RAJAR Makes Plans For The Measurement Of Digital Radio

RAJAR is continuing to experiment with measurement systems for digital radio but does not believe it will be included in its reports until after the year 2000. Announcing its latest results today the radio industry’s audience research company said it would wait until take-up of digital radio had reached significant numbers of the population before including it in its research.

Currently the committee is undertaking a “watching brief” and conducting experimental work in the area. Questionnaires have been produced to identify which homes are using digital sets. So far however these have revealed some confusion about what digital radio is and so a new set of questionnaires are about to be tested.

Announcing the plans director of RAJAR Vanessa Griffiths, of the BBC, said that a timetable for measurement would depend on the sales growth of digital radio: “When sales reach between 200,000 and 250,000 we will begin regular measurement,” says Griffiths.

It is estimated that by the end of the year 2000 only 30,000 digital sets have been sold in Britain; of the 125,000 adults to be surveyed by RAJAR only about 150 will have access to digital radio. The group estimates that it will not begin full measurement during 2000 but will continue to monitor uptake.

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