For 25 years, Arbitron assumed if one person in a household where the company places a radio diary is black or Hispanic, the whole household is. That practice will end this fall when the audience research firm begins to use language weighting of diaries in 21 markets. Now, when a diary is placed, all members of the household will answer the race and ethnicity question.
Starting with the Winter ’06 diaries, Hispanic samples will be weighted by Spanish or English language dominance. Arbitron hopes the change will lead to greater stability with larger sample sizes, Ed Cohen, vice president of Domestic Radio Research, told program consultants at Arbitron’s annual Fly-In. “Some people who were black or Hispanic under the old Arbitron rules now go to the ‘other’ category,” he said. He told programmers to expect a shift in listening and groups, with more numbers going to Spanish-dominant Hispanic listeners.
Race, Ethnicity Arbitron Weighting Starts in Winter ’06 Diaries
Race, Ethnicity Arbitron Weighting Starts in Winter ’06 Diaries