Confessions of a ppm™ panelist: arbitron unplugs blatherwatch ...

Arbitron released us wide-eyed and buck-naked this month back into the dismal world of who-gives-a-damn-what-you-think.

We felt distinctly abandoned. I'm a man without a meter.

For the last 2 years, me and my significant other have been toting around the little pager-like PPMs™ (Portable People Meters™) collecting puny sums of money for couriering data from Seattle to data bots in Columbia, Maryland.

Arbitron surveys 1/40 of one percent of the population and every two years rotates the sample.

We just got rotated. It hurts.

I was stunned in February 2009, when a letter arrived at our house inviting us to be part of the larger Arbitron family and earn cash incentives by strapping the PPMs to our bodies as we strolled through our daily lives. It was new, and Seattle, the 14th largest US market getting plugged into the new ratings system was a big deal.

We wore them in the gym, but not in the pool. On the john, but not the shower.

I say 'stunned' because, though we were picked randomly, I've been a self-appointed, listener-oriented radio and teevee critic since 2005, despised, and ridiculed but read by a lot of radio people.

You'd think my blog would have disqualified me... and you'd be right: of course I lied through my teeth when asked: "do you know any one in the radio or TV business?" or "Have you ever worked in media?"

  As 1 of just 1,317 (out of 3,453,000 media consumers) secretly chosen to carry the receivers that tell the powerful radio ratings company what media are passing by our bodies every minute of every day, I became way more powerful in the Seattle radio market than by anything I could scribble on this mighty, yet sad little blog.

Add in my girlfriend and her meter, that awesome power was doubled.

(photo: a PPM™ and some fine BlatherWatch ass)

(BlatherWatch has even been the recipient of a couple of cease and desist letters over the years from Arbitron attorneys not amused by my publishing their privileged ratings numbers. I've routinely ignored these letters and they, in turn, have never followed up. One of the legal threat letters was prompted by a blog post asking other PPM™  wearers to write me about their experiences. A few fellow meter-wearers contacted me and I reported their experience, while adding a few details of my own).

Did I game the meters -- try to buttress my own views on talk hosts and radio stations? The answer is I could have, but no... it would be too much effort and besides: it was interesting to observe what was being metered in our daily media-absorbing lives.

The PPMs™ turned Seattle radio upside down. Music stations sprung back to the fore and news talkers sucked. The PPM™ onset was almost simultaneous to talk market leader KIRO's flip to FM and their AM dial spot to sports. KIRO, always big, headed for the tank because of the PPM™ data

Live and local shriveled; klassic konservative KVI let go its longtime host Kirby Wilbur, laid off the expensive Mr. Bryan Suits™; and flipped to hits from the '60's (and was never heard again).

KIRO went "lifestyle talk" and conservative KTTH pulled back their single local talker (whatever his name was) to one hour, and absorbed some of KVI's syndicated programming. 

This was huge news for local radio and bread and gravy for my blog. The irony that I was carryng around the instruments of destruction of this medium, and so many professional lives was not lost on me. 

Our household contributed to KIRO's problemas: FM reception for KIRO sucked in most of our house, and we weren't spending that much time in our cars. If it weren't for podcasts, I'd have never heard the station. PPMs pick up signals from podcasts, (if they're less than a week old) I only went to KIRO on a need-to-know basis.

The money wasn't much of an incentive: 15 bucks a month, and a chance at a weekly sweepstakes, based on points earned for wearing the meter. It's "Keep the green light glowing" which refers to the light on the meter which goes out if you set it down or you happen to die.

It stays on long enough for a shower (or a quickie) but that's about it. Clipped to you from rising 'til bedtime, it shines on even if you're napping.

At night, the meters slept in their docks located on my dresser, getting a battery re-charge and at about 4a, the daily data is sucked over to the living room where a collector sends our daily data aloft via the phone line.

Arbitron made us feel special. We were good panelists, wore our meters dutifully, accumulating a lot of points: they constantly praised us (in lieu of a raise).

          (photos: meters at the BlatherWatch docks)

If I left my meter on a pair of pants hanging in the closet or went to Kona without telling them (that happened) they'd call.

