Smith named EVP Survey Operations at Arbitron Inc.

Arbitron Inc. announced that Steven M. Smith has been appointed executive vice president, Survey Operations, reporting to Steve Morris, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Arbitron Inc.

Mr. Smith, who will be based at the Arbitron Research and Technology Center in Columbia, Md., succeeds Claire Kummer, who is taking on the new position of executive vice president and chief quality officer.

Mr. Smith will be responsible for all of Arbitron’s survey operations for both the Portable People Meter and diary-based radio ratings services, including accountability for successfully completing the roll out of the Portable People Meter to the top 50 markets.

Mr. Smith will direct the Arbitron teams that recruit consumers to participate in surveys, deliver PPMs and diaries to survey respondents, motivate these respondents to fulfill their commitment to the Arbitron survey process and tabulate the media and marketing information provided by 1.5 million plus survey participants annually.

Mr. Smith will be charged with the development of new operating processes and systems to deliver more precise representation of the key demographics in PPM and diary samples. He will also enhance the company’s ability to measure small markets, niche media audiences and new audio sources, including the Internet and satellite.