Radio: Technology points the way for Rajar.

VIEWPOINT Sally de la Bedoyere

Radio audience measurement is an increasingly complex business. The flexibility of radio, ubiquity of listening and explosion of choice alongside multi-platform delivery in this digital age, continues to present major challenges for audience research.

Unlike television, the listener rather than the receiver must be measured. That means any working electronic meter must be carried by the listener all day, everyday, for as long as they participate in the survey. Peak listening for radio is in the morning when people are getting up, taking a shower, eating breakfast, sorting out the family and so on before rushing out of the door. Listening throughout the day might be at home, the office, car or any one of numerous locations and it may occur on a range of platforms: mobile phones, digital television, DAB set or PC. Alongside these developments continue the existing wide range of analogue signals. The task for Rajar, therefore, is how to measure listening on all these occasions; in all these locations; across all these platforms, in a robust and cost effective way.

In order to fulfil this challenge, Rajar recently announced details of its new survey and contracts for January 2007. They bring significant firsts to the industry. From 2007, the UK will be the first country to provide listening data for stations across four platforms: analogue, DAB, DTV and the internet. Data turnaround times will be reduced by up to two weeks; effective sample sizes will be increased and Rajar has announced its joint venture with Barb (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board), which will see a two-year audiometer-based audience panel ...