We had member privileges at www.meandmymeter.com where we read gushing testimonials by other anonymous panelists, and see up-to-the-minute graphs of our points accumulated by time spent wearing meters. Arbitron encouraged competition among family members in "fun" competitions. (Apparently it ain't easy getting kids to keep the green light glowin').

No one busted me. I couldn't help myself pulling out meter and showing it off to certain radio types (you know who you are) who could appreciate the intense irony that I WAS WEARING ONE OF THESE THIS THINGS!

We were a little pissed reading Ben Fong-Torres' interview with a Bay Area panelist who said she earned $45 a month with "bonuses, like $100 twice a year." We got none of that big money and my l'il partner dropped Arbitron a gentle (that's the kind of person she is) note inquiring, but they never answered. 

For me, watching what media I was exposed to throughout the week through the ens of a PPM- wearing panelist was fascinating. No matter whether it was teevee sports in a Vietnamese restaurant; or KWRM at my haircutters'.

As criticism against President Obama got nastier on the right: gotta say it, I listened less to talk radio. It was an organic, rather than an intentionally political choice. It sounded ugly and for the first time in years, I turned it off. I wasn't the only one in the Seattle market.

We helped in the destruction of KVI, KTTH and the old KIRO order. We turned to public radio - the news hours on KUOW; and more music: KBCS, and KPLU. There was TSL the radio was on in our office - both meters were listening to hours of NPR each day.

I'll write more about this experience: did I meet cool chicks wearing meters on the streets and clubs of Seattle? Did I ever wear the meter into the KIRO Eastlake studios? Did I ever get someone else ... or an animal to wear my PPM™?

Next: Can you game the ppms? hell yes, and here's how...

 

 

Comments

[Old man in young man's body]

It's not a fair characterization to say that PPM killed KVI. Fisher killed KVI over time, and that is a big distinction that should be made.

[Radio Queen]

A pretty cavalier attitude from Michael--and quite disturbing when you think that many people live or die (professionally) by these ratings. I thank the media gods that you were finally "rotated" out. Hopefully, a lawsuit for misrepresentation will follow shortly.

[BlackRhino]

Well, I find it ironically delicious. To worry about one person out of 1300 is as ridiculous as 1300 out of 3.5 million. Here’s a question Michael, what is the distribution of these devices?

[joanie]

Well, I wish I had one. I wonder how evenly distributed they are income-wise? I wonder if there is built-in bias to give results that keeps the large corporations using Arbitron.

[BlackRhino]

Joanie: “I wonder if there is built-in bias to give results that keeps the large corporations using Arbitron.”

I think Michael has illustrated an intriguing issue. In the past, Arbitron’s worst criticism was of its fictitious diary scheme. When they switched over to the PPM system we indeed found, the critics of the Diary scheme were correct. Why then should we discount the critics of the new system? In the case of Blatherwatch’s analysis of the polls, Arbitron sent cease and desist letters, with no follow up. Why didn’t they follow up? Now we find they have given one of their PPM’s the Blather monster himself (no offence); without doing a cursory check of his back ground. Looks to me like this Arbitron shit is just that. Why don’t the radio stations acquire more polls? Or ask Arbitron to widen its distribution field?

Or maybe they do…

[Coiler]

They didn't like the results of public radio in seattle ratings?
The PPM's use sub-audible encoding specific to that radio station when it comes through the speakers so theoretically, I can't hold up old recordings of CBS Radio Mystery Theater to fool it

[BlackRhino]

Coiler, win!
Twas funny.
By the way, when PPM first started here I could hear the beep codes.

[Pete]

RQ: Cavalier? Sounds to me like Michael and his partner were far more conscientious about using the devices, and not trying to game their listening habits, than I suspect most of the PPM users are. (One of the biggest problems of the old diaries is that people would just make shit up when they couldn't remember. No reason to think they're any more conscientious now.)

