RAJAR To Test Electronic Meters
RAJAR has outlined the new developments it expects to progress on in the New Year. Amongst these is the testing of meters which could see a shift from the current diary system to an electronic method of measuring radio audiences.
RAJAR’s managing director, Jane O’Hara, explained “RAJAR has spent much of the past year exploring a number of areas to do with the continued improvement of its research. We now feel confident that we are at a stage when we can move forward on a range of developments from meter testing to event-led listening.”
While RAJAR maintains that its methods represent a “gold standard” of research, the diary system has attracted criticism in the past, notably an attack by Wireless Group chief Kelvin Mackenzie in a national newspaper last year, which questioned the accuracy of the system and said it was unfair to smaller stations (see MacKenzie Attacks Rajar’s ‘Widely Discredited’ Research Methods).
While next year’s plans include the testing of the electronic systems Mackenzie would like to see, O’Hara has cautioned that while RAJAR is “enthusiastic about introducing improved methods of monitoring radio audience listening…any changes which are ultimately introduced have to be rigorously tested by RAJAR” and that this will take time.
Tests on electronic systems will include looking at how willing respondents are to wear meters and how easy they are to use, how meters react in different acoustic environments, whether they could provide a solution for all sizes of station, whether they can cope with different platforms such as radio listening through digital TV, DAB and the internet and currency issues.
Other areas RAJAR has promised to tackle include the improvement of samples, the possibility of research event-based listening, the measurement of alternative platforms including DAB and the internet and web auditing.
RAJAR: 020 7903 5350 www.rajar.co.uk
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