Posted by chicagomedia.org on August 27, 2008 at 17:34:41:
In Reply to: Arbitron strongly disputes alleged PPM issues posted by chicagomedia.org on August 21, 2008 at 16:25:41:
The Spanish Radio Association responded to Arbitron's comments, which were published on HispanicAd.com, in a statement that was released on Wednesday (Aug. 27). The association expressed disappointment with Arbitron's response to their concerns regarding Hispanic measurement by the PPM ratings service.
Although the SRA has been working with Arbitron to improve Hispanic measurement by the PPM, "Arbitron's public response did not address our concerns and our research questions," says the association.
The SRA's primary concern is "the implementation of this system by Arbitron, primarily related to how Hispanics are recruited and represented, and how the PPM panel is maintained."
At this time, the SRA statement says, Arbitron "is not taking into account the diversity of the Hispanic population; has not shared information on recruitment to ensure that the diversity of the Hispanic community is reflected; is knowingly undersampling the 'cell phone-only homes,' which impacts Hispanic representation disproportionately; and is using the same model across markets and not looking at the diversity and demographics of each in recruitment and measurement models."
The SRA release goes on to address point-by-point Arbitron's communication with HispanicAd.com.
In response to the SRA, Arbitron once again stated its respect and appreciation for the role Spanish-language radio plays in the industry and that it is confident that a fair understanding of the PPM system will demonstrate that it produces objective, unbiased audience estimates.
"PPM samples are designed to effectively represent the diversity of the markets we measure in terms of age, sex, race, ethnicity and language preference," continued Arbitron. "Overall, Hispanics and African Americans have the highest listening levels in the PPM system. Broadcasters who serve ethnic audiences and who have embraced PPM are succeeding with the timely and detailed data that only PPM can deliver."
(R&R)