While the PPM detected “small quantities of tuning” to any HD Radio stations — main channel or multicasts — that listening is “not significant” at this moment.
That’s according to Arbitron’s Bill Rose. HD-R stations, just like others, must meet Arbitron’s minimum reporting standard, a .495 Cume Rating, which is one-half of 1 percent of the market population.
Three of the four Internet streams that made their local PPM July books were Internet streams of stations that are broadcasting both analog and HD Radio signals. However HD Radio broadcasts, the main or multicast IBOC channels of stations mentioned in the previous story, did not make the July PPM market reports for their markets.
Program consultants I spoke with just shook their heads “no” at me when I asked if they thought HD Radio stations would have enough listening to make the PPM market reports soon, citing an unevenness across the country in the quality of programming on the multicast channels, thwarting consumer awareness of the HD-R stations, they felt.
Clearly reported digital station listening is included in Persons Using Radio estimates (for a market) for PPM and diary reports.
Of the four stations whose Web streams made the July market report for PPM, three, WBEB in Philly and WLTW and WPLJ in New York, are transmitting both in analog and in HD-R and have at least one multicast channel apiece. The fourth station, L.A.’s KDAY, doesn’t appear to be transmitting in IBOC according to its Web site and is in the midst of an FM tower build.
