Arbitron's Portable People Meter

Most of the story is about the how the ratings business is changing right now, but the New York Times Magazine had a little something today about how Arbitron, a company which measures radio station ratings, is currently testing the Portable People Meter, a pager-like two-inch by half-inch gadget that is supposed to be able to track all the media you're exposed to throughout the day. Volunteers in Houston who have agreed to test the Portable People Meters are expected to wear them during all waking hours and then pop them into a cradle before they go to bed at night so the PPM can communicate back to Arbitron HQ what radio station you were listening to, what TV shows you were watching, etc.

Assuming that it works—the PPM relies on radio and TV stations participating in the trials to encode special markers into their programming—this system would be more reliable than their current technique, which mainly involves trying to get people to keep track of what they listen to themselves. The scariest/most fascinating part is that if Arbitron could somehow convince record labels, film studios, video game makers, etc to insert these marker codes into the audio tracks for their products, they could conceivably have some crazily accurate figures on how people are actually consuming media (Max Headroom, anyone?). And yes, they're already trying to work GPS in there somehow, as well as figure out if RFID tags in magazines and newspapers could be used to track your exposure to print advertising.

[Aaron Kightlinger @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Sure, this could measure our exposure to various forms of media, but not exactly which exposed media we personally exploit and take advantage of.

This little bugger might be able to pick up that Classical Music radio station I'm "exposed" to, but it isn't going to know that I'm really listening to the Oldies station all day instead.

If they really want accurate and beneficial results, they need to figure out which media you're actually using, and not which media is just in your vicinity.

All in all, an impressive new technology with impressive and promising potential. Thanks for the coverage.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Yes, they can track what you watch, but... you still have to carry the damn thing. So I think we can put the tin foil hats away. This is better then making your TV 'phone home' and report, it's opt-in, and if it gives them better numbers, and I don't HAVE to do it, I don't see any problem.

[Kasamaan Drakon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Kind of sounds like wearing an internet cookie all day, which to me doesn't sound that appealing at all. The only person I could imagine wanting to use this would be those who enjoy recieving junk mail, spam, and unsolicited calls.

[Ian Frick @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Anyone think this is slightly creepy?

[creamofcow @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Wow this is so weird I want to sign up for testing. If anything just to skew the numbers towards people that only listen to NPR and watch the Simpsons and the news. Plug it in every night? I also sleep every other day.

[Bradley Grein @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Tust me, being someone who is directly effected by Arbitron, I work in radio, this is a BIG step in the right direction. The diary system used today is very unreliable.

But this also brings up the question of how stations will take advantage of this system, for instance, getting advertisers suchto play certain stations in offices, stores, and even rental cars.

[Max Irwin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I don't get it.

I have to carry another gadget that is the size of my hand around with me just so you can target me with ads?

And I would be tracked by GPS and RFID and notify some advertizing organization where I've been all day?

And people actually volunteer for this?

What? I thought April fools was 10 days ago.

[Morten Skogly @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Wouldn't it be nice to combine this technology with those lasers I read about over at ABC that can be used to remotely control Fruitflies.

Imagine a future where you could actually FORCE people to change the channel (or not)! The world gets an anal probe.

http://pappmaskin.blogspot.com/2005/04/abc-news-scientists-create-remote.html

[Dan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Well, Max, the ads won't just be targeting you, but anyone like you as you'll be representing a sample. And the device will tell the ratings company what you've been listening too all day and where (if they get that GPS thing working that is). That company will then tell advertisers what people like you (not just you in particular) hear during the day.

And if people volunteer to do Nielsen and Arbitron ratings now, I can't imagine people not volunteering for the same thing minus the diary.

That said, Arbitron has an interesting way of thinking about this. Sure you might catch those extra stations people flip through to find something they like but is it really useful to know what is being piped in through the mall and the subway? Perhaps just knowing that you're in a mall or subway often is useful. I will say that I've often wondered how Nielsen tracked sports broadcasts even though a ton of people might watch sports at a bar. Perhaps this is a solution.

[Will C @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I'm baffled by peoples responses...if anything this is a step in the right direction for media tracking...as long as my personal information isnt sent to the company I dont care...and may once and for all get crap like CSI and Law and Order Clones off the air...the nelsen family concept was flawed to begin with(basically one "family" was in charge of almost a million TV sets?!?) and results in good shows that people watch(for instance Family Guy(which at one point was one of the highest selling TV DVDs)) the sales results helped bring that show back and to think if everyone had these the show would probaly never been canceled in the first place...

another example...in my area WHFS(once a legendary station now a corporate drone run by infinity corp.) was flipped in january all of a sudden to a Spanish station in the middle of the day due to low ratings even though almost everyone I know listened to it daily...well after a bunch of protests and online petitions Infinity brought it back on another frequency this just shows how flawed the ratings process is...