And if radio stations use tenths of a percent variation in listenership among specific demographics from an overall universe of only 1300 people, that means changed listening habits of any single person could make or break jobs and careers. For example, out of 1300 people, let's say 200 are ages 25-34. So if one person gets sick of KIRO and stops listening entirely, that could be up to a .5 share drop in KIRO's audience in that demo. Start adding on gender and income to age in those crosstabs and the numbers become nearly meaningless.

That's not the fault of the listeners; it's the fault of the radio industry for putting such weight on numbers with such a relatively large margin of error.

All that said, it's amazing Arbitron invests two years in each of these folks without even doing so much as a Google search on them.

[Santa Ria]

They're gonna get you this time, Hood.

[BlackRhino]

Santa Ria;
Hell, they had enough chances to get Hood and didn’t. They can’t get Hood now, due to their own stupidity.

I can see it now, ‘Your honor, we suggest we were too stupid to do the due diligence our customers expected and Mr. Hood made us look like fools.’

Yes, that’ll be a winning argument let alone a great publicity coup.

[Dogmandeux]

I can offer only this: omphaloskepsis ain't all it's cracked up to be.

Now that you're finished with this gig maybe Lagunitas will name a beer after you.

[Andrew]

Now we find they have given one of their PPM’s the Blather monster himself (no offence); without doing a cursory check of his back ground

Background checks cost money, which would jack up costs to stations, and even if they were fully aware of who Michael Hood was at the time, there's no reason to favor casual listeners to hardcore listeners. They're as valid a demographic as any other.

The sad thing about the loss of the diary is that it gave power to the people. It let us ask for vegetables even though secretly we were going for the sweets. Now the stations see that the sugar is really what sells, and they're shoveling more of it onto us even though we all realize that sugar is not what we really need. I strongly suspect this is the reason for the good fortunes of Ron and Don. It's a hedonistic race to the bottom.

[Radio Queen]

@Pete: your math skills are much better than BlackRhino's. Yes, that one out of 1300 can make a difference. The whole Arbitron methodology sucks, but some stations have at least challenged them. NY's AG sued Arbitron, who in turn settled and agreed to diversify their sampling.

http://www.diversityinc.com/article/5063/Arbitron-Settles-Suit-Agrees-to-Diversify-Ratings-Samples/

[LucasFoxx]

Back when I was slobbering over a hot mic, I received an invitation from Arbitron. I pussied out and fessed up. I wasn't going to be the cause of my station getting blacklisted.

BTW: PPM encoding on Podcasts are only good for that day, not the whole week.

[Dino]

No Ron and Don bashing on this thread? They are terrible and used recycle material.

[Progressive Blog Junkie]

Speaking of confessions

Confessions of a Progressive Blog Junkie

Chapter 5

HIERACHY

To understand a Progressive Blog one needs to understand the players involved. The following is a list of players that make a Progressive Blog run Smoothly, Effective, and Successful.

"The Big Kahuna"

He/she is the owner. The one who pays the bills to keep the blog on-line. He/she is a wordsmith, or a Smith who knows words. He/she has the ability to make a 3 letter word mean a thousand different words. We love them, praise them, and pray they live another day.

"The Alpha"

He/she is the conspiracy theorist. Believes in Global Warming. That 9/11 was ordered by President Bush. The Iraq War was only to finish what President Bush 41 didnt. They can make the best righty go nuts by taking any debate and directing it 20 different directions only to declare victory by blaming the righty that they came full circle. They can easily add "ler" to any last name and make it stick like glue. They are aLways angry and filled with hate for anything right of center but loves all things left of it and swear they are Independent. The leader of the blog.

"The Sensible"

Funny, smart. and full of Compassion. The moderator. The snitch. He/she is the Grandmother/father of the blog and always has the latest news from the major Progressive and international news websites. You want to know what "Huffpo" or "Kos" says about the hottest topics of the day or maybe what Canada thinks of the U.S. HealthCare. He/she has it at thier fingertips and can post it in a matter of minutes.

"The Enforcer"

What can you say about this person. Loyal. Brave. They are always there to protectthe "Alpha" by deflecting the blunt of a rightwing attack. They step into every debate with un-intelligible and un-verifiable facts to give the "Alpha" the time to craft his/her counter to the righties challenge.

