Monday, April 30, 2007

First PPM Results Reveal Ethnic Variations


Erik Sass reports AFRICAN-AMERICANS LISTEN TO RADIO MORE frequently and for longer periods of time than other ethnic groups, according to data released last Friday by Arbitron.

That finding is part of the first "currency" radio ratings in the Philadelphia area, based on results from its Portable People Meter, a passive electronic measurement device. The ratings, covering March 8-April 4, revealed that 9.4% of African-Americans over the age of 6 were listening to the radio during an average quarter-hour measurement period, as compared with 9.1% of the overall radio market.

African-Americans also listened to the radio for a longer period of time, on average, than the population at large: They averaged 12 hours of listening a week, versus 11.5 hours for the total population. Interestingly, the Arbitron data shows that Hispanics listened to radio less than the population at large, on average, with 8.6% of Hispanics surveyed listening during an average quarter hour, and a total average listening time of 11 hours.

Could this hurt country? Not so far, it seems, since WXTU is also doing VERY well in the Philly PPM data (their cume almost doubles and XTU ranks #6 in 12+ share, trending 3.7-5.5)! Radio as a whole has greater reach (96% of persons 6+), but much lower Time Spent Listening -- including among African-Americans and Hispanics, according to the ARB PR), so let's suspend judgment for a bit until we've seen these 'facts' replicated consistently over the next two years, since a change in the panel sample could radically change the results and the average panelist lasts about six months.

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