Arbitron and SBS Resolve PPM Dispute

In the US, Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) and ratings giant Arbitron have entered into a settlement agreement following their dispute about the latter's PPM (Portable People Meter), which SBS claimed was undercounting its ethnic minority listeners.

The dispute between the firms began last year when SBS refused to pay a licence to Arbitron because of the undercounting claims. In December, Arbitron stopped providing SBS with PPM ratings, and the broadcaster responded by ceasing to encode its broadcasts in early February.

After learning that SBS had stopped encoding, Arbitron filed a breach of contract suit and won a Temporary Restraining Order against it.

Since then, Arbitron has settled its three year dispute with the PPM Coalition - a group of minority radio broadcasters - over claims of undercounting minority listeners.

As part of that settlement, the two sides worked with the Media Rating Council (MRC) to implement a series of steps designed to enhance the recruitment methodology of the PPM service. These included the addition of address-based sampling with targeted in-person recruiting to increase PPM panelist participation in key market segments.

Following today's settlement agreement, SBS will resume encoding its broadcast signals for all its markets using the PPM radio ratings service, and the broadcaster has extended its agreement with Arbitron for the use of PPM ratings in those markets.

Frank Flores, SBS Chief Revenue Officer, endorsed the outcome, noting: 'Both Arbitron and SBS are committed to working together to address SBS's previously-voiced concerns about the impact of the PPM service on minority radio broadcasters. SBS is gratified that it has reached an amicable resolution with Arbitron.'

In response, Arbitron CEO William Kerr added that he looked forward to growing his firm's relationship with SBS and 'moving forward together in a productive and meaningful way'.

Web sites: www.spanishbroadcasting.com and www.arbitron.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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