Arbitron to Launch Portable Radio-Ratings Meter in July

Arbitron Inc., the leading provider of radio ratings, said Tuesday that it would begin introducing its “Portable People Meter” ratings measurement device in the top 50 U.S. markets, replacing paper and pencil diary methods.

Beginning with Houston in July, Arbitron said it planned to introduce the People Meter electronic audience measurement device to the top 10 U.S. markets, including New York and Los Angeles, by October 2008. The company will introduce the device to the top 50 U.S. markets by October 2010.

The device, which is about the size of a cellphone, sends information on what stations people are listening to and for how long to a data collection center in Columbia, Md. Participants now are asked to keep a paper diary of their radio-listening, which they send back to Arbitron.

“This greatly expands the speed in which we get the information and the accuracy because people tend to exaggerate in diaries; they round up,” said Pierre Bouvard, Arbitron president of marketing. “With the device, it’s so easy, they don’t have to do anything.”

Radio market analysts say the switch to portable, 24-hour meters is a welcome change for advertisers and producers.

“Nobody thinks the diary is a good solution, it’s too inaccurate,” said Bill Cook, a market researcher with the Advertising Research Foundation in New York.

“The numbers for this device are far more reliable and I think advertisers are readily welcoming this new rating system to make smarter decisions about who they’re marketing to.”