Radio Vibes: Wash Post Article By Frank Ahrens: 'Survey Method Questioned as WHUR Surges'

Speaking of HUR via my most recent post on them, I saw this in today's Washington Post/Style Section. It has to do with the dreaded ratings system. I have always had mixed feelings about the method Arbitron uses. Heck, Nielsen Ratings too for that matter. I just feel that it never paints the total picture for radio or TV and that we are only getting a snapshot of the real results.

This article reminds me of a saying an old radio pro once told me: "nobody is crazy about Arbitron or how they determine or come to the conclusions that they do, but unfortunately, they're the only game in town." It still seems to me that to this day their methods are not a perfect science. The methods Arbitron uses to this day does not seem to always accurately represent everyone's listening habits en total.

I'm happy for WHUR's surge but I dont think I needed Arbitron to confirm it for me, nor any other station. I think we can all tell when a particular station is doing well just by word of mouth, or just simply listening to the station and the feedback and interaction with the listeners.

The paragraph that is a ray of hope is the one that states "Arbitron, which didn't return calls seeking comment yesterday, has recognized the need for a more reliable methodology. As part of a gradual nationwide rollout, it will be replacing its diary system with new, more accurate electronic "people meters" in Washington this fall."
~LT

Survey Method Questioned as WHUR Surges
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 26, 2008; Page C07

According to the latest audience ratings, the most popular radio station in the Washington area for the past three months was WHUR, the R&B-and-soul outlet owned by Howard University. WHUR's share of the audience, in fact, grew by almost 20 percent, according to the Arbitron quarterly survey released yesterday.

All of which raises a question: Really?

How could WHUR (96.3 FM) -- a station that played essentially the same type of music, had the same on-air personalities and didn't undertake any special audience-building promotions during the spring -- surge so far, so fast?

WHUR's ratings increase has all the makings of what radio people like to call a "wobble," a freakish, one-time aberration caused by Arbitron's increasingly creaky data-collection methods.

Full article link: www.washingtonpost.com