Broadcasting (July - Sep 1950)

RATING BATTLE Nielsen Offers Survey ARTHUR C. NIELSEN, president of A. C. Nielsen Co., has joined the ranks of interested parties in the audience rating battle shaping up on the West Coast [Broadcasting, July 24, 17]. Adding a new note to the fray, Mr. Nielsen offered to submit his rating service of the entire area covered by stations in a particular city for comparison with the Hooper and Pulse surveys. Since his firm does not have an adequate supply of audimeters installed in the San Francisco-Oakland area, Mr. Nielsen suggested a test — made concurrently with surveys by Hooper and Pulse — of the New York or Chicago areas. The head of the Nielsen firm, which issues national radio-TV ratings, wrote Stanley G. Breyer, KJBS San Francisco commercial manager, that both his "interest and my sympathy were aroused by your advertisement in the July 3, 1950 issue of BROADCASTING . . ." Other prominent leaders in the industry reported their reactions to Mr. Breyer whose station has proposed that the audience research firms The Pulse Inc. and C. E. Hooper Inc. submit to a radio audience test in the San FranciscoOakland area. Approach Lauded Maurice B. Mitchell, outgoing director of Broadcast Advertising Bureau, called KJBS' position a "fearless approach to the complex problem of local audience measurement." Expressing agreement with Mr. B r e y e r ' s sentiments, Mr. Mitchell commented: "The fact that two large research services cannot come up with the same listening pattern is a sad commentary on the caliber and quality of radio research. It is going to take a lot of irate spanking, both verbal and economic, from broadcasters like yourself to put things back on a sensible basis." Typical of the remarks received at KJBS was this statement from Bert Ferguson, manager, WDIA Memphis: "May I suggest . . . any other interested survey firms be invited to make their particular type surveys at the same time . . ." From Ronald B. Woodyard, president, WONE and WTWO Dayton, Ohio: "I shall appreciate knowing the result of your challenge to Hooper and Pulse." Cites Dififerences Another broadcaster, George Arnold, general manager, KSMO San Mateo, Calif., in a statement to Broadcasting doubted that the "San Francisco-Oakland Hooper rating" measured approximately the same thing as that of Pulse Inc.'s San Francisco Metropolitan market rating. "In fact the total population of the Metropolitan market is roughly double the city zone of San FranPage 24 • July 31, 1950 cisco-Oakland covered by Mr. Hooper," he said, pointing out the probability of wide divergence in the respective reports. Mr. Arnold said it was his belief that each survey supported the accuracy of its findings within the limits of the area it covered. A Canadian broadcaster, H. F. Chevrier, of Toronto, told Mr. Breyer that "here in Canada we have much the same problems and I feel quite sure that your findings will be very indicative of the Canadian research methods." 'Really Started Something' Frederick Seid, owner of the advertising agency in San Francisco bearing his name, said: "You have really started something . ' . . I think you will get results. Congratulations for doing a courageous and highly constructive job for your industry." A copy of a letter written by J. W. Davis, media director, HonigCooper Co., New York advertising agency, to American Assn. of Advertising Agencies' special committee on radio-TV research services, was sent to KJBS by Mr. Davis along with the comment: "I hope it will be possible to bring order out of the present rating confusion." In his letter to AAAA, Mr. Davis attacked "duplication" in rating services and lack of an "acceptable kind of rating service. As an "answer" to the problem, Mr. Davis said he was sending along a clipping of KJBS' advertisement placed in Broadcasting. He called upon the committee to set up such a study of rating services and supervise the "field work." Mr. Nielsen, outlining in great technical detail the differences between the coincidental and the recall survey methods, commented: "One of the great unsolved mysteries of broadcasting is that the logical attitude you have taken has not been expressed by hundreds of other stations years ago." Generally, Mr. Nielsen said, agreement of Hooper and Pulse figures are unobtainable because: (1) They almost never cover the same weeks and the same days of the week; (2) they seldom cover the identical areas (he agreed with Mr. Arnold that Hooper usually covers the city itself, plus