Cost Of Electronic Measurement Causes Controversy
Outspoken Wireless Group chairman Kelvin MacKenzie has accused RAJAR of “scaremongering” after the radio ratings body estimated that electronic audience measurement could cost up to £25 million a year to operate.
RAJAR’s managing director, Sally De la Bedoyere, told Broadcast magazine last week that the introduction of audiometers to measure radio audiences may cost up to six times the £4 million that funds the existing diary system.
However, MacKenzie, who has been a vociferous campaigner for the introduction of an electronic measurement system, claims RAJAR is using scare tactics which imply that “audiometers are prohibitively expensive”.
The contentious former Sun editor said: “We have always maintained that RAJAR must introduce electronic measurement in a responsible, affordable, phased programme and that this process could have begun more than a year ago.”
The Wireless Group claims to spend less than £500,000 a year to measure eight national radio stations, eight national television stations and 18 radio stations in London. It says that costs will fall significantly when the next generation audiometers become available.
RAJAR remains committed to the introduction of an electronic system and has launched a major consultation seeking the views of advertisers on how it should proceed with the introduction of a new trading currency (see NewsLine Column: Bridging The Radio Ratings Rift).
Last year the radio measurement company also announced plans to invest more than £500,000 in an extensive wave of tests into the latest electronic audiometers developed by Arbitron and Radiocontrol. Writing for NewsLine recently, De la Bedoyere stated: “While there are a lot of fundamental decisions that will need to be taken, many of them will eventually come down to cost (see NewsLine Column: Bridging The Radio Ratings Rift).
RAJAR: 020 7903 535 www.rajar.co.uk
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