Rest of Florida Post Ho Ho Ho!

[John FL]

I've long wondered if diary markets are at a disadvantage when it comes to a stations' efforts offering Christmas/holiday music. What I especially like about the PPM measurements is that there's a special reporting period - the holiday book. It's easy to see the results of a stations' holiday music programming.

Here on The Treasure Coast, like some other diary markets both in Florida and across the country, ratings are released just twice a year. There's a "Spring Book" and a "Fall Book." Maybe it's me, but the frequency is all so confusing as well. As I recall, ratings are released end of January/beginning of February & end of July/beginning of August.

WOSN (Ocean FM 97.1) features wall-to-wall holiday music starting the day after Thanksgiving and ends it on December 26. In looking at their previous ratings, Fall '23 was 2.8. Spring '24 was 4.7, Fall '24 was 5.7, Spring '25 was 2.9. In just glancing at some other diary markets, I see swings like this as well. Can someone make sense of this? And in which book would reflect December listening?

For what it's worth, I don't think diary ratings are worth the expense in subscribing.

 

[ron772]

Here's the Nielsen schedule for the last 3 books, when the Diaries are being filled in

Nielsen Audio Survey Schedules
2–book Diary Survey Schedule SURVEY DATES

Fall 2024
September 12 – December 4

Spring 2025
April 03 – June 25

Fall 2025
September 18 – December 10

 

[John FL]

Thanks ron772 for the ratings info. What you posted justifies my feelings. There's a significant amount of time, 2-3 weeks, in which holiday music isn't measured. I think it puts stations in diary markets at a disadvantage.

What I have noticed locally is that during the holiday season, there's a bit of an uptick with sponsors offering holiday light shows or various festivals. Perhaps this is as good as it gets for smaller markets. A little more in a way of sponsors but no significant bumps in ratings as often seen in stations in the PPM markets offering holiday programming.

 

[ron772]

But if you only get 6 months of ratings every year, they don't want to oversample the Holiday music period either. Christmas music is roughly 10-15% of the year, and about 10-15% of the sampled periods.

 

[John FL]

But if you only get 6 months of ratings every year, they don't want to oversample the Holiday music period either. Christmas music is roughly 10-15% of the year, and about 10-15% of the sampled periods.

We'll put this in the "it is what it is" category.

Certainly, the PPM markets have distinct advantages in audience measurement. In the Christmas season of 2011 I was made aware of a radio station in Jacksonville that paid for weekly Nielsen audience data. This radio station went "all Christmas" at a ridiculously early time - mere days after Halloween. The early in the season ratings showed the Christmas flip to be a disaster. It wasn't until a week before Christmas that the ratings showed listener interest and preference.

Had that station continued with the format(Classic Hits) the following season, there is no doubt, they wouldn't have made the same obvious mistake of going all holiday music way early. If a diary market station did the same thing, the results would have been less clear. For starters, diary markets don't get the option to receive a weekly report. But I think, at least for me, in this digital age to have participants write entries in a paper diary is ridiculous. Although still not perfect as the PPM when it comes to actual listening or even being in earshot of a radio station in a typical day, enabling the participant to reply online seems a step in the right direction. But as I said before - it is what it is.

While radio is back to normal programming, I've concluded that the playing of non-stop Christmas/holiday tunes brings an element of excitement to a medium that's mostly boring. It's like all the straight jacket rules are tossed out and the result is something that's enjoyable to hear. In another post, I mentioned West Palm's Classic Hits WEAT-FM (Sunny 107.9). I happened to be in the West Palm area a week before Thanksgiving when they launched Christmas music at 12 noon. Before that, they really hyped it up building a lot of excitement.

On my drive back home, I really enjoyed how it all sounded. For me, it was like a throwback to a time when you can feel that energy through the speakers. When Sunny's signal faded and it was back to normal programming on the northern Treasure Coast, it was all so blah. Anyway, for what it's worth, there are those who do Christmas music programming exceptionally well. It's no wonder listeners respond as they do as we see in the ratings, especially in PPM markets.

 

[davideduardo]

Certainly, the PPM markets have distinct advantages in audience measurement. In the Christmas season of 2011 I was made aware of a radio station in Jacksonville that paid for weekly Nielsen audience data.

Jacksonville is a PPM market. PPM subscribers get weekly "trend" reports for each of the first 3 weeks of a PPM period, and on the 4th week they get both week 4 and the full 4 week "month".

