How confident are you that Arbitron’s PPM system will provide a reliable source of audience measurement?
Block: Not at all since I don’t trust sampled measurement for any company as any more than a guide. Lange: Very. The sample issues are still there, but at least the issue is center stage and Arbitron is making progress. The system is 1000% better than the recall system and does give us data we can believe in. But, it needs to be in EVERY market. McVay: The challenge facing Arbitron is one of sample size, the ability to build well-balanced and credible samples. It is NOT the system or the devise known as the Portable People Meter. The PPM is a digital information-gathering unit. I’m amazed at the number of broadcasters who want Arbitron to turn a digital unit into something that replicates a #2 lead pencil and a paper diary. The best analogy that I’ve heard is the one that compares the People Meter to a metal detector used to find treasure hidden under the sand. That treasure was already there. The People Meter found it, that’s all. Minorities and programmers who feel that they’ve been
