Radio ratings are back in the news big time this week with the Arbitron conference taking place last week, Clear Channel re-upping with Arbitron and Nielsen's decision to get out of the radio rating business in the US. That leaves my former employer in the lurch a little.
I am sure that Cumulus and Arbitron will end up playing nice as they have strong partnerships in major markets like SF and Dallas. No one wants those markets to go south.
The issue at hand though is that radio ratings are difficult. I remember sitting at the Arbitron conference a few years ago when PPM was still new and thinking, "man this is the way to do it." After the process was explained to the conferees I thought, "who the hell would take this on?"
We also learned, after hearing from the Coleman people, that it is difficult on this side too. Broadcasters can take nothing for granted when dealing with the habits of the listeners and the peculiarities of the rating system. The diary system is still used in most markets by most stations but we can learn from the PPM markets.
There are often just a few people being measured but there are thousands participating in the station. Making sure that you're playing the games of the rating system while delivering an entertaining and compelling product is still job one.
We were taught that we're talking to one person at a time. Keep that in mind while making the station as appealing to the masses as possible. Be careful not to strip the life out of the station by being too safe for that one person that you're visualizing. If you think about a 44 year old mother of 3 remember that she has a fun side too and don't be afraid to tap into it occasionally. Don't treat her like the Virgin Mary. She may just as likely be Mary Magdalene. And that is my Christmas Ratings message to you.
