Arbitron Gets Seven-Year Pact With New Radio Rating System
CBS Radio has
announced that it would use a next-generation measuring system from
Arbitron, known as the People Meter. The announcement is an
important win for Arbitron, as their lock on radio ratings is facing
new competition.
Radio industry
executives have been searching for an alternative to the ineffective
paper-and-pencil diaries Arbitron presently uses. Several viable
alternatives, such as IQ Stat with global positioning system
technology, are competing to win over radio stations.
The seven year
agreement begins immediately, which means CBS will switch to
electronic rating as Arbitron launches the People Meter in the top
50 markets beginning this summer. The new system is a pager-like
device that can pick up inaudible codes from radio signals and
identify what station it is.
Editor�s
Note: Because radio is
one of the barter industry�s currencies, we�ve previously reported
on the changing technology for measuring audiences...see Tuesday
Report for December 23, 2003
and March 21, 2006.
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