WRIT Drops "My 95.7" for "Oldies 95.7"

[TheFonz]

A lot of the unabashed "oldies" stations with 1964-1979 playlists are doing great now with PPM measured ratings. The conventional wisdom is that only 55+ folks listen to these stations, but PPM proves that to be a poor assumption.

Please explain to us non-radio people what PPM ratings are, and how they are done.

It's a pager like device that detects all exposure to radio. It replaces the diary system which was based on written recall.

Exactly! There's an inaudible signal in each station's audio chain which can be detected by the PPM and which tells it what station you're hearing and for how long.

The net effect of the new technology is that the stations people are hearing are recorded rather than requiring them to write all listening in a diary. The diary method is not without error and people often overstated their listening time to a certain station to which they may have felt some loyalty - and understated listening to radio stations that they hear in an office, restaurant or store.

This has been excellent news for oldies, rock and (to a lesser extent) pop stations. And bad news for many urban and Spanish language stations.

O.K. But how does this device determine that the listener likes the Beatles, Beach Boys and Temptations, but not Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, or the Coasters?

 

[BRNout]

O.K. But how does this device determine that the listener likes the Beatles, Beach Boys and Temptations, but not Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, or the Coasters?

What it would determine is whether, by adding or deleting the above-mentioned artists, the station's listenership patterns have changed. Research is done in an attempt to predict this. Sometimes research is wrong. However, in this case, I tend to think that most pre-1964 music (with definite exceptions here and there) tend to drive away many listeners if played too often.

 

[TheFonz]

O.K. But how does this device determine that the listener likes the Beatles, Beach Boys and Temptations, but not Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, or the Coasters?

What it would determine is whether, by adding or deleting the above-mentioned artists, the station's listenership patterns have changed. Research is done in an attempt to predict this. Sometimes research is wrong. However, in this case, I tend to think that most pre-1964 music (with definite exceptions here and there) tend to drive away many listeners if played too often.

I was almost convinced by the first sentence of your answer. Then I read the words "research" and "I tend to think", and that created a whole lot of doubt.