Peter Smyth: Accept Posting, PPM ASAP

Peter Smyth

In his blog on the GREATER MEDIA website, CEO PETER SMYTH stressed the importance of accountability in terms of posting and the need to get the PPM ratings up and running properly as soon as possible. Some of the highlights of his column goes as follows:

Frankly, in 2008, the radio industry doesn't have the option of resisting posting. It's another word for accountability, and the advertising and marketing world is being rocked by an ongoing demand for accountability ... it's only smart business for the radio industry, once and for all, to get ahead of the curve on accountability.

We cannot wait for posting and electronic measurement to usher in a new era of pricing and selling our medium

For the past decade, we've resisted the change to electronic measurement, citing costs, methodologies and other sometimes valid concerns. No matter what our misgivings, we need to approach electronic measurement as the given of the equation, and our concerns as obstacles to be quickly and cooperatively overcome. The sooner we can get it right, including MRC accreditation and education on the buying and selling of radio in the People Meter world, the better.

Everyone seems to have forgotten that we're not just competing with other radio broadcasters for share. We're competing with television and the Internet for the almighty advertising dollar. Posting, PPM, Radio 2020 and all the other initiatives our industry is working on, as important as they are, are meaningless until we start selling radio for what it’s worth. Until we do that, we will continue to fall short of our objectives.

If we sell radio properly, at a fair price to both parties that accurately reflects the value of our audience, we have nothing to fear from posting.We are ready to stand accountable for our part of the transaction and when we get a reliable electronic measurement system, we will be held to that audience delivery.

But we cannot wait for posting and electronic measurement to usher in a new era of pricing and selling our medium. That is a task we must undertake now, with the very next sale we make -- because our current practices aren't working for anyone.

Read the entire column here.

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