Advertisers & Agencies announce position regarding Radio Broadcasters Encoding in PPM markets.

Following its April 2009 meeting, agency and advertiser members of the Arbitron Advertiser/ Agency Advisory Council announced a consensus recommendation regarding radio stations encoding in Portable People Meter markets.

The Council encourages every radio station in each scheduled PPM market to encode its broadcast signals for PPM measurement. Whether or not to subscribe to the service is an individual decision for each station. However, because there is no cost to encode, the Council recommends that each station do so. The Council believes that encoding will give all advertisers, marketers, agencies, and broadcasters an enhanced ability to understand and evaluate radio.

Arbitron currently uses the Portable People Meter system to produce currency radio ratings in 15 markets with an additional 18 markets scheduled to commercialize in 2009.

PPM audience estimates will be used to make decisions in the buying and selling process for radio airtime and promotions in those local markets where Arbitron commercializes the service.

This resolution has been developed, approved and endorsed by the Arbitron Advertiser/Agency Advisory Council whose members are:

Brad Adgate, Director, Horizon Media
Kyle Allen, Senior Vice President, Fogarty Klein
Jon Cogan, Director, Investment Research and Insights, OMD
Ken Deutsch, Media Director, Grupo Gallagos
Janice Finkel-Greene, EVP, Futures and Technology, Initiative
Stan Gerber, EVP Media Director, JL Media
Susan Hirsch, Local Media Services Manager, RPA
Jim Irvine, Senior Director, Media Strategies, Lopez Negrete
Helen Katz, Starcom Mediavest Group Betty Kuphal, Coca-Cola
George Mafredas, Partner, Director of Research, Mindshare
John Maher, SVP, Director of Planning, US International Media
Dennis McGuire, VP/Local Broadcast Group Director, CARAT
Shannon Pedersen, Local Media Manager, Subway
Sam Sotiriou, EVP, Director of Strategic Resources, Zenith Optimedia
Gail Warren, Associate Media Director, Burrell