"The George"

This person is the one-liner. Never sticks around for the debate. Justs Pops in, posts, and pops out before a righty can make any sense of it. They take alot of slack from the right, but the praise and LOL's from the "Alpha" make up for all of it.

"The Bait"

This person is the guy next door. He is a leftfielder who plays rightfield. He talks of life experiences, has a wife, 2-5 kids, in which one of which is married to someone of another race than thiers and they love the local professional sports teams. To the average righty, they seem easy prey for the left. But thats what they want. They sacrifice themselves so the "Alpha" and the rest of the above can make a quick rush to an unsuspecting righty who comes to his aid. This person can usually be recongnized by thier moniker, its one that can be easily made fun of like jim, bob, or even jimbob. But the most sure way of spotting them is thier spelling of words the way they are pronounced. If one could listen to thier writing, you would swear they were from the backwood hills of Arkansas.

Of course these are not the only players that make a Progressive Blog successful. The following is a list of those specialist needed when the time comes.

1. The African-American
2. The Muslim
3. The Gay/Lesbian Cross Dresser
4. The Soldier
5. The Airman
6. The Jew
7. The Law Enforcement Officer
8. The Special Forces Specialist
9. The Canadian
10. The Englishman
11. The Illegal
12. The Illegals wife
13. The former CEO
14. The High School Quarterback
15. The Writer
the
list
is
to
long
but
way
at
the
bottom
at
number
200123
is. The BlackRhino.

[joanie]

Uh-oh, Rhino. I guess you hurt some feelings. Oh dear.

And on that pleasant not, good night.

[joanie]

pleasant "note" - darn!

[A fascinated lurker]

"But the most sure way of spotting them is thier spelling of words the way they are pronounced. If one could listen to thier writing, you would swear they were from the backwood hills of Arkansas."

Very astute of you to include yourself.

"Thier" their
"alot" a lot
"HIERACHY" Hierarchy
"Effective" Effectively
"in which one of which" huh?
"recongnized" ok I will give you that one as a typo
"They take alot of slack" I think you meant take a lot of flack, since slack would mean the right would let it go. That never happens.
"to" should be "too" as in also.

A very interesting analysis. Maybe I will do one for the right.

[Progressive Blog Junkie]

What can i say. Its a work in progress. Thank you and i'll make them changes right away. By the way, you would be number 25 on the specialist list. The Grammar Police. Cant have a Progressive Blog without one of them.

[Progressive Blog Junkie]

Oh, and lurker, if you are interested, yes i've played that part. I've played all of them at one time or another.

[Progressive Blog Junkie]

Oh, and i should mention that in a later chapter i explain the usage of misspelled words by the big players. In short, its like a fingerprint. No "Alpha" wants someone to mis-represent thier views by some rightwinger hi-jacking thier indentity.

Sgt. York.

[The Anti-Dori]

A dual identity? Or do you just forget to change your sign on?
I'm guessing the latter. Am I right?

Or is it just cute?

[BlackRhino]

Oh my, someone has laid out a diatribe of fascination dedication to me. Thank you Yorky, you old softy.

[Progressive Blog Junkie]

Anti-Dori, are you right? Sorry to burst your bubble, but NO. I know something or two about blogs and trying to maintain two identities is quite hard. Nearly impossible. Only a few can really pull it off but i am not one of them. A few years ago maybe, today. Not a chance.

No the "Progressive Blog Junkie" moniker was only used to draw attention to that post. Notice the heading in the post. Confessions of a Progressive Blog Junkie. If i would have used Sgt York, it would have just been seen as what Rhino just called it. A diatribe about him. But you and i know that when Rhino read it the first time, those tighty whities of his got wet. Notice how earlier in the day he was calling me "frantic" and "deranged". But now later, he gives me a sarcastic compliment.

Why not the sarcastic compliment yesterday when he first read it. Answer. He wasnt sure who posted it. To him it could have been the "Alpha". And when an "Alpha" puts your name on a list it means you are being recognized for your work. But now that he knows it was not the "Alpha", he tries to save face and be cute with the sarcastic compliment. But at least we know now what role he is trying for. The "George"

Sgt York

[joanie]

Tell me, what makes you so smart? No sarcasm, but curious?

