Did You Ever Take A Radio Survey?

Question

Did you ever get a phone survey about your listening habits? How was it? Do you remember what you said?

Did you ever fill in a book on your radio listening? How was that? Do you remember your answers?

Do you think the surveys you did did a good job of recording your radio listening?

And do you find yourself listening more, less, or about the same to AM and FM radio now that satellite radio and computer radio are available?

Answer 1

No offense, but I think Supermim...(above answer) has missed the point. I think you are trying to get a fix on the Arbitron methodology for radio ratings which is changing gradually from a diary-based to a PPM based sample. PPM is a pager-like device that you will carry around and it will "hear" different sources of broadcasting that will then be used to determine ratings. This is a big deal and touted as much more accurate. I agree.

Consider that the total sample in Long Island last summer was about 3,200 people and the population is about 2,370,000 that's about one-tenth of one percent of the population representing the listening habits of the entire Nassau-Suffolk market - and you start to get an idea of how unlikely it is that you will ever be called upon to participate in a radio survey.

Now consider that those 3,200 people had to be recruited to participate. How? By phone of course, "Hello sir, would you please participate in a survey to determine radio listening in your area? You'll have to keep a diary and fill it in everytime you turn on, turn off or change channels for a few weeks and we'll pay you a couple of dollars for your.... hello? Sir? Hello?"

Dadgummit: "Hello sir, would you please participate in a survey to determine ..."

That's a dramatization and not a condemnation of Arbitron because they are taking steps to make the ratings more accurate - with the PPM mentioned above. But how do they get people to participate in the new PPM survey? By phone of course!

A lot of studies have been done over the years to determine just how accurate the ratings (radio, TV etc) really are. What the researchers found was that, in many households, since the diaries had to be in the mail each Thursday, Mom would sit down Wednesday night and fill in everybody's diary based on the assumption that she knew what her husband and kids listened to. Ouch!

So, to our questioner JXT (whom I suspect is either an Arbitron or radio person or has been asked to participate) my actual answer is yes, but not radio. I was a Nielson participant a couple of years ago, carried the TV diary and tried to be as accurate as possible. But it's impossible, so we in the biz are pinning our hopes and a LOT of money on the PPM, I hope it works.

In the test markets lots more total radio listening is showing up. The bad news is that among young people, Blacks and Hispanics, listening is way down probably because of the difficulties in convincing those demographics to participate.

Unfortunately to the last of your questions, I do find myself listening more to satellite and internet radio (mostly satellite). And, as a radio guy, I should be ashamed.
-a guy named duh

Answer 2

I had experience with the phone survey before. Lately, I answered a COSTCO survey - in the middle of the servery, I do not want to continue any more. I found that I can not even back out. You did not submit in the end, but they already took you information. It is so gross! This is what I found: Once you answer questions with any surveyer, you name, e-mail address, phone # will be sold, passed around, shared to many fund raising companies, as well as many product research, & marketing companies. You will get at least 10 to 20 e-mails a day. The questions that they gave you most of the times are so stupid, and they try to get all your interests, etc. I had to use high level e-mail program to block those e-mails, and put my number with state No-Call list. One answer to the surveyer will create 10 hours of work for you to delete all those spam e-mails, and phone calls. They ask a lot of questions, most of the people get tired, and start to fake the answers. I do not think their answers are reliable.The more accurate way in measuring a product, or a service is the "Sales", not just the Empty Talk. Do not let them to mess around with you! Good Luck!

Answer 3

Yes a few times