This radio station went "all Christmas" at a ridiculously early time - mere days after Halloween. The early in the season ratings showed the Christmas flip to be a disaster. It wasn't until a week before Christmas that the ratings showed listener interest and preference.

Remember, the week before Christmas is in the "Holiday Book" which is the 13th four week ratings period. The "Holiday" book has not been released.

The book released on 12/25 was the December book that covered November 13 to December 10 of 2025. WEJZ went from the low 8's in the prior "November" book to the mid-10's in the "December" book (most of which was in November).

Had that station continued with the format(Classic Hits) the following season, there is no doubt, they wouldn't have made the same obvious mistake of going all holiday music way early. If a diary market station did the same thing, the results would have been less clear. For starters, diary markets don't get the option to receive a weekly report.

Actually, subscribers to the diary service can break out individual weeks. But the sample is much smaller than the PPM in any given week. While the PPM is a panel which is close to a true representative sample every day of the year, the diary is an amalgamation of 12 weeks and shouldn't be looked at for specific weeks as the weekly diary sample is not a representative sample of the market... in fact, Nielsen makes sample adjustments every week of the diary survey to try to make up for any early week deficiencies.

But I think, at least for me, in this digital age to have participants write entries in a paper diary is ridiculous. Although still not perfect as the PPM when it comes to actual listening or even being in earshot of a radio station in a typical day, enabling the participant to reply online seems a step in the right direction. But as I said before - it is what it is.

Some people don't want to do that online, some don't have the required connectivity and some just like to write rather than using a smartphone or computer.

While radio is back to normal programming, I've concluded that the playing of non-stop Christmas/holiday tunes brings an element of excitement to a medium that's mostly boring. It's like all the straight jacket rules are tossed out and the result is something that's enjoyable to hear. In another post, I mentioned West Palm's Classic Hits WEAT-FM (Sunny 107.9). I happened to be in the West Palm area a week before Thanksgiving when they launched Christmas music at 12 noon. Before that, they really hyped it up building a lot of excitement.

Yet stations have been doing this since the earlier 1990's. In other words, "All Christmas is about 30-some years old as a concept.

On my drive back home, I really enjoyed how it all sounded. For me, it was like a throwback to a time when you can feel that energy through the speakers. When Sunny's signal faded and it was back to normal programming on the northern Treasure Coast, it was all so blah. Anyway, for what it's worth, there are those who do Christmas music programming exceptionally well. It's no wonder listeners respond as they do as we see in the ratings, especially in PPM markets.

Some argue that the diary, which tends to be filled in with rounded up listening spans, shows Christmas stations doing better than in the PPM. The difference is that the diary is "silent" in that "13th month" that the PPM does measure. So stations doing all Christmas in PPM markets usually have a huge two weeks of the book leading up to December 25.

 

[ron772]

But I think, at least for me, in this digital age to have participants write entries in a paper diary is ridiculous. Although still not perfect as the PPM when it comes to actual listening or even being in earshot of a radio station in a typical day, enabling the participant to reply online seems a step in the right direction. But as I said before - it is what it is.

Of course it's outmoded and inaccurate, but it's not worth it for Nielsen to invest in PPM in smaller markets. Like you said, it is what it is. At least for now ridiculous vs. nothing is leaning towards ridiculous for Nielsen. It can very easily become "nothing" in more and more markets, as it has the last few years.

 

[davideduardo]

Of course it's outmoded and inaccurate, but it's not worth it for Nielsen to invest in PPM in smaller markets.

Unless you do a census instead of a survey, there will always be inaccuracies. But advertisers that use ratings are well aware of this and all they need to evaluate buys is an approximation and not 100% accuracy.

The issue is that stations in smaller markets cannot afford the PPM as it costs about double what the diary system cost. And the main reason for the ratings is to sell advertising to agencies. Those agencies believe that the diary survey is accurate enough to base their advertising investments on, so nothing is going to change.

Like you said, it is what it is. At least for now ridiculous vs. nothing is leaning towards ridiculous for Nielsen. It can very easily become "nothing" in more and more markets, as it has the last few years.

The issue in the smallest markets where there are not enough Nielsen subscribers to make the market profitable is that there are fewer agencies buying in those markets and when they do, they do not buy as deep. While in some of the top markets most sales by major stations is to agencies, the reverse applies in the smaller markets were local direct is a principal source of revenue.

In some small markets and a few small to medium ones stations have picked a lower cost substitute, as they find it adequate for the lesser volume of agency sales they do.

Agencies realize that ratings are an approximation… an estimate… and that is enough to measure price versus delivery for advertising buys.