Chairman Towns Subpoenas Media Ratings Council for Arbitron Documents |
For immediate release: Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Chairman Towns Subpoenas Media Ratings Council for Arbitron Documents
Information reveals persistent underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic audiences
Washington, DC – Chairman Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY) today announced a summary of findings after serving a subpoena to the Media Ratings Council for documents detailing its oversight of Arbitron’s use of the Personal People Meter (PPM). Chairman Towns issued the subpoena recently after Arbitron forbid MRC from releasing documents related to the Committee’s investigation of the PPM. In June 2009, Chairman Towns opened an investigation into Arbitron’s use of the PPM amid allegations that methodological flaws with the device are resulting in the underrepresentation of radio listening preferences of minorities and certain age groups. The PPM is a device developed by Arbitron to measure radio station listenership. Chairman Towns directed Committee investigators to meet with Arbitron’s representatives in early July 2009 after he received many complaints from minority broadcasters about the accuracy PPM data. Although Arbitron promised full cooperation with the investigation, the company immediately prohibited MRC from providing the Committee with any documents related to the PPM. Shortly thereafter, Arbitron provided the Committee with insufficient documents that were either publicly available or biased toward the company. Chairman Towns then chose to issue a subpoena to MRC for the PPM documents. Among the key items uncovered in MRC’s documentation of the PPM:
“Taken separately and together, these and other problems translate into a ratings disaster for minority-targeted radio stations. Until these items are corrected by Arbitron, the problem will only get worse,” said Chairman Towns. ###
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Committee On Oversight and Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives | 2157 Rayburn House Office Building | Washington, D.C. 20515 | (202) 225-5051