Courtesy of the Paragon Media Strategies Blog
Alan Kepler of Broadcast Architecture showed a 30 minute video of actual PPM holders talking about how they were recruited and how the process works from the listener perspective. After seeing the video, I now better understand why the PPM respondent panel heavily favors mid-brow formats and lowest common denominator radio stations. Here are a few headlines
- “Money” was by far the primary reason most participated in the survey.
- Compensation varied dramatically based on age and race. One family of eight has eight PPM meters and receives well over $1000 a month combined. As the mom said, “We really need this money.”
Once recruited into the panel, a points system incentivizes PPM holders with money and prizes to keep the meter on and to stay active.
- Over half of the PPM holders admitted to “cheating‟ the system to earn more points and more money. Since the meter turns off after 15 minutes of inactivity, one lady put her meter on top of a fan to keep it “on.” Another considered tieing the meter to his dog to keep it “on.”
- PPM holders estimate that the meter picks up around 70-80% of their actual radio exposure. It appears morning listening, in particular, is under-represented because most of them simply pick up the meter “on their way out the door.”
When Paragon replicated an Arbitrondiary study 15 years ago, we found diary keepers to be generally enthusiastic radio listeners who wanted their opinions counted. The PPM holders in the video were having none of that. It was simply, “show me the money.”
The upshot with the PPM panel is that radio fans have been replaced by contest players and people who genuinely need the money. Is there any question now why PPM ratings strongly favor the most mainstream of formats…AC, CHR, Country, Classic Rock, News/Talk?Is it any wonder now why formats just one block off of Main Street…including Triple A, Smooth Jazz, and non-commercial radio stations…are usually buried in the ratings?
Now the PPM results make more sense to me. Research is only as good as the sample. Arbitron has finally acknowledged the sample is too small. Now, they’ll have to respond to this new research that suggests the PPM sample is skewed towards contest players and financially-strapped respondents who drive certain format ratings higher and suppress other format ratings lower.
Courtesy of the Paragon Media Strategies Blog
