PPM Coalition outraged at Arbitron’s decision to roll-out PPM service early.
September 6, 2008
“We are outraged by Arbitron’s decision to start its flawed PPM system earlier than previously announced. Their action is in blatant disregard to the concerns from dozens of entities including the radio industry, advertisers, the New York Attorney General’s office, Members of Congress, civil rights organizations, minority-owned stations and community leaders.
The implementation of PPM will have a tremendously negative impact on minority communities nationwide. Arbitron’s defective system reports inaccurate listenership data, which in turn drives lower advertiser rates, making it difficult for ethnic and urban stations to survive. The unaccredited methodology will severely damage the diversity of voices and viewpoints on our nation’s radio airwaves, posing a significant threat to
minority communities with the potential to have a devastating impact on local economies. In fact New York and Philadelphia have been audited twice by the MRC1 and denied accreditation twice.
Unfortunately we are not surprised by this action. Arbitron is a completely unregulated monopoly. Absent accreditation, Arbitron is free to impose its will at the expense of accurate and reliable data in the market that counts minority communities. The PPM Coalition is going to continue to fully cooperate with regulators, Congress, the civil rights community, state and municipal authorities and other stakeholders to bring some
accountability to Arbitron.”
PPM Coalition Members:
Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies
Border Media Partners
Entravision Communications Corporation
Inner City Broadcasting
Minority Media and Telecommunications Council
National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters
SBS Radio
Spanish Radio Association
Univision Radio
1 MRC is a non-profit industry association with a diverse membership consisting of buyers and sellers of advertising, including television and radio broadcasters, cable-casters, print organizations, Internet organizations, advertising agencies and industry trade associations
