(By Steve Allan) OK, it’s high noon and you’re ready to download your data. What should you be looking at and/or tracking? Of course, the first thing you look at your ratings book for is if you were up or down in your key demo and where you rank in the market.
Have any changes you made to the product had an effect – either positively or negatively?
That’s the easy part of the process. What are other markers you should be keeping an eye on? This will require an investment of time.
Listening levels – In PPM markets, that’s Persons Using Measured Media (PUMM). In the diary world, it’s Persons Using Radio (PUR). This AQH number will directly affect your share. For example, your cume and TSL (or AWTE) went up, but your share declined? Why? Because more people were listening in the market. We see the reverse of this all the time, especially during the summer months when listening tends to decline.
Indexing – Our mantra to our clients is that you pay Nielsen for sample, not for ratings. You should be tracking how well the sample is indexing, especially in the demos you are targeting. The same goes for the geography. Are any important counties being under- or over-sampled?
In a perfect world, every demo cell and sampling unit would index at 100. That simply cannot happen. Ideally, the indexes will all fall between 90 and 110. The 80-to-120 range is acceptable. Anything below 80 or above 120 is not optimal.
If a sample is out of balance, we prefer a high index. While those numbers will be weighted down, you have a greater chance of finding your fans.
Recycling – How well are you spinning listeners through dayparts, both vertically and horizontally? How much of your midday audience recycles to afternoons? What percentage of your cume is tuning into each daypart? One occasion can have a huge impact on your share.
Trend everything – Is your August book down? How does it compare to last year? Could it be a seasonal thing? Good radio stations maintain consistent ratings over time. Unless something dramatically changed in the market or on the dial, a bad book may just be a wobble. Don’t panic.
You pay a lot for your Nielsen data. And there is a lot of data to parse every month, quarter, or twice per year. Get to know these numbers. They will help you make better informed decisions.
This essay is part of a series titled “The Power of Radio.” To view past articles, visit The Ratings Experts at Research Director, Inc. online here.
Steve Allan is the Programming Research Consultant at Research Director, Inc. He can be reached at 410-295-6619 x25 or by email. Read Research Director, Inc.’s Radio Ink archives here.
