A new study shows interesting results in radio format share from diary to PPM

As more markets leave the diary form of measurement in favor of the PPM, radio station share irregularity can emerge.

The transition from Arbitron’s long used measurement of diary to the new Portable People Meter (PPM) in top rated markets has initiated many studies to document the switch. A recent study conducted by Research Director Inc. and Inside Radio has focused on the affects of PPM share measurement on radio formats.

The Center for Media Research reports that while Urban Adult Contemporary formats have the highest share of listening per PPM market, the stations have actually declined in ratings. A reason for the large share is that the top16 markets that comprised the study had a high concentration of African Americans. If the study had incorporated all top 50 markets, the share results may have been different due to different makeup of ethnicity.

Other high ranking share formats included Adult Contemporary, News/Talk, Country, Contemporary Hit Radio, and Regional Mexican. The high concentration of Hispanics in the studied markets can account for the high share the Regional Mexican format received.

As more markets leave the diary form of measurement in favor of the PPM, radio station share irregularity can emerge. It is important to remember that each market is unique and will require time to adjust.

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