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CBS Radio First Major Broadcaster to Sign PPM

Arbitron and CBS Radio announced yesterday that the second largest radio company agreed to a seven-year contract for the portable people meter ratings service, which will be conducted in the 35 of CBS’s markets included in Arbitron’s PPM rollout plan, writes Mediaweek.

“CBS Radio is counting on the PPM to enhance the value of both our programming and the audiences we reach in the eyes of our advertisers,” said Joel Hollander, CBS Radio president/CEO. “We’re pleased to be the first major broadcasters to embrace the future by signing a contract for Arbitron’s next-generation electronic audience measurement system. Radio has been searching for a more accountable method to provide advertisers with valuable information about its listeners, and I’m confident that the PPM will be supported throughout the industry.”

Other broadcaster that have signed up for the PPM include Beasley Broadcast Group, Spanish Broadcasting System and several major agency conglomerates and many regional agencies in Philadelphia and Houston.

The Media Audit, working with Ipsos to create a Smart Cell Phone measurement system for radio, is one of three finalists in Clear Channel’s search for the best possible media measurement solution. According to Bob Jordan, president of The Media Audit, the company is “undaunted by the CBS announcement.”

The third finalist, Mediamark Research Inc., decided to drop out of the running thanks to industry reluctance to fund a mandatory field test, Mediapost writes. CBS’s move to sign Arbitron comes as a surprise to the industry because the broadcaster is part of a team that is helping Clear Channel evaluate media measurement solutions.