Black Radio Owners say to Congress: The Electronic Ratings System Needs to be Investigated
“The damages from the Arbitron PPM are not theoretical – they are real, quantifiable and devastating.” NABOB (National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters) executive director, Jim Winston brings plenty of statistics to his Judiciary Committee presentation. See what you think – “minority stations have experienced a 40-60% drop in their ratings" in markets where the Portable People Meter became operational.
In New York, Spanish stations WSKQ is down 55% and sister WPAT-FM is off over 67%. As a result, "Spanish Broadcasting System has been forced to reduce staff by 37%." Inner City's WBLS, New York is down 58% in revenue.
Stevie Wonder's KJLH, Los Angeles "has seen revenues fall 48% since the PPM, almost twice the market's 29%, and has been forced to lay off 13% of its staff."
Winston asks bluntly, "Why is Arbitron putting out a product like this? The answer won't surprise you: money." For Winston, the “refusal of lenders to re-structure broadcast loans and Arbitron’s abuse” are more than the “perfect storm” that Arbitron CEO Michael Skarzynski told the committee about. NABOB is asking the House Judiciary Committee to investigate Arbitron. From TRIAs I have been saying months ago, it's PPM if changes aren't made in their sampling, that will kill Black Radio and not the Performance Royalty Tax.
the PPM is a part of a larger problem that exists with black radio, and the other half of that problem is with the owners of black radio, who continue to play by an ideaology that fails them, but will they stand up to that? answer NO! they rather fool you with hrh 848, it is their brand of radio that is killing them along with a long standing policy by madison ave ad agencies toward black stations not just black owned but also white owned but who program to a black audience, the PPM is nothing more than the samething again to undermind black radio, but the question is why do black radio owners continue to go along with it, but use hrh 848 as rouse...brotha man you got it wrong, ppm won't kill black radio, black radio has been killing itself and alienating it's listens for alonger period of time than you could imagine.
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