Arbitron Meets Benchmarks In August PPM Update

Benchmarks Met, Going Mobile Next?

ARBITRON'S PPM Client update For AUGUST, held via conference call YESTERDAY, was significant in not in the overall results -- practically all the DDI, in-tab rate and SPI benchmarks were met again -- but in the details. ARBITRON's efforts to increase sample size is already paying off in better results, while it offered details on its initial deployment of in-person recruitment.

As for the PPM data, the only benchmark that was missed was ATLANTA'a Hispanic 18-34 DDI. Everywhere else, regardless of target demo, ARBITRON met or exceeded its sampling and response goals.

The in-person recruitment plan, launched in July 2010, has targeted the high-density Black and Hispanic areas of DADE COUNTY/MIAMI, DALLAS and the New YORK CITY Boroughs of BROOKLYN and THE BRONX. The face-to-face recruitment is slated to last three months to best assess the process. If that assessment shows positive results, ARBITRON will implement this change in the remainder of the NEW YORK, MIAMI and DALLAS HDA geographies beginning OCTOBER 1st, 2010 and roll-out to the remaining top-25 PPM Markets in the HDA geographies.

ARBITRON used the con call to spotlight PPM's ability to monitor the impact of all-holiday music and predictably, ratings for those stations soared during the holiday period. The P25-54 AQH Rating for all-holiday music was 91% higher than the average rating for January through June 2010. In fact, three stations -- WNIC/DETROIT, KSNE/LAS VGAS and KSFI/SALT LAKE CITY -- tripled their AQH listening during 2009’s Holiday Music period.

The other presentation, Goin' Mobile' by JACOBS MEDIA, may have offered predictable conclusions, nevertheless the magnitude of the data was compelling. FRED JACOBS called mobile "the 7th mass medium," taking over the 2000s much like the Net took over the 1990s, TV the 1950s and Radio the 1920s. After extolling mobile's unique characteristics and benefits, they produced stats that had 4.6 billion mobile subscriptions globally, outpacing TV, radio and computers. Two-thirds of the world's population uses mobile phones, a ratio that will increase to three-quarters by the end of the year.

A full presentation of JACOBS MEDIA's mobile usage survey, where they also conducted in-depth "all-day" interviews with (and usage observations of) 18-49-year-olds in four major cities, will be given at the NAB Show on SEPT. 30th.

The entire ARBITRON AUGUST presentation can be accessed here.

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