First Results from Electronic National Broadcast Media Survey

GfK Media Ltd is to publish the first results from its national broadcast media survey of radio and TV audiences -- the first of its kind to use electronic measurement in the UK - at the end of May.

The company, which began fieldwork on the survey at the beginning of March, is using the latest Swiss technology to measure the audiences of the five BBC national stations (Radios 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Live), the three national commercial stations (Classic FM, Virgin and talkSPORT) as well as the major TV channels, including BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky News among others.

Ten London radio stations are also being monitored in the survey, and the first results from the capital will be published in September.

GfK's survey results are produced using the Radiocontrol technology embedded in an electronic wristwatch that records the TV channels and radio stations listened to by the wearer for a week. By audio-matching the watch's recording against the output of the monitored radio stations and TV channels, GfK Media is able to identify the stations that the respondent listened to.

The minute-by-minute listening figures will present the first opportunity for the UK radio industry to analyse listening behaviour from an electronic measurement system; and because the Radiocontrol watch measures both radio and TV exposure, it is an opportunity for advertisers to measure the total impact of cross-media campaigns, to gain valuable insight into radio's contribution to mixed media advertising strategies, and to improve media accountability.

GfK Media's parent company, GfK Group in Germany, owns the Radiocontrol electronic watch system, which has been operating as the trading currency for the radio industry in Switzerland since January 2001.

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

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