Nielson

[Fran]

Someone mentioned that Jackson is not scheduled to be a Nielson market and that Arbitron is down to just one Jackson subscriber. I wonder if Arbitron would still survey Jackson if the one subscriber cancelled their subscription. It is hard to imagine that the largest city in the state would wind up without an audience measurement.

Granted, every Arbitron looks the same, all urban, all the time. WJMI-WHLH-WKXI-WRBJ. The two highest rated non-urban stations (Miss and Jack) are down to a 5.0% audience share. The two country stations combined only have a 7.8% audience share. . . 1.4% ahead of the 4th rated urban station! I thought that maybe country music listening had fallen out of favor nationwide, but actually, country seems to be going strong in Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Starkville and Meridian.

 

[robgrayson]

If a tree fell in a forest... and hit a guy with a PPM meter on the head...

 

[bobrall]

I would think they would carry Jackson as a condensed market or cut it back to a full survey or two a year as they
do with other small markets.
This was a small market to have continuous measurement.
We are insignificant compared to the radio market we were
in the 60s through 80s.

 

[DouglasB]

This was a small market to have continuous measurement. We are insignificant compared to the radio market we were
in the 60s through 80s.

Very good point, and one that could be made about a number of markets this size. The fragmentation of the audience among a plethora of signals and further splintering by alternative entertainment/information sources, have impacted most markets in the way you describe.

 

[jo-nathan]

Even with PPM... I trust Arbitron about as far as I can throw the book. It's awful.

 

[DouglasB]

Even with PPM... I trust Arbitron about as far as I can throw the book. It's awful.

If you've ever been to Beltsville (perhaps you have) and read the comments that people write on diaries, it's enough to make you cry. All of the money spent on promotion, positioning, aided-recall, etc.....and these folks (the mass audience) still has trouble remembering what they listened to, and can't recall call letters, postioners, etc. Audience measurement has always been a crap shoot, no matter what the methodology.

 

[bobrall]

Re: PPM
Placement by telephone is still the problem.
Re: Radio
Now that few people have or care about a favorite radio station, the audience estimates are less reflective of any true listening.
The +/- error percentage, even in the old days, was always about 3%
I got a kick out of the disclaimer from Arbitron:
"These estimates are not accurate to any mathematical degree." in the back of the book.

 

[DouglasB]

I got a kick out of the disclaimer from Arbitron: "These estimates are not accurate to any mathematical degree." in the back of the book.

And yet, millions of dollars in advertising swung on those "numbers", not mention those of us whose careers lived and died by those "numbers".

 

[Fran]

If the numbers are pretty much the same month after month, you get the notion that the audience measurement is probably right. For years WLTW in NYC has been #1 in the diaries and they are also #1 with the PPM. I know that PPM is having trouble tracking urban listeners, some say it’s because black listeners actually listen to white stations, but don’t report white station listening in the book, but the PPM actually tracks their real listening. Interesting theory.

Others claim that black listeners are simply subjected to white stations, ala, on the job, in retail stores, doctor offices, etc. That too. . . . interesting speculation.