NYC Arbitron Radio Ratings: June 2012

[Macker]

I've said this from the beginning... Just flip it to alternative gen-x radio, like Philly's Radio 104.5 or what Radio 92.3 was in Cleveland. Just have the songs and the generic voicetrack that says the song and artist beforehand or after. It would be cheap and deliver huge ratings. Also, can we finally agree that radio consultants are a scam?
(i accidentally posted this in the wrong thread)

 

[vinceapple]

June PPM's

The ratings are out and you can read all about them right here.

http://www.examiner.com/article/june-ppm-s-1

 

[Area 845]

Your ratings report is a little late to the party. A link was provided at the beginning of this post with the same info you are writing about. Now If you had any demo breakout information then you would have something.

 

[scott5]

Your ratings report is a little late to the party. A link was provided at the beginning of this post with the same info you are writing about. Now If you had any demo breakout information then you would have something.

that guy used to write on the demo breakdowns and the morning afternoon ratings separately. Dono why he stopped

 

[davideduardo]

that guy used to write on the demo breakdowns and the morning afternoon ratings separately. Dono why he stopped

Probably because Arbitron has prohibited the distribution or publication of data sent to subscribers and advised both agency and station clients that they can not divulge their copyright data to non-subscribers or the general public.

 

[Area 845]

I guess that pretty much ruins his ratings report when you can only report on what is already known...unless one gets very creative if you know what I mean?

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Has that aggravating boycott affected David Hinckley's writings as well as Vince's? I don't recall seeing anything by Hinckley posted anywhere for months.

Most places nearby me where they sell the NY News (usually with the NY Post on the next stack) carry only their Sunday papers. I never paid much attention to when Hinckley was known to do his ratings. I just know that his breakdowns haven't appeared here or on the NYRMB for some time.

If he and Santarelli are under the same restraints, that makes the NYDN an innocent bystander in a lot of cases. It also means less ad revenue because fewer people see the ads from the internet as well as from the physical paper.

Who wants to read or discuss a list where a big blue dot hides the faces of forty sets of call letters? Why 'release' this garbage at all? Any fledgling ratings outfit has to be salivating at all the negative graffiti Arbitron is getting, as well as all the potential free publicity a new 12+ or 6+ beauty pageant list would achieve. There might never have been a more ripe time for a new outfit to expand and move in. Hey -- everyone here knows and understands that Arbitron's intentions are meant to plug leaks in their revenue pipes. Leaks never improve themselves ; they only get worse. Yet, this imposed blackout still smells to me like so many of those other maneuvres we gripe about. Those would be the ones where other big companies have to cut something back, punctually, usually from the product, in order to stay financially comfortable in an industry that's no longer replenishing itself well.

Others here doubtless will disagree. I still view this boycott as a reactive cutback gesture in the same category as all that layoff and syndication stuff. Reacting, not pro-active or pioneering. To me, there is a lack of confidence among the factors.

 

[davideduardo]

Any fledgling ratings outfit has to be salivating at all the negative graffiti Arbitron is getting, as well as all the potential free publicity a new 12+ or 6+ beauty pageant list would achieve. There might never have been a more ripe time for a new outfit to expand and move in.

Arbitron became dominant and slowly knocked off Hooper and then Pulse because it became the single accepted ratings service at ad agencies. They marketed themselves so that a station selling off Pulse came in, they would simply say, "we buy off Arbitron" and dismiss the rate claims based on Pulse.

As far as I can see, there is no benefit to advertisers by having ratings known to the general public. And ratings are paid for by stations so that they can be given to agencies and large advertisers.

On the other hand, the subscribers, who pay a lot for the service, are tired of the usage of the material they bought being used by competitors. In this internet enabled world, it is so easy for a whole book to be sent electronically that some procedure had to be put into effect to make it clear when a cheater was using the data.

Many companies have tried to do ratings... Pulse, Hooper, Birch, SRC, Strategy Research, Burke, Audits & Surveys, Nielsen, etc. and have failed because Arbiton is well entrenched and no radio company is actively interested in buying a second ratings service.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

You get to my chief question from a different vector, David.

Simply, why is Arbitron, keeper of the keys to the fortress, and standing sentry over their domain, still freely allowing these new, truncated, compromised and otherwise senseless versions of the ratings to be released? What returns are they expecting?

These are partial box scores being released. I understand that they are preaching to the congregation (subscribers) as much as they are waving an admonishing forefinger at the sinners. But traditionally, those stations who don't subscribe will continue to go their own way. 12+ numbers and 6+ numbers have been used for decades previous to this sandbagging. And in 2012, as you stated, the exchange of information, legally or otherwise, is just a few bucks and a click away. Business will commence as usual, over or under the table.

The feeling here is that Arbitron and other ratings services always have found enforcement of copyrighting very difficult throughout their existence -- whether the 12+ numbers are printed publicly or not. So this latest circling-of-the-wagons seems like an exercise in futility as long as some numbers continue to be printed. Implimenting a blackout now is one counter, certainly. But it is not a complete blackout or a boardoom-only gambit unless those gold stars awarded just to the obedient students are removed.

So what is their purpose of continuing to release *some* numbers for free? Either make it a total stonewall or not. I still feel as though someone is hedging their bets at this point. If Arbitron wants those figures used only via a handshake with a subscriber, terrific. That's what they're in business for.

So what's with these laughable lists released for public consumption and discussion? What is the real reason?