We're Number 1!

Next week, the Spring radio ratings are released. In the business I’m in, I’m often asked by clients to plan media schedules, and along with that make recommendations on which media they should buy, influenced in no small part by the results of these ratings surveys.

Planning media buys often means meeting with different media sales people, all of whom are trained at specialized media propaganda training camps in Russia to insist their station/newspaper/etc. is number one. It’s rumoured one radio station sales rep once claimed his station was number two. He was immediately shipped off to a Gulag and never heard from again.

So, how exactly are ratings determined? By sales reps pummelling each other with foam nerf bats, of course. I’m kidding, though there is an argument to be made for adopting this system.

Instead, broadcast media ratings are determined by periodic surveys conducted throughout the year. In radio, BBM, formerly known as The Bureau of Broadcast Measurements, conducts two surveys a year, in the Spring and Fall.

During radio ratings periods (indicated by the sudden onslaught of radio stations giving away cars, trips, small countries, etc.), diaries are distributed randomly throughout various coverage areas. Regular people, like you and I, receive these diaries and are invited to log our radio listening habits during this period. When we’re done, we return the diaries so data can be compiled and published in a ratings ‘book’.

Once published, media sales reps lock themselves away in darkened rooms for days, studying all the various number combinations, in an effort to find the statistics needed to justify emerging days later, claiming to be number one.

So, does this mean there can actually be more than one number one? Odd as it may sound, the answer is yes. Broadcast media ratings are convoluted, complex beasts, measuring every imaginable demographic, day of the week, time of day, etc. These statistics can be interpreted in many, many different ways and inevitably are.

Some calls from media reps following the release of a new ‘book’ go like this:

“Adam, great news, the ratings just came out and we’re number one with women aged 25-54, Monday - Sunday, all day parts!”

Others go like this:

“Adam, great news, the ratings just came out and we’re number one with one-legged, male clowns aged 90-99, between the hours of 3am and 4am on Mondays! Hello? Hellooooo?”

While one station can be number one with males 25 - 44, another station can be number one with males 35-44. While one station can be number one woman 18-24, 18-34 and even 18-44, another station could still take top honours in the 18+ category (meaning everybody over the age of 18).

Comparing apples to apples is always the key to making educated ratings decisions. Make sure whenever you request ratings information from different stations, what you get back is consistent across the board; same demographics, same time periods, and so on.

In the end, of course, if you’re still not satisfied you’re getting the information you need, don’t be afraid to get assertive and be insistent. And when all else fails, a good, firm foam nerf bat always helps.