Arbitron tweaks RADAR service

Days before it releases RADAR 76 data (3/24), Arbitron announced a few enhancements to its RADAR service, including increased sample size, improved sample balancing techniques and new software reporting capabilities. Beginning with RADAR 76, RADAR reports will now be based on an annual sample of nearly 50K diaries. Arbitron began the transition from telephone to diary measurement 6/02. The last release using all telephone (3/02) had a sample base of 12K respondents. As well, RADAR 76 is reporting the Dial-Global Contemporary Network and four new nets from Premiere: Evening, Mediabase, Weekday Tracks and Weekend Tracks.

The enhancements:

* Arbitron is introducing improved sample balancing techniques that will introduce sample balancing for Hispanic respondents, improve sample balancing for black Non-Hispanic, and ensure the proper weighting for a number of demographic and geographic characteristics. Arbitron says the NRRC (Network Radio Research Council) agreed with the use of the new sample balancing methods, after reviewing a test that showed, in all instances, the new methods produced a balanced diary sample consistent with population projections. The methods use 16 discrete sex/age groups; four census region groups; five county size groups and three household size groups; as well as race and ethnicity.

* Arbitron has also changed the label for "Black" to "Black Non-Hispanic" to accurately represent the population and audience estimates being reported. The black Hispanic population in RADAR is included only in Hispanic estimates. This conforms to Arbitron's practice in local markets, where the black and Hispanic population categories are mutually exclusive.

* Arbitron has added a cross-tabulation capability to its RADAR PC 2010 reach and frequency software. Users can select two socioeconomic variables to obtain a custom combination. The new capability, long requested by users, has been made possible by the larger RADAR sample size.