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Radio Analyst Predicts PPM Adoption by CC in Q4

Veteran radio analyst Jim Boyle, with CL King, is hopeful that Clear Channel Radio will agree to use Arbitron’s PPM ratings by year’s end.

Boyle’s prediction is based on the fact that a Clear Channel-owned property, Media Monitors, worked with Arbitron, using the PPM ratings, to release a major radio study, writes MediaPost. Boyle says that, barring an entry from Nielsen into the radio research market, which he deems a long shot, Clear Channel may end the sometimes-acrimonious dispute over the new radio metrics and adopt the PPM measurement.

Clear Channel is leading an industry audit of different radio measurement systems, including the PPM, but has been criticized by advertisers and media buyers for moving too slowly, according to the article. However, Clear Channel claims Arbitron’s PPM is not ready for mass deployment and points to the fact that it hasn’t been accredited by the MRC yet.

The results of the Arbitron/Media Monitors study itself indicate higher-than-expected rates of audience listening during commercial breaks. Advertisers and radio broadcasters have believed that radio listeners channel surf during commercials as TV viewers do, but the study shows that the practice is much less widespread than expected.