Re: WFNX

[Hopper <wlnhwbhg@lr.net>]

Steve Sawyer wrote:
> 
> Aaaah, that explains it.  I'm not sure that method is very accurate.  It
> is an alternative to Arbitron.  I don't think there's a ratings method
> that is very accurate right now.  Someone gave me a great scenario of an
> arbitron diary that kind of goes like this:
> 
> Person comes home from work, checks the mailbox and sees the Arbitron
> diary in it.  Looks at it for a minute and upon walking in the house
> promptly gives it to his 13 year old son, thinking "he listens to
> music... I don't have the time".  And so, the families' primary wage
> earner, he or she who has the spending power lets his or her son or
> daughter fill out a radio survey.  No wonder CHR and music formats
> usually do well as opposed to oldies or talk, etc (except in Boston, WBZ
> and 'RKO are killin' the competition on AM!!!)  Oldies usually pull from
> 4 to 6 share, no more, no less.  More worrisome are the slew of small
> AM's that scratch a meager existance due to the fact that certainly no
> teenager would ever admit to listening to a hometown AM!! Not "cool"
> enough.  This theory lends crediblity to my contention that AM radio
> would still be a great entertaining medium and top 40 could have lived
> had programmers not been so terrified of FM and kept the programming.
> It wasn't mono AM, it was the PROGRAMMING.
> 
> Ok, I'll step off my soap box now.
> 
> Steve S.!
> 
> Food for thought.

13 year olds don't have the time to fill out diaries.  However, older folks with 
time on their hands have plenty. 

I've always thought that Arbitron historically skewed in favor of stations 
appealing to older demos.   Getting younger men, say 18-34 to return diaries is 
damn near impossible.  So it is likely that a station that primarly appeals to men 
18-34 will  get lower shares than reality.  An all talk like RKO with huge 55+ 
numbers a higher share than reality.  

Where Accuratings is done by phone with last 24 hour recall  I wager its as 
accurate and as fair your going to get for all parties involved. 

Is the Arbirton in Boston weighted? 

Hopper

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