A "Data Processing" error affects the PPM numbers in Houston for a time when supposedly, some of the data didn’t make it to the right place to be tabulated. This is a very, very, bad sign. Sure, all eyes are on Houston, Philadelphia (and soon New York, Chicago and a market near you) and these things are big news. In typical Arbitron style, they’ve said two things (paraphrasing):

1. We found the data and put it where it belongs.

2. Weighting the data we had means the numbers won’t change from our earlier estimates.

So, Arbitron continues to justify further lowering the sample size and selling radio more and more watered down data. Sample sizes for the PPM surveys are dramatically lower than with the paper diaries, and here, they’re making the case that even samples lower than that are statistically valid.

Radio must not let this company and it’s poor record of service to our industry continue to be the authority in how our listeners are counted. But I feel that’s exactly what will happen, to radio’s detriment and Arbitron’s enrichment.

Very sad.

But it’s nothing new.

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