And why would someone with a level of analytical ability want to post in defense of the right? Or get caught up in petty-posts like the overdone Alpha analysis?

I mean, there are better issues to discuss if you can do it without getting petty and mean-spirited. My own mean-spiritedness evolved as a result of never meeting up with an intelligent debater on the right.

So tell us about yourself.

[BlackRhino]

E-gads PB&J,
You, my friend, take yourself wayyy tooo serious.

Just a question; did you ever think, everyone here might see it for what it was? Condescending towards this Progressive Blog and everyone here?

Let me guess, too many late night snacks?
Curse you snacks! Curse yooooooou!

[joanie]

I think York is hesitant to engage you, Rhino. Now that would show his metal. So far, tin foil is all I see and read. I'm waiting for more. We have never had a good converser on this blog on the right I, for one, would love one. It leads me to think there are simply no justifications for the thinking on the right. With them, it is all emotion and how does one reasonably justify emotion in politics?

So, what's left? Sarcasm, mockery, name calling. And we all do that very well: left and right. Although the right tends to be a little sensitive about it all. So have at it. Unless York wants to change the conversation and the climate. My only request (demand) is that the conversation be linear rather than circular if someone on the right is capable of it.

[Progressive Blog Junkie]

Condescending?

How would anyone see it that way when it is true. Tell me how a blog can function without those roles being fulfilled by someone. How could we on the left for the last 6 years or so have had the success in debating the right that we had. Without those roles filled, a blog just becomes another website.

Sgt. York

[joanie]

Sophistry and not even very good. Back to Randi who is doing a great job tonight.

I'll return to view the corpse, Rhino. Leave a little to bury.

[sparky]

"We",,?

[joanie]

Are you listening to Randi, Sparky? According to her, Assange and wikileaks might bring democracy to the Middle East. Don't you love it? She said they are actually arresting fifteen year olds who they think are part of Anonymous, the group shutting down servers but that they can't be sure so they may arresting a lot of innocent people. Kind of like we did at Guantanamo...

This is cyber-protest. It's a new world!

She didn't say that. But wikileaks has opened the eyes of those who live in the oppressed world. I think it is great! It will have an impact on us for sure. I hope a good one. Maybe Americans will learn something form this.

BTW, I must be the Alpha . . . you think? Hahahaha! Shall we correct the Sarge on other incorrect details? Or let him have his fun?

[BlackRhino]

Good grief, is it Peanut butter jelly time already?
Ok, I’ll try to take your account serious, and respond in kind.
Your need to belong reeks of stalker, and you haven’t posted a sentiment concerning a thread yet. Your writing betrays a sentiment of patronizing superiority. Troll anyone?

[joanie]

Every good blog needs several. And we have them.

Exceptin' I'm the one who generally links Huffpo . . . does that mean I have dual roles? Just askin'.

[Progreesive Blog Junkie]

Lets re-cap the last few days since i've appeared on Blatherwatch.

I post a story about Obamas birth certificate and make a comment on Joanie being a Communist. Sparky immediatlely addresses me and gives me the following...

"Dont you think the right needs to tone the rhetoric down a bit"

and

"You shouldnt use ad hominems."

Next is Coilers posting of the following...

"this must be the new Journalism standard the right is using"

Then along comes Jim and the Twins speaking hillbilly complaining about Obama and the way he pronounces Pakistan

"Pocki-stoon"

Then Jim comes screaming for help. Remember this...

"Bueller?...Sarge?...Chucks?"

Coiler then comes back and posts something about...

"Sgt. Similac and Major Ricketts"

Which i dont get. Maybe its a blatherwatch thing. But i dont get it as i never said i was in the military and only used Sgt in my moniker. Similac?

Then Sparky reappears in a reply to Rhino about a story he linked saying...

"I was just about to post that..."

So what do we have here, Three of the 5 i mention after the Big Kahuna. You have the "sensible" the "George" and the "Bait". If you dont believe me, go back and read my descriptions of these players.

