Settlement in California Confirms Minority Viewers Are Often Underestimated

[Morpheux]

Settlement in California Confirms Minority Viewers Are Often Underestimated

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/...ience.html?soid=1101040629095&aid=RhopsSO2Foc

 

[radio-darn]

Re: Settlement in California Confirms Minority Viewers Are Often Underestimated

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/...ience.html?soid=1101040629095&aid=RhopsSO2Foc

It is a settlement and "confirms" nothing except that Arbitron only has to pay $400,000 instead what likely would be a far higher price tag if it went to trial (something the government surely didn't want to do since this would be a very tough case to prove in court).

Your link is to what is basically an editorial by a guy who makes his living hunting down cases of what he sees as cultural bias (which, ironically, makes it hard for him to write about Arbitron without sounding biased). So to be fair, we should hear from Arbitron, which has its own bias, one presumes. This is from the press release (which they put out with the intent of it being used, so forum editors: there are no issues with quoting this):

As part of the settlement, Arbitron has agreed to continue a number of measures already an integral part of the company's current PPM methodology and of its continuous improvement program for the Portable People Meter ratings services in all markets. These measures include the already completed transition to address-based sample frames, cell-phone-only sampling rates, reporting country of origin for Hispanic households and certain other sample performance and demographic information to subscribers by individual zip code, continuing efforts to maintain or achieve specific in-tab rates and Sample Performance Indicators, and continuing the company's commitment to using all reasonable measures to achieve Media Rating Council® (MRC) accreditation for the data produced by the PPM ratings service in all California markets.

Arbitron is in the ratings business and I'm sure their clients - not government lawyers - are the ones who really drive the company to continually improve their sampling techniques.

 

[davideduardo]

Re: Settlement in California Confirms Minority Viewers Are Often Underestimated

It is a settlement and "confirms" nothing except that Arbitron only has to pay $400,000 instead what likely would be a far higher price tag if it went to trial (something the government surely didn't want to do since this would be a very tough case to prove in court).

This is an example of ambulance chasing... it costs so much to prove you were right all along that it is cheaper to settle.

The fact is that nothing has changed and, per declarations a month ago by the head of the MRC, Arbitron is rapidly approaching compliance with accreditation standards... all of this set in motion well before the lawsuit was even filed.