Monday, October 17, 2011

Come Monday...Arbitron


“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about,  websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time.  Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.”  This is subject to change, however.  In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while.  For rants promote change, and change can be good—right?  Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told).


Around a month ago, I received an invitation to participate in a [Arbitron] survey.  If you are not familiar with the service, Arbitron is to radio what the [Nielsen Ratings] are to television.

Be assured that I felt honored to be asked, and I eagerly agreed to participate in the survey that was set to begin on October 6 and end on October 12.  However, I don’t think I will be so enthusiastic if there is to be a next time.

No, it has nothing to do with the survey itself.  For their survey booklets were even easier to fill-out than those employed by Nielsen.

What it does have to do with is all of the “support” provided.  For if I remember right, we received four different mailings and at least five phone calls for the purpose of making sure that we were filling out the survey before it was all over with.  I wonder if they have had some trouble with that lately?

Alas, if they had asked back while I was still trucking, I would have had a lot more data to contribute.  For the AM/FM radio in my truck was almost always on something while I was driving, and I was an avid listener to all sorts of talk-radio programs, with a heavy dash of classic rock mixed-in, of course.

As for now, the only radio I hear comes from either my wife’s or my mother-in-law’s radios, and they listen to country music while respectively working and puttering around the house.  So, [KTTS] and [KOMG] got listed while [KWTO] and [KXUS] did not.

Getting back to how insistent the Arbitron people were with their “support,” I find it odd that they did not call to make sure that the survey booklets were mailed back to them on-time.  They were, but all of the assurances that they were previously given about fully understanding what needed to be done didn’t seem to matter.  So, when it comes time to get back the booklets that they need so that they can get paid is the time to back-off?  Strange.  Very strange.

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4 comments:

  1. I haven't listened to the radio in years - decades maybe...

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  2. Well that would have certainly been enough to keep me from every doing another one of those things.

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  3. Thanks for stopping by again, my dear Grace!!! The only time I really enjoy listening to the radio is when I am doing something that require my full attention, such as driving (much to the dismay of all the knee-jerking highway safety nuts out there). Therefore, since I don't get out much anymore, I don't listen to much radio.

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  4. Thanks for stopping by again, my dear Ann!!! Well, if any of the Arbitron executives read this, I don't think we will be getting anymore invitations, but you might not mind it as much as I did.

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