MRC Accredits PPM in Riverside, California Market

It's the second market to receive MRC accreditation. Houston received accreditation in Jan. 2007

Jan 9, 2009

-By Mike Boyle, Radio and Records

Arbitron announced Friday (Jan. 9) that the Media Rating Council (MRC) has accredited the company's Portable People Meter (PPM) radio ratings service in Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif. It's the second market to receive MRC accreditation. Houston received accreditation in Jan. 2007.

Riverside-San Bernardino is the first "Radio First" market to receive MRC accreditation. Arbitron's Radio First uses a telephone-based sampling and recruitment methodology and includes both landline and cell-phone-only households. Houston uses an address-based methodology.

"The accreditation of the monthly PPM quarter hour radio estimates in Riverside-San Bernardino demonstrates that our 'Radio First' methodology can deliver audience estimates that meet the standards of the Media Rating Council," said Steve Morris, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Arbitron Inc. "Our goal now is to demonstrate that the sample quality initiatives we have committed to for all our PPM markets will have a continuing positive impact, just as they have had in Riverside-San Bernardino."

"Our commitment to MRC accreditation means a commitment to continuous improvement," Morris adds. "In Riverside-San Bernardino, we are continuing to work with the MRC on enhancing the quality of the sample."The MRC has accredited the monthly quarter hour radio ratings data in Riverside-San Bernardino, which are the "buy-sell" currency data for PPM markets. Arbitron has not submitted weekly and minute-by-minute PPM data for MRC accreditation.