Frequently Asked Questions About Station Information

How do I let Arbitron know about changes to my facility/station information?

Mail, email, or fax a letter on station letterhead notifying Arbitron of the change.

When will my update be processed?

Generally, updates are processed within three days of receipt or, in many cases, sooner. However, there are instances when stations do not provide all of the information needed and must be contacted.

Please note that call letter and frequency changes require special handling. Once we’re notified about the changes, someone from Arbitron will call the station to collect additional information.

What information does not carry over from survey to survey?

Simulcast Total Line Reporting Information

Due to the changing nature of this information, stations must sign and return their Station Information Forms each quarter to keep this information on file. Stations may contact Arbitron Radio Station Relations at (410) 312-8062, or via email at rsimail@arbitron.com, to request a copy of their Station Information Form. They may also mail or fax an update letter to:

Radio Station Relations
Arbitron Inc.
9705 Patuxent Woods Drive
Columbia, MD 21046-1572
Attention: Station Information

Fax: (410) 312-8619

Are combos limited to two-station simulcasts?

Effective Winter 2006, Total Line Reporting accommodates three-way simulcasts, four-way simulcasts, etc.

What if the stations simulcast almost everything, but not quite 100%?

The stations must simulcast all content 100%—including commercials, sports, public affairs programming, etc. If each combo were to be granted a different exception, report users wouldn’t be confident that the audience estimates represent the combined listening of all the stations in the combo.

More information on Total Line Reporting

What are the Minimum Reporting Standards (MRS) to be reported in the Radio Market Report/Arbitron eBook^SM?

Diary-Based Radio Market Reports/Arbitron eBooks

A commercial radio station or combo is eligible to be listed in a Diary-based Radio Market Report/Arbitron eBook if the station or combo has met all of the following Minimum Reporting Standards for the applicable geographic area among Persons 12+, during the Monday-Sunday 6AM-Midnight daypart for the applicable survey:

1. The station must have been credited for at least one quarter-hour in at least 10 In-Tab diaries; and
2. The station or combo must have a Metro Cume rating of 0.495 or greater; and
3. The station or combo must have a Metro Average Quarter-Hour rating of 0.05 or greater.

PPM®-Based Radio Market Reports/Arbitron eBooks

An encoded commercial or noncommercial radio station or combo is eligible to be listed in a PPM-based Radio Market Report/Arbitron eBook if the station or combo has met each of the following Minimum Reporting Standards for the Metro among Persons 6+, during the Monday-Sunday 6AM-Midnight daypart for the applicable report period:

1. The station or combo must have received at least one quarter-hour of listening credit from at least one In-Tab panelist; and
2. The station or combo must have a Metro Cume rating of 0.495 or greater.

What are the Minimum Reporting Standards (MRS) for stations that simulcast?

Simulcast combos that are eligible for, and request, Total Line Reporting will meet Minimum Reporting Standards (MRS) for Arbitron Radio Market Reports if the combined listening for the combo meets MRS for individual stations (see previous question).

Estimates for noncommercial stations are reported in Arbitron’s Maximi$er®, Media Professional^SM, and Tapscan™ services, but are not eligible to be listed in the Arbitron Radio Market Report, Client Summary Data Set, or Arbitrends^SM.

What are the Minimum Reporting Standards to be reported in Arbitron Maximi$er, Media Professional and Tapscan services?

To meet MRS for Arbitron Maximi$er, Media Professional, and Tapscan services, in Standard markets (and condensed markets that contain an embedded Metro), a nonsimulcast station must meet only one criterion:

• At least five minutes of listening within a quarter-hour in 10 diaries in the Metro, the TSA, or, if applicable, the DMA®.

To meet MRS for Arbitron Maximi$er, Media Professional, and Tapscan services in Condensed markets (other than Condensed markets that contain an embedded Metro), a nonsimulcast station must meet only one criterion:

• At least five minutes of listening within a quarter-hour in one diary in the Metro or the TSA, effective Spring 2005 (please see the note below).
  Noncommercial stations are eligible to be reported in Maximi$er, Media Professional, and Tapscan.

What do I do if another station is not using the station name that was submitted for the survey?

Should a station fail to update its Station Name appropriately, another station in the market may submit a two-hour air-check containing two 60-minute air-check recordings. The two hours must be recorded Monday-Friday 6AM-Midnight during the same calendar week of the applicable survey. The submitted Station Name is subject to deletion if the air-check recording demonstrates that usage is not in accordance with the guidelines—e.g., usage consistently falls below minimum thresholds, or submitted Station Names are “buried” or not used as station identifiers. (A challenged Station Name will be retained on file if one of the 60-minute recordings demonstrates usage in accordance with the guidelines and the other 60-minute recording demonstrates usage at least three times per hour.)

The air-check recording must be recorded during the survey for which the recording is submitted. It must be recorded by an outside monitoring source that is not employed by the station, and must be accompanied by a notarized letter from that monitoring source indicating the following:

• Station challenging the Station Name
• Station recorded
• Station Name in question
• Date(s) of recording
• Start and stop times of each 60-minute recording
• Each recording is complete and unedited

The recordings and accompanying notarized letter should be sent to:

Radio Station Relations
Arbitron Inc.
9705 Patuxent Woods Drive
Columbia, MD 21046-1572

Station Name air-checks will not be accepted unless the above procedures are followed.

If the challenged Station Name is not used in accordance with the Station Name guidelines, it will be deleted from the Arbitron Station Name file for the remainder of the survey, and both stations will be notified immediately.

A deleted Station Name cannot be resubmitted for the survey from which it was deleted, but the Station Name may be resubmitted for subsequent surveys. Station names that are chronically submitted and deleted via air-check may be disallowed for more than one survey.

Please note: Arbitron does not edit diaries retroactively. Air-check recordings should therefore be submitted as soon as possible to ensure appropriate diary editing.

Thank you for your time and effort in helping Arbitron produce the best possible audience information for your market. If you have any questions about your Station Name, Station Names in general, or the Station Name air-check procedures, please contact us at (410) 312-8062. If you have questions regarding diary crediting, please contact our Syndicated Standards and Analysis team at (410) 312-8756.

Arbitron eBook^SM, PPM®, Maximi$er®, Media Professional®, and Arbitrends^SM are marks of Arbitron Inc. TAPSCAN™ is a trademark of TAPSCAN Inc., used under license. DMA® is a registered service mark of Nielsen Media Research, Inc., and is used pursuant to a license from Nielsen Media Research, Inc.

Last updated: 1.30.13