RAJAR Adds Online and CAPI Options

UK measurement body RAJAR has added an online self-completion diary and Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) to its range of data collection methods for radio audience rating. The new approaches will be rolled out from next month.

RAJAR says the move is a response to the proliferation of media being used to access radio programmes, including analogue, Internet, DTV and DAB, and the wider availability of online as a tool for data collection. The aim is to improve demographic representation and encourage respondents who might be more inclined to complete online. The diary is currently only available on PC but is expected to be ported eventually to both tablets and smartphones.

The survey will be identical across platforms and all demographic data recorded at the point of recruitment will now be collected in real-time via CAPI, which will improve the accuracy and efficiency of registration and enhance participation, the organisation says.

The online diary prototype was built by YouGov, RAJAR's development partner, and RAJAR will be extending the contracts of its other partners - Ipsos MORI and RSMB - into 2014. The new digital tools were developed under the management of a cross-industry steering committee appointed by the RAJAR Board, with representatives from RAJAR, the BBC and Commercial Radio.

Jerry Hill, Chief Executive Officer of RAJAR, said: 'The use of digital technology has become so prevalent across all demographics that we are now able to make these changes. Adding to our tool box to provide enhanced information is not only progressive for the industry, but also beneficial in offering something easy and compelling for the consumers who provide our data.'

RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd) currently surveys over 100,000 respondents annually and is the largest UK media survey of its kind. The diary survey method is used in over 80% of radio markets around the world.

RAJAR is wholly owned by the BBC and the RadioCentre and was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry. Its Web site is at www.rajar.co.uk .