by Tara Servatius
That?s what the Charlotte Observer reports that 107.9 The Link?s Bob & Sheri got when they dramatically changed their format to boost ratings after Arbitron switched to the PPM in Charlotte. The Observer writes how the two popular radio hosts were summoned to a meeting with Link program director Bill White and Greater Media executives Rick Feinblatt and Buzz Knight and told PPM would bring changes to their show. The duo, who are well-loved enough to be syndicated in over 40 markets, weren?t used to being told what to do, the paper reported. The changes amounted to tightening up the show. That meant much less Bob & Sheri and much more music, tighter segments and no rambling phone calls.
After that, Bob and Sheri got much improved results in the ratings. But audience members didn?t seem to be too pleased. How could this be? The problem is that in Charlotte, the PPM audience panel and the actual audience have very little in common. Arbitron?s PPM panel in Charlotte is so skewed that 69 percent of PPM wearers were unemployed in the first quarter of the year. Actual unemployment in the market averaged about 10 percent over the same period. Middle to upper middle class listeners are undersampled in Arbitron?t PPM panel in the market, especially families making $70,000 and more (that?s a cop and a teacher, the heart of the middle class).
This is because while middle to upper class listeners were willing to fill out the diaries, they are declining to wear the clunky, embarrassing meters to work and to social occasions. Managers of radio stations in the market that depend on more affluent listeners have begged Arbitron to fix its meter panel to represent the economic makeup of the community, but so far Arbitron has turned a deaf ear.
For years, the Link succeeded with funny, edgy talk like the Bob& Sheri and Matt & Ramona?s shows. The strategy allowed the station to thrive with female middle class listeners who abandoned other music stations and their contrived playlists for their ipods or CDs. But now, with Arbitron?s PPM panel skewed toward lower income listeners, that has reversed. Lower income listeners are the only group that still relies fairly heavily on the radio for music.
So Greater Media was faced with a dilemma -- broadcast to the PPM panel or to the actual, more affluent Charlotte audience. First, company executives tried begging Arbitron to fix their panel, to no avail. As with many media companies around the country, Greater Media was finally forced to tailor its broadcasts to the panel. It was immediately blessed with increased ratings and thus the ability to sell national advertising. The cost? Angering members of the actual listening audience. ?The core of their show has been decimated,? one angry listener posted after the article. But the ratings are good, and that?s what matters, right?
Tara Servatius was a drivetime News/Talk host at NewsTalk 1110 WBT in Charlotte. Reach out to her at her website www.taraservatius.com. Twitter Tara @TaraServatius and on Facebook
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