From Research Director

The Nielsen rules of the game for meter keepers are straightforward.

To qualify as a daily in-tab meter, an 18+ carrier must have the meter in motion for at least eight hours during the “media day” (4:00 am to 4:00 am the next day). A 6-17 carrier must have the meter in motion for at least five hours during the media day.

To qualify as a weekly in-tab meter, that same carrier must be in minimum motion for six of the seven days of the “media week” (Thursday to Wednesday). A meter keeper who meets the daily standard but not the weekly standard will be included in the AQH (persons, share, and rating), but NOT the weekly cume or AWTE.

It will be interesting to see what has been happening to in-tab levels recently.

So while the weeklies have value, we think there are two more important ways to evaluate the COVID-19 effect on radio listening.

First, PUMM (Persons Using Measured Media). How will it compare to the previous month or 13-book average?

Second, what happened in your format group? If your AQH went up or down, did you gain audience from or lose audience to a direct competitor? Or did listening gravitate to or from a different format?

As an industry, we are all curious to see how the coronavirus pandemic will affect radio listening. Week 3 of the March survey covered 3/12 to 3/18 and will be an early indicator of changes in listener behavior. Nielsen will release the data 4/6, 4/7, 4/8, and 4/13.

We will be watching PUMMs and format groups closely for our clients over the coming months. You should, too. If you’d like help, reach out to us by filling out the form at the website link below and we’ll be in touch.

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