Names aside, they pretty much do the same thing from what I understand. Both are pager-like devices that a sample group wears, and when that person is near a radio or TV, the device will pick up a specially encoded signal from the broadcast to register this person is watching/listening to station X.
This method of ratings determination replaces listeners filling out paper diaries of their listening habits or TV watchers connecting a meter box to their television.
The theory is the people meters will be a better measure of what people watch and listen to since the audience isn't consuming media just at home. So if I was at work listening, it counts. If I was at a restaurant watching the news, it counts as long as my pager can pick up that encoded signal.
No surprise here, according to the Radio World Newspaper, a test of the radio industry Portable People Meter (PPM) gave 740 KTRH-AM quite a boost during the Enron verdict.
The research firm said the audience nearly tripled in the 11 to 11:15 a.m. quarter hour during which the verdict was read, reaching 40,500 listeners, “up from a typical Thursday 11 a.m. audience of 14,170 listeners age 12 and older.”That shows you the power of news.
Although as I was heading down to the Federal Courthouse that day to help cover this event, I tuned to 740 right before the verdict and heard Sam Malone reading a commercial, then taking calls about American Idol. This new KTRH is a very different station from what I used to know.
That's when the old XM unit came on so I could flip between CNN's and Fox News' coverage.
Update:
Banjo Jones has the latest Arbitron ratings for radio. CONTACT: Leave me a Houston or Texas media news tip | COMMENT: Click to leave your thoughts on this post here
