Time Is Not on Arbitron’s Side…

Wednesday, October, 14, 2009 by Mel Phillips.

Under terms of the settlement made by Arbitron in January, the ratings firm was given until Thursday, October 15 to receive Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for its Portable People Meter (PPM) service in New York or face the wrath of our state’s Attorney General and Governor-in-waiting, Andrew Cuomo. My, how time flies. That deadline is tomorrow. The settlement was reached after Cuomo sued Arbitron in August, 2008. His beef was based on all the complaints from mainly minority radio groups who felt that holding up a wet finger was as reliable as measuring their stations fairly…

To date, Arbitron has only received MRC accreditation for Houston and Riverside-San Bernardino but not for any state starting with the letter “N” and that’s the problem. Despite all the PPM doubters, Arbitron has been forging ahead with its rollout of its PPM service in 25 markets. Those 25 markets currently make up over 50% of the estimated station revenue in all Arbitron-rated radio markets. Life goes on for Arbitron but they must get MRC accreditation or lose their credibility in New York…

Personally, I hope Arbitron can work something out with the Attorney General. I believe that much of the PPM criticism is self-serving and unwarranted. I also believe that there’s no substitute for knowing what a person is listening to at the very moment they’re being measured… 

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1926] Published on this date: “Winnie-the-Pooh” written by A.A. Milne…
2. 1947] Breaking barriers: Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager becomes the 1st person to break the sound barrier…
3. 1960] Peace be with you: Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy suggests formation of a Peace Corps during a speech at the University of Michigan…
4. 1962] Crisis begins: The Cuban Missile Crisis begins and won’t end until November 20th. The world walks a nuclear tightrope…
5. 1964] Peace prize: Martin Luther King Jr. wins the Nobel Peace Prize…
6. 1973] The Hall of Fame awaits: Willie Mays gets his last hit as the Mets beat the Oakland A’s in game 2 of the World Series, which Oakland will win…
7. 1977] “Happy Trails“: Bing Crosby is the victim of a fatal heart attack at 74…1990] Leonard Bernstein, a heavy smoker, dies at 72 of emphysema…
8. 1979] You say hello and I say goodbye: Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers scores the first of his NHL record 894 goals in a home game against Vancouver…1985] Joe Namath’s #12 is retired as the Jets beat Miami 23-7 on Monday Night Football…
9. 1984] Sparking both leagues: Detroit Tiger manager Sparky Anderson becomes the 1st manager to win 100 games and a World Series in both leagues…
10. 2003] Guilty as charged: John Allen Muhammad pleads innocent to murder in the Washington-area sniper case. He is later convicted and sentenced to death…

Music Memories:

• 1957] Released on this date: “Jailhouse Rock” - Elvis Presley.  There are far too many men in this video…1972] “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” (with Dennis Edwards doing the lead) - Temptations…
• 1966] Debuted on this date: Grace Slick makes her first appearance with Jefferson Airplane.  This video is pre-Jefferson Airplane.  From 1965, an early version of “White Rabbit” following a 4:30 lead-in, Grace Slick & the Great Society…
• 1979] Number One on this date: “Rise” - Herb Alpert…1988] “Red Red Wine” - UB40…

Commentary:Al Martino was one fine Italian crooner who sang like the singers from an earlier age. Al was a mensch who loved to promote his new releases by visiting radio stations. He was his own best promotion person. When Al won the role of Johnny Fontane in “The Godfather” he told the world but followed the news by saying “but don’t tell anyone yet.” His biggest hit was “Here In My Heart” which topped the charts in 1952. He also reached the Pop top 10 with “I Love You Because” and “I Love You More And More Every Day.” ”Spanish Eyes” barely missed the top 10 at #12 and Al is also know for singing the “Godfather” score, “The Love Theme From The Godfather.” Al died in his hometown of Philadelphia on Tuesday at 82. No cause of death has been given yet. R.I.P. Al Martino…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“:

Usher (31), Jim Rome (45), Joe Girardi (45), Justin Hayward (63), Art Shamsky (68), Cliff Richard (69), Ralph Lauren (70), John Dean (71), Roger Moore (82), C. Everett Koop (93) and coach John Wooden (99)…

Timeline Countdown: One day until the LCS playoffs, 14 days until Game 1 of The World Series, 17 nights until Halloween and 18 nights until the beginning of standard time (clocks go back one hour)…

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