some or all of the suburbs while Pulse may cover the city and several counties nearby); (3) differences exist in "home availability" (percentage responding); (4) Hooper is limited to homes with phones, Pulse covers both; (5) differences in time interval of interviews, program preferences and educational differences of families, etc. CAPT, LATHROP KENI KfAR Owner Killed CAPT. AUSTIN E. LATHROP, 84, president of the Midnight Sun Broadcasting Co., licensee o; KFAR Fairbanks and KENI Anc h 0 r a g e , wa : killed last Wednesday when hf fell off a coal cai and was crushed beneath the wheels. According tc! reports from his Healy River Coal Corp. holdings at Suntana, Capt., Lathrop had been work crew on a bridge when he slipped and fell as he climbed aboard a coal car being switched. Capt. Lathrop was Alaska's leading industrialist and wealthiest man. In addition to KFAR and KENI and his coal holdings, he owned the Fairbanks Newsminer. Capt. Lathrop supervising a Renews 'Lombardo' FIRST NATIONAL STORES (New England supermarkets) renews the Frederic W. Ziv Co.'s sydicated transcribed Guy Lornbardo Show for 52 weeks over New England Regional Network and supplemental stations. Agency is John C. Dowd, Boston. NIELSEN'S BRIEf AROUSED over recent indications that "some broadcasters lack faith in any program rating service," Arthur C. Nielsen, president of A. C. Nielsen Co., last week invited Broadcasting to look over a typical client service presentation of radio-TV program coverage and performance. Insisting that radio-TV program ratings "tell no more of the whole story than a thermometer reading tells the doctor whether a patient is sick or well," Mr. Nielsen stressed the need for more comprehensive audience measurement research "over and above the mere rating of programs within limited areas or in such parts of market areas available through local telephone calls." The audience of any radio station extends far beyond city boundaries, and varies by program appeal, Mr. Nielsen said. He spoke of his plans for unveiling a station coverage data service soon. Believing that independent stations, networks, advertisers, and agencies are best served if they know the broadcasting picture regionally, the Nielsen Co. has divided the U. S. map into five parts — northeast, east central, west central, south, and pacific. The company's research, as of May 1, shows that in the northeast For Radio-TV's Health Mystery Quiz Comedy Popular Drama & Aud. Part. Sports Variety Music ' City Size Metro 11.3 9.2 4.9 12.6 6.9 Medium 11.7 10.6 5.2 13.6 7.6 ' Small Rural 9.3 8.5 3.0 13.8 7.8 . Territories Northeast 10.6 8.4 4.2 11.2 6.2 ' South 8.5 7.4 2.0 10.1 5.6 : East Central 12.4 9.4 4.9 15.0 9.8 ' West Central 13.S 11.5 5.7 14.5 9.6 ' Pacific 8.1 11.0 5.5 17.4 5.6 TV Ownership No 11.8 10.3 4.8 14.5 8.1 ' Yes 2.5 1.4 ^ ^ ^ 1.8 2.1 1.6 ^ territory 26.8% of all homes have television sets, and that 27% of radio homes have TV. In the east central states, 17% of all homes have TV and 21% of radio homes are TV equipped. In the west central area, the respective figures are 6% and 17%; in the south, 4% and 22 % ; in the Pacific area, 12.3% and 13%. Regional studies of five evening radio program types show wide differences in preference. Average audience figures for March 1950 are shown in the above table. A Nielsen report to one client emphasized the importance of four-week coverage in addition to ratings over a shorter period. Due to peculariarities of living habits the four-week measure more accurately represents radio program coverage, Nielsen maintains. As part of its comprehensive client service, the Nielsen company keeps tab on the increasing cost of reaching a home via radio.. For example, in March 1949 the top 10 daytime shows reached 1,033 homes per dollar, as compared with 824 homes in March of this year. In April 1949 the count was 947 homes, and last April, 742' ^ homes per dollar. The company had this to say about radio-television trends in i general: During last April, radio was 10% | below the year-ago level on an overall } basis. Radio's heaviest losses were in the metropolitan cities at nighttime, or about 24% oflF. Radio's losses now are about ll'^r in the late afternoon hours and T,c in the late morning hours. Television, as of June 1, accounted ■ for about 14% of the radio-television national total (all hours). Television's share during the important TV hours stacks up like this — ■ 8% from 2 to 5 p.m.; 18% from 5 to 8 p.m.; 23% from 8 to 11 p.m. BROADCASTING • Telecasting 1