Joanie, you are the "Alpha". Your mocking of Jim and the twins gave you away and was re-enforced by your support of Rhino. He must be someone special to you here. Are you grooming him for a new top tier role.

The only one i have not seen is the "enforcer". But then again there hasnt been any attack on Joanie here in the days i have been visiting.

So there you have it.

Joanie is the "Alpha"
Sparky is the "sensible"
Coiler is the "George"
and
Jim and the twins is the "bait"

[Progreesive Blog Junkie]

To Sparky, by "we" is that i was a hard core progressive. I was as far left as you can go without killing a JEW. Thus the name Progressive Blog Junkie. I hated everything conservative. EVERYTHING. If you said it once on here, i said it a thousand times somewhere else.

But that all changed on a cold rainy night last October. That was the day of my Sgt. York awakening. Except it was lightening that caused it or religion that i found. I found "Conservatism". You can even say i saw the "Gipper" himself. It was the day i dropped my ballot in the mailbox with all the "R's" marked instead of "D's". And since then the anger and hatred i had built up in me for all things right of center was gone. And i'll tell you this. It feels wonderful.

[joanie]

Lets re-cap . . .

Oh, let's not.

But to address your little solution, we got it already. Even though the puzzle was off, we got it. Aren't we smart?

What's next? Are you going to stick around and try to fit in or pick up your tent and evangelize on some other poor blog? You're welcome to stay if you can talk about a diversity of issues. But if you're a one-note Sarge which you have been til' now, you might not want to stay. I'm pretty hard on one-note johnies.

[BlackRhino]

Nutjobbbb…
Watch out Joanie, this one is a bit on the loony side.

[joanie]

BTW, Sarge, I noticed you were careful to avoid engaging with me. Were you afraid you might induce something form me that would alter your perfectly-framed and scripted black and white scenario?

[joanie]

Rhino, I'm laughing so hard I'm crying! Thank you!

[BlackRhino]

Who would come to a blog and admit to being the pariah? I tell ya, this is beyond trolling. It’s insane.

[BlackRhino]

Goodnight everyone.

[Tommy008]

what is worse, being a respected earnest liberal senior actor in Hollywood, very politically correct, with A., a son who wasted his life, never achieved anything and lives on skid road, or B, being the selfsame senior actor with a son who has worked his way up to 2 million dollars an episode TV A list actor status, who can't keep a wife or be a decent role model to his five children, and has now devolved into perversion and debauchery, priding himself on coke-filled marathons with porn stars in hotel rooms and his ability to do hours long, very "inside baseball", and knowledgable critiques on porno movies as they are being watched into the pre-dawn by himself and his whores in his swanky, swell residence. (POSSIBLE ENTRY WITH THE GUINNESS PEOPLE FOR WORLD'S LONGEST CONTINUOUS SENTENCE RECORD.)

[BlackRhino]

You know gy gy, I was warned you were a sneaky little basterd. I compared your “juandos” post with the PB&J diatribe. You leave hints. And I have since found you to be more pernicious.

[Progressive Blog Junkie]

What in the last few days was there to "engage" you on Joanie. I called you a Communist yet you failed to respond. Were you scared. And it was clear to me that your bantor with Jim was just a ruse. Rush? My god, the guy has a cyst on his ass. In my new found peace of mind i find that attacking someone with a disability is not cool. Egypt? Lets just hope Obama doesnt get a hard-on and sends troops to a place we are not wanted like Bush Jr. did in Iraq. Is there something i missed?

[joanie]

I called you a Communist

I don't respond to an ad hominem and you call me a hater?

We're done. Have a good life.

[Progressive Blog Junkie]

Rhino, are you doing ok. Because it looks like i am interferring with your sleep by the timing of those last two post of yours. I would bet Joanie gave you the facepalm this morning after reading that. But keep your chin up. She has a special role in mind for ya here on Blatherwatch. And thats good.

[Progressive Blog Junkie]

So you were scared.

[Progressive Blog Junkie]

Thats twice i got your panties in a wad. Buck up "Alpha".