Radio is finally joining television and the Internet in an accurate ratings system, and programmers are responding.
For years, radio was rated by people who kept diaries of what they listened to, an often subjective measure that let fans claimed to listen to their favorite station all day long, with no way to check the truth.
Now, ratings are done by wireless People Meters, which track exactly what is heard and for how long.
The result has been a shift toward male formats, such as hard rock and oldies.
Why? Because women are more likely to fill out diaries. Presumably, if they are working at home, they have more time, and in general, women are raised writing in diaries, while men aren’t.
The New York Times has a good analysis of the latest results of the people monitoring here.
It notes that classical listening is down; smooth jazz, almost extinct and talk radio less popular with men than previously thought. It also claims men listen to more light rock than they claimed, but provides a good answer for some of that: in a car, women often choose the channel.
I’ve always thought it odd that radio has stayed so backwards, taking on people meters years after television did. They are still being argued, largely by minorities who claim that not enough of them are being measured, and that not enough of them want to wear an unfashionable monitor.
When you hear new shows and formats, now you know why. It’s what sells, and programmers know it accurately.
It also points out the need for offbeat, local community service radio. While the big companies seek big ad dollars with mainstream formats, who is left to speak for the little guy?
