Add 'Ben' to the list of radio station names

[Sid Schweiger]

>>the ratings reports they send out are all done by calls, and I would
have to think that ad agency buyers identify stations primarily by calls
as a result. So perhaps the reason to still care about calls, from a
station's point of view, is to make sure that ad agency buyers can
identify "WJMN" as "Jam'n," even if the average listener can't...<<

Ratings reports are done by calls, but diaries are not necessarily done
that way.  Every station receives an Arbitron questionnaire well in
advance of the start of every ratings period in which they are a
subscribing station, and a part of that questionnaire is a listing of
the station's current slogans.  If a listener writes down a slogan
instead of a call sign or dial position, the station whose slogan
matches what is entered in the diary gets credit for that listener. 
It's the same with program titles, which must be listed by each
subscribing station as well.  An entry in a Boston-area diary for "Rush
Limbaugh" automatically credits WRKO for that listener; "Paul Sullivan"
for WBZ, and so on.

And BTW, I've seen actual filled-out diaries.  It literally scares me
to death to think of how many billions of dollars of advertising revenue
rest on what's written in them. Besides the standard problems of any
such endeavor, like illegible handwriting, the misunderstanding of call
signs, dial positions, program names and host/DJ names by diary users is
frightening.



Sid Schweiger
IT Manager, Entercom Boston LLC
WAAF - WEEI AM/FM - WQSX - WRKO - WVEI
20 Guest St / 3d Floor
Boston MA  02135-2040
Phone: 617-779-5369
Fax: 617-779-5379
E-Mail: sid@wrko.com