1 of 1- leafs67
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Can Someone Explain This to a Non Radio Guy
"Audiences have not returned to radio in Toronto since the start of the pandemic
Listenership is still down 12% from Fall 2019 and down 20% adults 25-54 (key demo)"
How do ratings actually work?
Is it by hour? by show? by minute?
If I do not like a song, or a commercial, or a talk show topic, how does it know if I change the channel?
Does streaming on Google or Alexa count?
How do they know if I changed the channel?
What if I am listening to SiriusXM?
Thanks!
Last edited by leafs67 (December 8, 2021 4:32 pm)
never worked ever, in radio
- Johnny B
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Re: Can Someone Explain This to a Non Radio Guy
I'm guessing part of this is simply having less vehicles on the road...many listen to terrestrial radio while driving to and from work or around town....I believe at one point during this pandemic traffic was down more than 50% in some places and last I heard we're only roughly back up to just over 70% in the greater Toronto area....that's a lot of cars that aren't tuning into their radio morning show...more people are working from home and have their WiFi to stream or listen to their playlists or podcasts and stations from anywhere online when they want to....songs or topics they like with no commercials on demand...fewer and fewer folks (young or old) listen to the radio at home...and more and cars will have WiFi hotspots so that will hurt regular radio even more....we've heard about the demise of radio for awhile and it hasn't happened as quickly as some thought but I think WiFi in your car will be yet another nail in the coffin...big telecoms have already begun this shift and making plans on how to transition...there are just too many other things going on...
- In Phase
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Re: Can Someone Explain This to a Non Radio Guy
leafs67 wrote:
How do ratings actually work?
Is it by hour? by show? by minute?
If I do not like a song, or a commercial, or a talk show topic, how does it know if I change the channel?
Does streaming on Google or Alexa count?
How do they know if I changed the channel?
What if I am listening to SiriusXM?
The basis of "People Meter" measurement is the insertion of audio tones into the broadcast audio stream. The tones identify the station and the time. The station and program content are reconciled when the panel participant downloads the data at the end of the day. Any Canadian radio or TV station that subscribes to the Numeris service will use this. Numeris provides the insertion equipment. While Numeris states "signals are silent to the human ear” that is not totally correct. The inserted tones are audible and detectable by humans, but the magic is that the tones are inserted during periods where there is other program audio present. This is called masking, where the program content "masks" the Numeris tones. The human brain doesn't recognize it (kind ‘a like my wife talking to me while I am focusing on something else). Further, the Numeris "People Meter" is listening for the specific frequency of tones so it is not distracted by any other room sounds or program audio. Because the tones are inserted on the board output feed, it doesn't matter where you listen (terrestrial radio, internet stream, SiriusXM, recorded playback), the "People Meter" will detect it. Of note, there was a concern that talk radio stations may not "rate" as well as music stations because there is less opportunity for the tones to be inserted.
- RadioActive
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Re: Can Someone Explain This to a Non Radio Guy
Also, I frequently listen using headphones on a small portable Walkman-like Sangean. It can't pick up any tones if I'm doing that. So I would make a lousy candidate for a meter.
- In Phase
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Re: Can Someone Explain This to a Non Radio Guy
Also, I frequently listen using headphones on a small portable Walkman-like Sangean. It can't pick up any tones if I'm doing that. So I would make a lousy candidate for a meter.
good point RA. The People Meter does presume the audio is on a speaker and not a headset
- RadioAaron
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Re: Can Someone Explain This to a Non Radio Guy
Also, I frequently listen using headphones on a small portable Walkman-like Sangean. It can't pick up any tones if I'm doing that. So I would make a lousy candidate for a meter.
Theoretically, it can, with the meter having the appropriate jacks and cables to sit in between your radio and your headphones. In practice, I'd bet that almost never happens, especially with the proliferation of bluetooth headphones.
- paterson1
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Re: Can Someone Explain This to a Non Radio Guy
Here are Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary in ratings order with formats in chart form. Courtesy of our friends at RadioWest.
- paterson1
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Re: Can Someone Explain This to a Non Radio Guy
I really like these charts since they are easy to read and it helps to have the format for the different stations, especially when you are not familiar with the market. One thing though, shouldn't the PPM All Persons be 12+ and not 2+?
- Bristol
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Re: Can Someone Explain This to a Non Radio Guy
PPM measure 2+ as the total audience
- paterson1
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Re: Can Someone Explain This to a Non Radio Guy
Ok, but I thought 2+ was television. And on the Numeris site the PPM numbers and share from yesterday say Demographic 12+.