For years, radio has been rated by Arbitral diaries. The basic formula is random people are selected in a given area and are asked to keep track of what radio stations they listen to on a daily basis over an entire week. This is then calculated and determines everything from stations ratings, to musical changes, to revenue and so on. However, this archaic measure is on its way out the door.
Radio is finally adapting to the latest technologies with the advent of a device called a “Portable People Meter.” This is a small device that can be clipped to individual’s pants and be forgotten about for periods of time. It then listens for signals and automatically records the information. Therefore, all listening will now be accounted for and the ratings system will be more accurate than ever before. In the past, people may have tended to favor their favorite station or not record a station at all because they weren’t sure exactly what station they were listening to at the time.
The services recently went live in Philadelphia and Houston and will hit New York in the fall. It looks as though the PPM will be in the top 50 markets by 2010.
So what does this all mean?
The PPM could lead to big changes in the way radio companies program their stations. In the past, it was all about reminding listeners of what station they are listening to and constantly reminding them. Being that this no longer matters, you could hear more music and less talk, less contests and less features on radio stations across many formats.
It also seems as though rock stations and oldies stations may be favored by the PPM. Latin stations, often favored by the diaries, could be a less favorable format moving forward. It will be very interesting to see what happens to everything from dance stations to Christian and religious stations to talk stations to hip hop stations and so on.
Either way we are headed towards a new era in radio.
Adam Savage is a Terrestrial Radio Expert with over 10 years in the New York City Metro Radio Market working for some major industry companies. He is one of the pioneers of internet radio and currently owns and operates http://www.snapfm.com – The First Free Simple Internet Radio.
This article may be reprinted if this credit remains intact. Courtesy of Adam Savage and http://www.snapfm.com
Source: www.articlecity.com
