MacKenzie Off To Court Over Electronic Measurement

Wireless Group chief executive, Kelvin MacKenzie, has reiterated his threat of legal action against RAJAR following its rejection of electronic measurement (see RAJAR Says ‘No For Now’ To Electronic Measurement).

Speaking at this year’s annual Radio Festival in Birmingham, the flamboyant former Sun editor claimed that electronic meters are more accurate than the current diary system of audience measurement “morning, noon and night”. However, he said: “I’m off to court ­ we’ll let a third party decide.”

MacKenzie, who recently released the results of the UK’ s first electronic study of broadcast audiences (see New Study To Shake-Up Audience Measurement?), insisted that real-time radio measurement would revolutionise the industry and should be introduced on a national scale during his “radio lifetime”.

RAJAR’s managing director, Jane O’Hara, said the very soonest that the industry could expect an electronic measurement system would be 2006/2007, but emphasised this was not written in stone.

MacKenzie has been highly critical of RAJAR’s rejection of electronic meters, claiming the decision was made by vested interests behind closed doors (see Industry Responds To Rejection Of Electronic Measurement). However, the move has been welcomed by advertisers keen to protect the integrity of the currency used to trade £600 million worth of radio audiences each year (see Agencies Support Rejection Of Electronic Measurement).

talkSPORT: 020 7959 7800 www.talksport.co.uk RAJAR: 020 7903 535 www.rajar.co.uk

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