PPM - Is This Just Like HD?

The UK has given up on PPM. They actually took the time to study it, rather than rushing in based on the judgment of the heads of a few large radio companies.

The numbers I see show cume to TSL ratios that are clearly wrong. It is obvious that "exposure to sound" and not "listening" is being measured. Because of this distortion, the methodology is worthless as a programming tools, even if it may (or may not) have some strength as a sales tool.

I see claims that PPM shows stations have 3 times the cume we thought we had when the diary was misleading us.

So why, when we try to do a perceptual study or callout music research, do we have such a hard time finding listeners? If you answer, "Because it's BS!", vous avez raison, mes amis.

Sample size control efforts aren't working. Compliance isn't what it needs to be. Women don't find the device stylish enough. They spend too much time in their cradles. At least that's what the studies and articles I see have to say about it.

And it seems that I see quotes almost every day that are similar to this, from Tom Taylor's newsletter:

"Bruce Beasley says “like the boy who cried wolf, Arbitron keeps telling” subscribers they’ll get the sample right – but he says the problems continue in the form of the recent screwiness in the 18-24 sample. He says his stations “are suffering from unnecessary ratings volatility” due to the Arbitron People Meter. "

Is this HD all over again? Did a company come along, tell a handful of radio executives who clearly aren't in close touch with the medium that ___ (fill in HD or PPM or BS) will make them even more money?

You'll never get me excited about HD. Sorry.

But maybe PPM is okay. If Arbitron would open up the data for examination we might be able to have an honest discussion of the strengths and weaknesses.

In the 21st century, we demand transparency from companies. We're not getting that from Arbitron. Does that bother you?

But maybe PPM is okay. As a radio guy watching the struggles people are having in the limited number of PPM markets, with all the things I've just listed, and as somebody who isn't ready to believe that only 15% of your cume comes from P1s, I'm a little nervous. How about you?