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WYAY is "all news?"
- Thread starter AMRocks
- Start date
RadioDoogie
Leading Participant
I've noticed in the past that the ratings tend to take awhile to report slight format changes. For example, extreme format changes like Active Rock > CHR Pop on 96.1 was immediate back in 2012. However, when Star 94 segued into Hot AC from CHR back on 2010, it took well over a year for the books to reflect this. Same with 95-5 the Beat when it segued to CHR Rhythmic in 2001. The books showed it as CHR Pop for a couple of years. I've seen this effect in several other markets as well.
secondchoice
Star Participant
When I filled out Arbitron forms with the slogans in the Cincinnati market in the 1990's, the changes showed up next book. Of course that was before PPM.
secondchoice
Star Participant
That should be "the Arbitron station forms" instead of forms. Sorry fingers faster than brain.
RoddyFreeman
Walk of Fame Participant
I think Nielsen Audio uses the format submitted by the station. Maybe 106.7 hasn't updated its information. But David would know for sure.
Nielsen has a list of format descriptors, from which each station selects the best fit for their format. Because there are more format variants than Nielsen descriptors, some will be less than perfectly precise.
If a station picks a descriptor that is inaccurate, Nielsen does not verify unless another subscriber complains. Since the only place this data appears is in certain agency software tables and views, it is hardly vital and not used in any way to process the PPM data. It may, however, be consulted for ascription decisions in diary markets. (Ascription is the process where an entry is not 100% linkable to a particular station, and a decision in made in editing as to who, if anyone, gets credit.)
Apparently the websites that publish ratings data do not get the descriptors, and they attach their own format descriptors. That is why different sites will have different descriptions.
Are you referring to the listings in trade publications? The format names or descriptions there are usually not provided by Nielsen but inserted by the publication listing the ratings.
Nielsen gets format descriptors from stations, but if the station does not update its Station Information Packet (SIP) it will continue to be listed in certain Nielsen reports under the old format. But the data submitted to Nielsen only affects agency and subscriber data coming from Nielsen. It does not affect the formats listed in online 12+ summaries and the like.
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WYAY reports to Nielsen that their format is "all news" and their slogan is "Newsradio 106.7". They (Cumulus) have not updated their Station Information for several quarters, so Nielsen will include the descriptor that was last submitted.
Using AllAccess.com as a reference, they list WYAY as "news" while Nielsen lists them as "All News".
WNNX is registered with Nielsen as "classic rock" but AllAccess has them just as "rock".
WWPW is listed as Top 40/M while Nielsen lists them as "Pop Contemporary Hit Radio".
Sometimes the published data matches the Nielsen format description, often it does not.
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secondchoice
Star Participant
Dave is correct as usual. The PD or OM always did it when I was working. The secretary would give me the envelope and it took all of 15 minutes check and fill out. My guess: one person in accounts payable might be trying to do it for all of the Cumulus stations. If it was affecting sales negatively I am sure the sales manager would get it fixed.
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