MacKenzie Brands RAJAR Chairman “Totally Unfit”
Outspoken chairman of the Wireless Group, Kelvin MacKenzie, has fired the latest salvo in his battle against radio ratings authority RAJAR with a stinging attack on its chairman branding him “totally unfit to be in his current position”.
MacKenzie’s statement was issued after the RAJAR chairman, Lord Gordon of Strathblane, claimed that results of research undertaken by Transport for London in support of MacKenzie were “cherry picked” to “support specific claims”.
TfL’s research found that radio ratings from research firm GfK’s electronic measurement system were “twice as accurate” as RAJAR’s current diary system (see MacKenzie Welcomes Tfl Radio Measurement Trials).
MacKenzie’s attack is the latest in a war of words between himself and several senior RAJAR officials. The battle peaked last month when MacKenzie initiated legal proceedings against the radio authority, claiming damages of more than £66 million allegedly caused by the “flaws” in the audience measurement body’s research (see MacKenzie To Claim £66 Million In Damages From RAJAR).
The ongoing furore has also engulfed Sally de la Bedoyere, RAJAR’s recently appointed managing director, who insisted she would “vigorously” contest the legal proceedings and claimed accusations made by the former Sun editor were “without merit”.
MacKenzie commended TfL, praising their decision to investigate both methods of audience measurement, stating: “As a public body, Transport for London is duty-bound to ensure that it spends its money in the most correct, transparent and appropriate manner. TfL will be publishing details of its research on its website next week. It is to be admired for its commitment to openness and full disclosure of its actions.”
It is not known when, or even if, MacKenzie will have his day in court with RAJAR. The ratings authority recently announced plans to invest a further £500,000 in testing the latest electronic audience meters developed by Arbitron and Radiocontrol. The second stage of tests will begin in July as soon as the new generation technology is available for trial (see RAJAR To Invest In Further Electronic Measurement Trials).
RAJAR: 020 7903 535 www.rajar.co.uk Wireless Group: 020 7269 7180
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