KJLH GM Karen Slade Complains about PPM and 37% Slide in Business

[4UH8SIMBKAGN]

http://www.labusinessjournal.com/ar...724402.1773304.9517742.965093.210&aID2=136399

 

[Shoot From Hip]

The fact that the LA Radio ad market is down more than 30% overall YTD (as it is just about everywhere in the country...except for Las Vegas and Phoenix, which are worse) is probably unrelated to her station's 37% drop. One wonders what creative solutions her staff is taking to recruit direct business for which ratings have no relevance (i.e. "did my ad make the telephone ring in my store?").

 

[socalguy]

Gee, a year and half ago Karen was all excited about signing up for PPM:

http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/marketing-advertising/5295689-1.html

NEW YORK -- Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) announced today that KJLH-FM, the Urban Adult Contemporary radio station that is owned by Stevie Wonder's Taxi Productions Inc., has sign a multi-year agreement for the Arbitron Portable People Meter(TM) ratings service in Los Angeles as and when the service is introduced in that market.

"Our station seeks to go beyond entertainment to inform our listeners through news, public affairs, and community outreach," said Karen Slade, vice president and general manager, KJLH-FM. "We are looking to the Arbitron Portable People Meter to help our station develop the programming that will meet the needs of the affluent and community conscious African-Americans who make Radio Free 102.3 FM a vital part of their lives and to promote the value of our audience to local and national advertisers."

So is it the PPM or Karen and her staff's inability to respond to the new realities of the market place...?


[EDIT-Link added by Radio-Info as a courtesy]

 

[ChannelFlipper]

"This is not, I repeat NOT, evidence that PPM is measuring actual listening more accurately than the previous diary method and our station has suffered due to the enhanced accuracy of measured listening habits.

That missing 37% is a failure of of the Arbitron methodology which was implemented under "suspicious" circumstances. I call for an FCC, Justice Dept. and House subcomittee investigation into possible "racial disparities" of the sampling methodology imposed, with appropriate fines and mandated changes to the system to be the ultimate outcome..."

<OK, point made, sarc off>

 

[ChannelFlipper]

"This is not, I repeat NOT, evidence that PPM is measuring actual listening more accurately than the previous diary method and our station has suffered due to the enhanced accuracy of measured listening habits.

That missing 37% is a failure of of the Arbitron methodology which was implemented under "suspicious" circumstances. I call for an FCC, Justice Dept. and House subcomittee investigation into possible "racial disparities" of the sampling methodology imposed, with appropriate fines and mandated changes to the system to be the ultimate outcome..."

<OK, point made, sarc off>

I realize the 37% drop was in revenue and not ratings (which were listed as even worse 1.3 to 0.4 drop in the article), but clearly the point is still valid.