Arbitron receives MRC accreditation for the PPM in Riverside-San Bernardino.

Arbitron Inc. announced that the Media Rating Council (MRC) has accredited the Arbitron Portable People Meter radio quarter hour ratings data in Riverside-San Bernardino.

“The accreditation of the monthly PPMTM quarter hour radio estimates in Riverside-San Bernardino demonstrates that our ‘Radio First’ methodology, which uses a telephone-based sample frame and telephone recruitment, can deliver audience estimates that meet the standards of the Media Rating Council,” said Steve Morris, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Arbitron Inc. “Our goal now is to demonstrate that the sample quality initiatives we have committed to for all our PPM markets will have a continuing positive impact, just as they have had in Riverside-San Bernardino.”

“Our commitment to MRC accreditation means a commitment to continuous improvement,” said Mr. Morris. “In Riverside-San Bernardino, we are continuing to work with the MRC on enhancing the quality of the sample.”

The PPM radio estimates in Riverside are based on Arbitron’s ‘Radio First’ PPM methodology, which uses a telephone-based sampling and recruitment methodology and includes both landline and cell-phone-only households.

The MRC has accredited the monthly quarter hour radio ratings data in Riverside-San Bernardino, which are the “buy-sell” currency data for PPM markets. Arbitron has not submitted weekly and minute-by-minute PPM data for MRC accreditation.