COLUMBIA, Md., Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Arbitron Inc.
(NYSE: ARB) today announced that the Media Rating
Council® Inc. (MRC) has accredited the radio
average-quarter-hour monthly ratings data produced by the Portable
People Meter™ (PPM®) ratings service in
eight additional markets: Cleveland, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver-Boulder, Detroit, Miami-Ft.
Lauderdale-Hollywood,
Pittsburgh, Portland OR, and
Nassau/Suffolk (Long Island).
The MRC has also voted to continue accreditation in eighteen
markets–Atlanta, Baltimore,
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill,
Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, Kansas
City, Los Angeles,
Milwaukee-Racine, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Riverside-San
Bernardino, San Antonio,
San Diego, San Francisco, St.
Louis, and Tampa-St.
Petersburg-Clearwater.
In total, 26 markets now display the MRC double checkmark logo
for the radio average-quarter-hour monthly ratings data produced by
the Portable People Meter radio ratings service.
The MRC voted to not grant accreditation at this time in the
remaining 22 PPM markets, and therefore PPM data in those markets
continue to be unaccredited.
"MRC accreditation for our PPM markets is a company-wide
priority at Arbitron, and we are pleased the MRC continues to
recognize our ongoing efforts to improve Sample Performance
Indicators and other quality metrics in our Portable People Meter
ratings services," said Gregg
Lindner, executive vice president, Service Innovation and
Chief Research Officer, Arbitron Inc. "Continuous improvement
remains our watchword, for PPM and for all our ratings and software
offerings and we are focused on earning accreditation for the
balance of our PPM markets."
"We congratulate Arbitron for the continued improvements of its
quality metrics and on earning accreditation in eight additional
markets," said George Ivie,
Executive Director, Media Rating Council. "Arbitron has clearly
made progress in meeting MRC requirements, particularly in most of
the larger PPM markets. We look forward to future audits and
continued progress."
About Arbitron
Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) is an
international media and marketing research firm serving the
media–radio, television, cable and out-of-home; the mobile industry
as well as advertising agencies and advertisers around the world.
Arbitron's businesses include: measuring network and local market
radio audiences across the United
States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of
U.S. consumers; providing mobile audience measurement and analytics
in the United States, Europe, Asia
and Australia, and developing
application software used for analyzing media audience and
marketing information data. The Company has developed the Portable
People Meter (PPM) and the PPM 360™, new technologies for media and
marketing research.
About the Media Rating Council
The Media Rating
Council is a non-profit industry association, established in 1964,
composed of leading television, radio, print and internet
companies, as well as advertisers, advertising agencies and trade
associations whose goal is to ensure measurement services that are
valid, reliable and effective. Measurement services desiring MRC
accreditation are required to disclose to their customers all
methodological aspects of their service; comply with the MRC
Minimum Standards for Media Rating Research; and submit to
MRC-designed audits to authenticate and illuminate their
procedures. In addition, the MRC membership actively pursues
research issues they consider priorities in an effort to improve
the quality of research in the marketplace. Currently approximately
85 research products are audited by the MRC. Additional information
about MRC can be found at http://www.mediaratingcouncil.org/.
Portable People Meter™, PPM® and PPM 360™ are
marks of Arbitron Inc.
Media Rating Council® and the "double checkmark" logo design are
registered marks of the Media Rating Council.
PPM ratings are based on audience estimates and are the opinion
of Arbitron and should not be relied on for precise accuracy or
precise representativeness of a demographic or radio market.
This press release includes information that could constitute
forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor
provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These statements may be identified by words such as 'will',
'expect', 'should', 'could', 'shall' and similar expressions. These
statements are subject to risks and uncertainties concerning
Nielsen's proposed acquisition of Arbitron, Arbitron's expected
financial performance, as well as Arbitron's strategic and
operational plans and actual results and events could differ
materially from what presently is expected. The potential risks and
uncertainties include the possibility that the transaction will not
close or that the closing may be delayed; the possibility that the
conditions to the closing of the transaction may not be satisfied;
the transaction may involve unexpected costs, liabilities or
delays; the outcome of any legal proceedings related to the
transaction; the occurrence of any event, change or other
circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the
transaction agreement; general economic conditions; conditions in
the markets Nielsen and Arbitron are engaged in; behavior of
customers, suppliers and competitors (including their reaction to
the transaction); technological developments; as well as legal and
regulatory rules affecting Nielsen's and Arbitron's business and
specific risk factors discussed in other releases and public
filings made by Nielsen and Arbitron (including the their
respective filings with the SEC). This list of factors is not
intended to be exhaustive. Such forward-looking statements only
speak as of the date of this press release, and we assume no
obligation to update any written or oral forward-looking statement
made by us or on our behalf as a result of new information, future
events, or other factors.
SOURCE Arbitron Inc.