Re: I read the Wall Street Journal so you don't have to

[dan.Strassberg@att.net]

When they say classical music stations saw their 
billings drop from 1998 to 1999, did they figure this 
(or did RAB figure it) by adding the billings of all 
classical stations in each year and taking the ratio of 
1999 to 1998 billings? An alternative calculation would 
determine the ratio of 1999 to 1998 billings of all 
stations (or selected stations) that had classical 
formats all year in both years (the radio equivalent of 
same-store sales). If the calculations were made using 
the first method, there is a good explanation for the 
drop in a year when billings rose overall. Classical 
stations in Detroit, Philadelphia (and I think Miami) 
changed to other formats.

As they say, figures don't lie, but liars figure. 
Somewhat subjectively, 1999 was a damned good year for 
the socio-economic class one always assumes to have the 
highest percentage of classical music listeners 
(affluent people 40 years old and over). But how many 
owners will think to ask what the statistics mean when 
they contemplate a format flip. All they'll know is that 
classical went down when other formats went up.