Nine new seats are being added to the Arbitron Radio Advisory Council (RAC), expanding representation for Urban and Spanish formats, along with more seats for markets which have diary-based ratings, rather than Portable People Meters (PPM).
Along with increasing the size of the RAC, Arbitron said its future meetings are expected to include regular joint sessions with Arbitron’s Advertiser/Agency Council and dedicated tracks to solicit customer feedback on issues specific to PPM and diary markets.
Here is the distribution of the nine new seats:
— One seat each added for Network Radio, Digital Radio, and Public Radio;
— Four additional slots for Diary markets to place greater focus on mid-sized and smaller markets;
— One additional seat each for Urban and Spanish Language representatives (up from one each).
By our count, that will grow the RAC from 23 members to 32, including elected and appointed members.
“The enhancements that we are making to the Radio Advisory Council reflect the evolving nature of the media industry. The representatives serve as valuable customer advocates and their input helps Arbitron align our plans with industry priorities. I look forward to our new meeting format, where I hope to engage in an open, two-way dialogue that will move the industry forward,” said Arbitron CEO Bill Kerr.
All current and recently-elected members of the Advisory Council will continue with their terms and Arbitron said it is inviting respected industry representatives to fill the newly created seats.
The Spring 2010 Radio Advisory Council meeting will be held May 11-12 in Annapolis, MD. The Fall 2010 dates and venue are being planned now.
