PPM Indicates All-Christmas Stations Take Off After Thanksgiving

PPM

ARBITRON reports that its PORTABLE PEOPLE METER (PPM) testing in PHILADELPHIA and HOUSTON has shown that stations that have changed to all-CHRISTMAS music have seen a significant impact on their ratings only after the THANKSGIVING holiday.

In PHILADELPHIA in 2002, AC WSNI switched to all-CHRISTMAS music on VETERANS DAY, but didn't see its ratings increase until just after THANKSGIVING (see weekly PPM trends below).

PHILADELPHIA
Persons 25-54
MONDAY-SUNDAY 6a-Mid

WSNI            AQH
10/31/02       1.0
11/07/02       0.8
11/14/02       0.7
11/21/02       0.8
11/28/02       2.1
12/05/02       2.4
12/12/02       3.0
12/19/02       3.6
12/26/02       2.8
01/02/03       1.0

Tracking the audience week-to-week over less than a two-month period is something only the PPM can do reliably.

In HOUSTON in 2005, AC KODA flipped to all-CHRISTMAS on NOVEMBER 18, and the ratings for the station remained relatively flat until after THANKSGIVING.

HOUSTON
Persons 25-54
MONDAY-SUNDAY 6a-Mid

KODA          AQH
11/17/05     0.9
11/24/05     1.1
12/01/05     1.5
12/08/05     1.7
12/15/05     2.0
12/22/05     1.5
12/29/05     0.7

ARBITRON VP/Communications THOM MOCARSKY said, "Tracking the audience week-to-week over less than a two-month period is something only the PPM can do reliably. The quarterly diary service can’t show you how big the weekly audience dividends are for going all-CHRISTMAS. They all get 'washed out' in the fall three-month average. And only PPM can deliver that 13th 'holiday' ratings report between the last month of the fall survey and the first month of the winter survey."

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