Abstract:

This study addresses a wide range of questions about the 'media lifestyle compatibility' of one radio meter - the portable people meter or PPM - for measuring consumers' use of radio throughout the day. Are the people who agree to join a PPM panel representative of the general population in terms of their media lifestyles? Do their daily activities interfere with electronic radio measurement? The study found similar media lifestyle profiles for the PPM panelists in the Philadelphia market trial and the general population. Also, the PPM panelists reported little trouble keeping their meters with them, both overall and during the key morning daypart. When compared to self-reported diary entries, it appears likely that the PPM improves data precision in ways that could explain observed differences between the two methods, especially in the morning daypart. On balance, the authors conclude that electronic measurement of radio using the PPM system does in fact fit today's consumer media lifestyles.