Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2007 > January > 14 > Entry
1/15: Arbitron adjustments
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Radio stations live and die by the Arbitron ratings, an archaic diary reporting system with reports that come out quarterly. The numbers are often used by advertisers (especially national ones) to decide who to advertise with. This is why we won’t know how the recent changes made by Clear Channel will afffect ratings until the spring at the earliest.
This fall, Atlanta is going to see a major adjustment in its population numbers. They are normally adjusted slightly each year but Fulton County won an appeal related to undercounting its population. Arbitron accepted the changes which increase the African-American sample from 28.2% to 30.2%. So the number of African Americans in metro Atlanta is now estimated 1.24 million, up from 1.09 million. That’s a 14 percent increase. That virtually guarantees when the fall ratings book comes out later this month, stations such as V-103, Praise 97.5, Hot 107.9 and Grown Folks 102.5 which draw African Americnas will benefit while the likes of Star 94, Kicks 101.5 and Dave FM might see dropoffs since the pie is always 100%.
The Hispanic population was readjusted from 323,900 to 359,900, up 11%. So Viva 105.7 will likely go up (though the station has been lagging a bit this year compared to its 2004-05 performances.) That changes the sample from 8.4% to 8.8%.
Overall, the metro Atlanta 12-plus population is now 4,085,000 from 3,860,100. (Arbitron does not measure listeners under the age of 12, which hurts stations like Radio Disney.)
The 20 counties covered are: Barrow Bartow Carroll Cherokee Clayton Cobb Coweta Dekalb Douglas Fayette Forsyth Fulton Gwinnett Henry Newton Paulding Pickens Rockdale Spalding Walton
Comments
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By Brad Speckter
January 15, 2007 8:37 AM | Link to this
It was Nice to see the crowd at the Ga Dome Saturday night 1/13/07 give a warm boo to Clear Channels Project 9.6.1 , thats what they deserve, and most be fitting since Clear Channel is also the parent company of MONSTER JAM, and has the rights to most of the trucks names, well big monoploies are not hard to find these days……
By Bud
January 15, 2007 9:03 AM | Link to this
The arbitron rating system is antiquated, to be sure…but a rating system that was precise and accurate would be the WORST thing the radio industry could face. Picture a totally electronic system attached to a car stereo that recorded what station is listened to each 10th of a second and how many listeners were in the car. Most radio listeners are commuters who are by themselves as they go to or from work. The instant they hear the station ID bumper that plays before a commercial break, they change the station or turn the volume down. Only a tiny percentage of listeners ever hear the ads at all. Of those, only a tinier percentage actually buy the product.
Only the poorly rated stations complain about Arbitron…and they continually try to massage the data to show that they are the top rated station for Males 24-to-37 who make over $XX,XXX per year. This, to obscure the fact that its some lame sports talk channel with a 0.6 Arbitron score.
By spambait2
January 15, 2007 12:33 PM | Link to this
Bud, I’d be very interested in seeing how many listeners switched stations every time one of those god-forsaken overplayed Foo Fighters songs comes on an ‘alternative’ station. I’m so fast I’d break the meter. How about an alternative to them? Please someone kill Dave Grohl so he can’t release any more. Or the people at the stations who apparently are getting paid, blown, or something to keep this up.
By rocker
January 15, 2007 1:33 PM | Link to this
Dang, spambait2 don’t hold back..tell us what you really think of Foo Fighters (must like them about as much as I like hip-hop/rap).
By Bud
January 15, 2007 3:03 PM | Link to this
Spam…yeah, they suck. Grohl hitched his ride to the back of Kurt Kaboom, but his Foo Fighter stuff is forgettable. Project 961 plays 8 or 9 songs that suck, then plays ONE AC/DC or ONE Aerosmith tune, then 8 or 9 more songs that suck, which will inevitably include the band Disturbed’s cover of Phil Collins’ “Land of Confusion”…a song that sucks no matter who covers it. Blech.
By spambait2
January 15, 2007 4:45 PM | Link to this
yeah, Disturbed.. now that’s a band that really rocks. If you’re 12. For the most part I’ve switched to CDs now, or NPR. Otherwise I surf. I don’t get 99x. They need to make up their minds… they decide to go older, go younger — pick one! Here’s a newflash to all you ‘alternative’ station folks: Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco!, Shinedown, Seether, My Chemical Romance, et al. are good bands only if you’re 12 years old. Trust me, you ain’t hanging on to any 30+ people when you start spinning those. Make up your minds and stick to it for more than a month. What makes a station spin something older like the Screaming Trees’ “Nearly Lost You” or James’ “Laid” and then follow with the latest teenybopper tunes? Are you on drugs?
And the Foo Fighters suck no matter what your age. I’ve gone from indifference to gut-wrenching loathing of these guys, primarily because every freaking ‘alternative’ station in the nation wears them out. I have to go to the CDs and NPR to keep myself from stabbing my eardrums out. I’d like to organize a Foo Fighters CD burning party. I just have to convince some Jesus freak in Jesusland (officially “Cobb County”) that “foo fighting” is a deviant act known mostly only in the homosexual underground, and that this band is part of the homosexual agenda to lure wayward and confused youth into the lifestyle. That should do it. I’ll hit the next Roy Moore speaking engagement.
By David
January 15, 2007 5:27 PM | Link to this
Spam so you hate foo fighters because radio stations play them so much? Yeah, that makes sense. I agree with you on all those other emo/screamo bands. They suck hard and wont have staying power. They sell out to 15 yr olds for the money. None of them do it for love of the music. It’s pathetic.
By jungleland
January 16, 2007 9:22 AM | Link to this
Wow, what an off-topic discussion!
the 10 songs that Project plays that i like I already own the CD (AC/DC, Ozzy, Metallica). The rest are the songs I used to change the station for (like Disturbed or 3 Doors Down)So this station is worthless to me.
Foo Fighters, yes they are overplayed, but they are a good band.
Dave still has the largest mix of songs I like, even though I’m not into Dave Matthews or Jack Johnson so much.
If 99x would stick to 80-90’s classic alternative (like thier top 99 list clearly shows the fans want) then they would be back on top soon. Stuff like
Beasties, Beck, Oasis, Green Day, REM, Chilli Peppers, Pixies, Janes, Nirvana…and you can add White Stripes and The Killers for some new stuff.
By xfan
January 17, 2007 2:11 PM | Link to this
Here’s my prediction for the winter book (even though it doesn’t matter as much as fall-spring to advertisers anyway): All 6 Clear Channel stations with a total cume of 2.0 sounds about right. Screw you Queer Channel.