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Obama Joins PPM Debate
Senator Barack Obama has joined calls for a delay in the launch of Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) system in new markets.
In a letter to Arbitron's President and CEO Stephen Morris, Obama and Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL.) echoed worries expressed recently by other groups at the possible undercounting of minorities by the new technology. The authors suggest the PPM's scheduled rollout in eight markets should be delayed until it secures accreditation by the Media Research Center, explaining: 'We have worked as vocal advocates of media diversity and opportunities for minority broadcasters to ensure that our public discourse includes a wide variety of points of view. We share the concerns expressed by the chairmen of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees with your rollout strategy and its potential effect on media diversity.'
Arbitron says its representation of minority listening is accurate; more soundly based if anything than that of the paper diaries; and that it will abide by the MRC's voluntary code of conduct and seek accreditation, but that it will not wait for the accreditation, which according to some estimates could take years.
New York's Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating the PPM system, which a number of his city's black and Hispanic-focused stations have warned could destroy their business. Audience share for stations including urban WBLS (107.5 FM) and Hispanic WSKQ (97.9 FM) has dropped sharply under the electronic system while others such as WRKS (98.7 FM) have not seen major changes.
Opening the investigation, Cuomo noted that 'a significant and improper decline in ratings under PPM' could cause 'irreversible consequences' for minority broadcasters. Presumably, as an impartial investigator, Cuomo is also aware that a significant and proper decline - if it transpires the PPM is merely exposing previous overcounting - could do exactly the same thing.
The official web site of the Barack Obama 2008 Presidential Campaign is at www.barackobama.com . Arbitron's home page is at www.arbitron.com .
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