Arbitron Gets Its Pockets Picked…

Thursday, January, 8, 2009 by Mel Phillips.

The price for doing business here in New York and in neighboring New Jersey just got steeper - $360,000 steeper.  That’s the price Arbitron was forced to pay to conduct business as usual.  The ransom was paid in broad daylight to the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) and the Spanish Radio Association to support minority radio.  This was part of the settlement signed with the Attorney General of the State of New York, the honorable Andrew Cuomo who has aspirations for the Senate, Governorship and hey, maybe even the presidency some day.  You just never know…

In addition to the ransom Arbitron was forced to pay, they got slammed in the process.  ICBC Broadcast Holdings, Spanish Broadcasting and Univision issued a joint statement charging that Arbitron conducted “misleading, flawed and discriminatory” practices with their PPM system that “has been devastating to radio stations serving African-American and Hispanic citizens of New York”, not according to the latest Arbitron results if you would care to check them ICBC, Spanish Broadcasting and Univision…

While Arbitron was resolved of all claims against them, I doubt that many people read the fine print that I read.  It states that the honorable Andrew Cuomo as Attorney General of the State of New York ”reserves the right to rescind the order and re-institute the civil action if Arbitron has not obtained accreditation from the Media Rating Council for PPM by October 15, 2009 and also has not achieved all of the specific metrics in the agreement.”  One question.  Do any of the aforementioned broadcasting groups and/or the Attorney General have to prove that they did or do we just take their word for it?  Just asking…       

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1675] Something smells fishy: The first corporation in the U.S. is the New York Fishing Company. Rudy Giuliani discovers corruption and closes it down…
2. 1952] Premiered on this date: Marie Wilson comes to TV as “My Friend Irma.” The show has a brief two-year run after a more successful radio career…
3. 1958] Chess King: 14-year old Brooklynite Bobby Fisher wins his first U.S. Chess championship.  Years later he’s interviewed by Dick Cavett…
4. 1964] War is declared: President Lyndon Baines Johnson declares a ‘War on poverty’…
5. 1976] ‘Happy Trails’: Chinese premier Chou En-Lai dies of bladder cancer at 77…1996] Former French president Francois Mitterand is a victim of prostate cancer at 79…
6. 1982] Ring my bell: American Telephone & Telegraph settles the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against it by agreeing to divest itself of the 22 Bell System companies. They were broken into ‘baby’ Bell’s..
7. 1994] Guilty as charged: Tonya Harding wins the U.S. Lady’s Figure Skating Championship in Detroit but is stripped of the title for involvement in the Nancy Kerrigan knee bashing…1998] Ramzi Yousef is sentenced to life without parole for his role in masterminding the first WTC bombing in New York. Yousef is now making license plates in a Colorado maximum security prison…
8. 2002] No Child Left Behind: George W. Bush signs into law the controversial NCLB Act…
9. 2007] It’s just New Jersey I: An unknown stench covers Manhattan and Jersey City (NJ) resulting in the evacuation of several high-rise buildings and the temporary shutdown of PATH train service through the Hudson River…
10. 2008] It’s just New Jersey II: The Garden State officially apologizes for slavery, becoming the first Northern state to do so. New Jersey fails to apologize for the 2007 stench however.  Here’s a clip of famous people from New Jersey…

Music Memories:

• 1935] All Elvis, all the time: Elvis Presley is born in Tupelo (MS) making ‘The King’ 74…1957] Elvis celebrates his 22nd birthday by taking an Army pre-induction physical…1973] Priscilla says ‘Happy Birthday Elvis’ and Elvis replies ‘Thank you Darlin. By the way, I’m filin’ for divorce’.  Elvis talks about Priscilla…1993] An Elvis commemorative stamp is issued by the U.S. Postal Service. It’s a likeness of the slim King taken in the 50s…
• 1966] Number One on this date: “Rubber Soul” LP - Beatles…1966] “We Can Work It Out” - Beatles…
• 1966] Curtains: After a two-year run, “Shindig!” bows out with The Who , The Kinks and Dick and Dee Dee.  Here’s The Who is an earlier ‘Shindig!’ appearance…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“:

Mike Reno (Loverboy) (54), David Bowie (62), Terry Sylvester (Hollies) (62), Yvette Mimieux (67), Stephen Hawking (67), (Little) Anthony Gourdine (68), Bob Eubanks (72), Shirley Bassey (72), Charles Osgood (76), Sander Vanocur (81), Soupy Sales(83) and Larry Storch (86)…

Timeline Countdown: 11 days until MLK Day, 12 days until The Inauguration, 24 days until the Super Bowl and 37 days until pitchers and catchers can report…

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