introduce yourself to a listener for the first time.

Half the cumers of a station didn't know they even listened, and half of those can't even remember when prompted. These people heard the station, but did not listen. They would not be impacted by anything that they heard without listening.

Being only concerned with a fickle P1 base is certain long-term death!

P1's are between about a quarter and a third of the cume, but produced about two-thirds of all listening. So paying attention to anyone else is death, instant death in the week to week PPM.