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Lone Houston Holdout, Cox to Encode for PPM

Cox Radio, the last broadcaster in Houston holding out against encoding its broadcasts for measurement by Arbitron’s PPM, has capitulated.

Arbitron received Media Rating Council accreditation in the Houston market last month, and that move helped convince Bob Neil, president and CEO of Cox, that the PPM had been thoroughly vetted, writes Mediaweek. However, Neil stressed, the decision to encode is separate from any agreement to subscribe to the PPM service.

Radio stations representing one quarter of the Houston market have subscribed to the PPM service.

Cox Radio, along with Clear Channel, Cumulus Media, Entercom and Radio One, will be funding a test of PPM competitor The Media Audit/Ipsos in Houston in the fall. The rival system uses a smart cell phone technology to track ratings. All five radio groups are on the Clear Channel electronic radio ratings committee formed in 2005 to evaluate alternatives to traditional radio ratings.