It’s Open Season On Arbitron…

Friday, May, 22, 2009 by Mel Phillips.

(Memorial Day Weekend Edition)

Unlike other hunting seasons, no license is required to make Arbitron a trophy for your wall.  You have a beef with the rating service?  Fire away.  No fees or license required.  You can’t fog up a mirror?  No problem, you can still take shots at Arbitron.  It’s open season again.  The FCC opened up this latest season by launching a Notice of Inquiry into the accuracy and impact of Arbitron’s Portable People Meter service (PPM) and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters - NABOB to you and I, Bub and the PPM Coalition wasted little time in piling on…

The Coalition says “The Notice of Inquiry provides the first real opportunity to address issues at a national level.  Arbitron has now released PPM in fifteen markets across the U.S. and has received MRC (Media Research Center) accreditation in just two of the fifteen.  That fact alone, should be cause for concern within the industry and at the FCC.”  NABOB is equally pleased for an opportunity to unload on Arbitron, “The commercialization of PPM has resulted in inaccurate and volatile ratings data due to fundamental flaws in the sampling methodology underlying the use of the electronic measurement device” says NABOB executive Bub, Jim Winston.  “Arbitron’s failure to adequately address these important flaws in its sampling efforts has resulted in the under counting of minority audiences in the largest markets in the United States.”  That statement is unsubstantiated, of course…

There was a time, in the 90s, when Arbitron started raising their rates and getting cocky but they should never be accused of under-reporting, being “inaccurate” or having “fundamental flaws.”  Having had experience in audience measurement I can tell you that no company that’s been in business as long as Arbitron has, would knowingly perform as accused.  They are as accurate as they know how to be and in support of their PPM methodology, there’s no substitute for knowing what people are listening to at that exact moment that they’re being measured.  Whatever mistakes they may have made with distribution of the meters, they have corrected and their service is getting more, not less, accurate…   

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1883] Happy 126th: The Brooklyn Bridge opens to the public (5/24)…
2. 1934] They’re young, they’re in love and they kill people: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are shot and killed in an ambush set up by former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer (5/23)…
3. 1935] Bye bye Bab(e)y: Babe Ruth hits his 714th and final home run as a member of the Boston Braves. The blast reportedly traveled more than 600 feet (5/25)…
4. 1954] Baruch atah: Robert Zimmerman is bar mitzvahed in Hibbing (MN) after taking private Hebrew lessons. Robert becomes a man and will eventually change his name to Bob Dylan, not because of Dylan Thomas but “because it sounded like a Scottish King and I liked it”. Those are Dylan’s own words (5/22)…
5. 1960] Musical call letters: WRCA changes call letters back to WNBC (5/23). To whoever was responsible: Thank you…
6. 1961] To the moon Alice: President John F. Kennedy asks America to work toward putting a man on the moon (5/25)…
7. 1980] Wedding Bells: Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue swap “I Do’s” (5/22). They’re still happily married…
8. 1987] Like father, like son: Al Unser Sr. wins his 4th Indy 500 at the age of 47 (5/24). Five years later, same date in 1991, Al Unser Jr. wins it, making junior the first, second-generation winner (5/24)…
9. 1992] One more for the road: Johnny Carson hosts his final “Tonight Show” with Bette Midler singing to him (5/22). There was not a dry eye in the audience or at home. Johnny started hosting the show on October 2, 1962…
10. 2002] Once was lost, now is found: The remains of Chandra Levy are found in a Washington (DC) park (5/22). California Congressman Gary Condit is questioned because of his personal relationship with the intern but is never charged with the crime…

Music Memories:

• 1961] Number One on this date: “Mother-In-Law” - Ernie K-Doe (5/22)…1965] “Help Me Rhonda” - Beach Boys (5/23)…1966] “When A Man Loves A Woman” - Percy Sledge (5/22)…1969] “Get Back” - Beatles (5/24)…1972] “Oh Girl” - Chi-Lites (5/22)…1975] “Shining Star” - Earth, Wind & Fire (5/24)…1984] “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” - Deniece Williams (5/24)…
• 1967] And Flo, she don’t know: Florence Ballard appears with The Supremes for the last time on “The Tonight Show” (5/22). In July Motown replaces Flo with Cindy Birdsong…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“: (5/22) Naomi Campbell (39), Bernie Taupin (59), Bernard Shaw (69), Richard Benjamin (71), Peter Nero (75), T. Boone Pickens, Jr. (81), Charles Aznavour (85)…(5/23) Jewel(Kilcher) (35), Drew Carey (51), Marvelous Marvin Hagler (57), Joan Collins (76)…(5/24) Brad Penny (31), Rich Appel (52), Priscilla Presley (64), Patricia Holt aka Patti LaBelle (65), Bob Dylan (68), Tommy Chong (71)…(5/25) Anne Heche (40), Mike Myers (46), Dixie Carter (70), Cookie Gilchrist (74), K.C. Jones (77), Kitty Kallen (87) and Hal David (88)…

Timeline Countdown: 3 days until Memorial Day, 30 days until Father’s Day, 30 days until summer and 43 days until July 4th…

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