Arbitron installs first HHs for rollout of PPM in Philadelphia.

Arbitron announced that it has begun installing its Portable People Meter (PPMSM) system among Philadelphia-area consumers for the all-electronic radio ratings service, which is scheduled to replace the current paper and pencil diary method that the company has employed to collect radio audience estimates in Philadelphia since the late 1960s.

Arbitron is recruiting a panel of 2,040 consumers (age 6 and older) to carry the Portable People Meter, a cell phone-sized device that automatically detects inaudible station identification codes.

The first release of radio ratings will take place after the completion of an audit report by the Media Rating Council (MRC) and a review of the audit report findings with the MRC radio committee. The MRC audit process in Philadelphia currently is under way.

Arbitron has already signed PPM contracts with four broadcasters who own 14 radio stations in the market. (Beasley Broadcasting, CBS Radio, Greater Media, and WBEB-FM.) These stations account for at least 60 percent of the radio advertising revenue in the market. In addition, Arbitron has signed agreements with national advertising agencies that account for more than 90 percent of the national radio advertising dollars spent in Philadelphia, as well as agreements with leading Philadelphia-based advertising agencies such as Harmelin Media, Mayo Seitz Media, The Star Group and other regional/local agencies.

“No other system has yet to even begin to demonstrate all that we’ve shown the radio industry about the advantages of electronic audience measurement,” said Pierre Bouvard, president, Sales and Marketing, Arbitron Inc. “We’ve also released a comprehensive suite of training materials and tools that the industry can use to better manage the transition to electronic measurement.”