RADAR FAQs

1. What does RADAR® stand for?
Radio’s All Dimension Audience Research.

2. What is RADAR based on?
RADAR audience estimates are based on a probability sample of more than 225,000 respondents, aged 12 and older. The respondent provides seven days of radio listening. Network station associations as of a specific date and clearances for two specific weeks are used to compile the network audience estimates.

3. What is a radio network?
A radio network is defined as an organization that can simultaneously broadcast programs and/or commercial messages (associated with those programs) throughout the United States over local stations. The organization maintains an ongoing affiliate relationship with each station. The affiliates carry the network material in a consistent manner from week to week. The stations report to the networks the actual time and day of carriage for each program and/or commercial.

4. Why does RADAR process network clearance information?
Not all affiliates carry every network-fed program and commercial. For this reason, RADAR tracks clearances and merges them with audience data. The size of the audience to network stations is immaterial if an advertiser’s commercial is not broadcast to that audience.

5. How does RADAR compile network clearance data?
For two designated three-month periods, six oneweek periods are identified as possible clearance weeks. One of the six weeks for each period is selected at random. The networks are informed of the selected week after the fact.

Stations supply clearance affidavits to networks. Networks process and report the data to Arbitron. For each broadcast, the network designates the number of commercial units in that broadcast. For each commercial unit in each broadcast on each station, the network reports that it was:

Cleared within the program at a specified day and time, or
Extracted from the program and carried at a specified day and time, or
Not carried at all.

For all types of clearances, the actual day and time of broadcast are reported. For stations affiliated after the clearance week, networks supply intended clearances.

6. How are the network audience estimates determined?
Usage information is merged with clearance data for commercials. That is, quarter-hours of radio usage, as reported by respondents, are matched with commercial clearances for each station carrying such programming. If a person reported listening to a station during a quarter- hour in which a network commercial was carried, that person is considered to be in the audience for that commercial.

7. How many types of tabulations are there?
There are three volumes of information located in specific PC 2010 software programs:

SCAN-ONE and TARGETS-ONE (Volume 1) National Radio Listening Audiences.
SCAN and TARGETS (Volume 2) Network Radio Audiences to all Commercials.
SCAN and TARGETS (Volume 3) Network Radio Audiences to Commercials Within Programs.

There are four reports a year. Reports are generated by the indicated RADAR PC 2010 software.

8. What is the difference between Volumes 2 and 3?
Volume 2 provides estimates of network audiences to all commercials; Volume 3 provides estimates of network audiences to commercials within programs only. That is, the network commercial is heard within the environment of the network program. Any audience reported in Volume 3 is also reported in Volume 2.

9. What type of information is in SCAN-ONE (Volume 1)?
The audience estimates in the National Radio Listening Report (SCAN-ONE) are time period measurements for dayparts or for individual quarter- hours for All Radio Stations, AM Only, FM Only, and Network-Affiliated Stations. Characteristics of radio audiences for age/sex groups within socioeconomic categories are provided.

10. What type of information is available in SCAN (Volumes 2 and 3)?
SCAN provides Program Audiences, Daypart Audiences, Sex/Age Composition, Socioeconomic Composition and Trends in Audience for each network, as well as Network Rankings, Duplication Analysis, Program Rankings and Population Estimates. Characteristics of radio audiences for age/sex groups within socioeconomic categories are provided.

11. Why are not all network programs included in the measurement?
The RADAR report reflects those programs or commercials submitted for inclusion by the subscribing networks. To be eligible for inclusion in this report, a program or commercial (or comparable program) must be commercially available during the week for which station affiliations are processed.

12. What is Spot Confirmation?
To check on the accuracy of clearance information, Arbitron conducts a verification study with a sample of stations associated with each network organization for one week each month. This procedure includes capturing selected time periods known only to Arbitron and subsequently comparing this information to network affidavits or reports.

A discrepancy between reported clearances and the results of verification may mean the reported program or commercial was played at a different time, or possibly not at all. In any case, any discrepancy is counted as an error in computing a clearance accuracy rate. Overall network results are provided to all clients each quarter. Each network organization receives a report on the results of the monitoring efforts for its own clearances.

13. PARTS, SPOTS and SOS offer Multiweek Reach and Frequency tabulations. How are they tabulated?
The RADAR database reflects radio usage over one week. Each multiweek audience estimate is based on the actual correlation (or duplication pattern) from the respondent records within a one-week schedule. Hence, RADAR multiweek estimates are not based on assumed or “normalized” duplication rates between networks, but are based on a procedure that extends an actual within-week listening pattern, which is separately tabulated for each schedule.

14. What is a RADAR Post-Analysis?
A network supplies station quarter-hour clearances for commercials that were purchased by a specific advertiser. These specific clearances are then tabulated against the RADAR audience file. The output includes the overall schedule audience and can include audience for demographic subgroups of the population.

15. What does the MRC double checkmark mean?
The Media Rating Council® grants accreditation to ratings services based on specific criteria that are independently audited by the accounting firm of Ernst & Young, following specified procedures. Based on audit results, RADAR has been an MRC-accredited audience measurement service since 1974.

RADAR® is a registered mark of Arbitron Inc. Media Rating Council® and the “double checkmark” logo design are registered trademarks of the Media Rating Council.
Last updated: 5.7.08