ROCK RADIO IS BACK (IT NEVER REALLY LEFT)

A cataclysmic event may just have happened yesterday in Rock Radio.

The First release of PPM Ratings were revealed for the Philadelphia Market.

The BIG STORY was Rock Radio in all it’s incarnations. (Active and Classic in this case) The other gainer was Country. The tie that binds these formats together is Male listenership.

Active Rock WMMR went from a 4.3 share in Fall of ’06 (6^th place) to a 7.9 share for March ’07 (3^rd place). Classic Rock WMGK went from a 3.6 to a 5.7 and even Adult Hits WBEN went from a 2.8 to a 4.1. Country WXTU rose 3.7 to 5.3.

Something that Rock Programmers have known forever was finally proven. Arbitron's diary system under- represents Rock Radio's Ratings.

As PPM rolls out market-by-market, Rock radio’s true ratings shares will finally be counted. The interesting thing about the roll out is the next 4 markets that will be PPM’d are Houston, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, markets that for the most part do not have a Rock Station. Will the SMART radio groups involved in these markets recognize this amazing opportunity and flip some properties Rock before PPM rolls out in the market? In L.A., will Citadel take KLOS to an Active format before PPM gets there? Will New York see the return of a Rock Station? Could we see the return of WNEW-FM?

Get ready for some interesting days ahead. Rock Radio-It’s like you never left!!!

About the Portable People Meter

The Arbitron Portable People Meter^TM system uses a passive audience measurement device – about the size of a small cell phone – to track consumer exposure to media and entertainment, including broadcast, cable and satellite television; terrestrial, satellite and online radio as well as cinema advertising and many types of place-based electronic media. Carried throughout the day by randomly selected survey participants, the PPM^TM device can track when and where they watch television, listen to radio as well as how they interact with other forms of media and entertainment.

The PPM detects inaudible codes embedded in the audio portion of media and entertainment content delivered by broadcasters, content providers and distributors. At the end of the day, the meter is placed in a docking station that extracts the codes and sends them to a central computer. The PPM is equipped with a motion sensor, a patented quality control feature unique to the system, which allows Arbitron to confirm the compliance of the PPM survey participants every day. MORE

Arbitron PPM^TM Rollout Schedule for Top 50 Markets HERE