| Date: |
September 9, 2004 |
| Contact: |
Tristram Collins, EVP,
Operations and Finance |
| Phone: |
(609) 924-1515 |
Nassau
Broadcasting Signs On as a Charter Subscriber to New
Arbitron Radio Markets In New England
Princeton -
September 09, 2004 – Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) announced
today that three new radio markets—Concord (Lake Regions),
NH; Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction, NH; and Montpelier-Barre-Waterbury,
VT—have been added to the Fall 2004 Arbitron radio survey
schedule. Nassau Broadcasting Partners, L.P. has signed
on with Arbitron as the Charter Subscriber for these
three new markets.
Market
|
12+
Persons
Population
|
Estimated
Market Rank
|
| Concord ( Lake Regions ), NH |
222,800
|
175
|
| Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction,
NH |
211,400
|
180
|
| Montpelier-Barre-Waterbury , VT |
105,300
|
259
|
"The new Metros will
allow all of our stations to be 'home stations' in Arbitron-rated
markets and provide the platform for Nassau Broadcasting
to continue our trademark of super serving the community
and delivering great local radio," said Lou Mercatanti,
President / CEO, Nassau Broadcasting Partners. " Nassau will
now have the ability to serve listeners and advertisers
seamlessly across Maine , Vermont and New
Hampshire with a total of six
measured markets."
"The radio industry
continues to regard the Arbitron radio ratings service
as an important tool for growing their advertising business," said
Owen Charlebois, President, U.S. Media Services, Arbitron
Inc. "Our customers, large and small, have supported
and profited from a steady increase in the number of
Arbitron-rated markets over the past eight years. In
Spring 1996, Arbitron measured 263 syndicated radio markets.
This fall, we will survey more than 290, a record number
for Arbitron and for the industry we serve."
These three new markets
are scheduled to be measured twice each year: in the
Fall and Spring. They will be part of the local radio
ratings service that is accredited by Media Rating Council
and used by more than 2,500 advertising agencies and
advertisers across the United States .
These three new markets
will be surveyed with the enhanced version of the seven-day
diary that Arbitron currently uses in nearly 170 mid-sized
and small markets. Through this "qualitative diary," Arbitron
compiles its industry-standard radio listening estimates
as well as data on consumer behavior for nearly two dozen
socio-economic, retail and media categories.
"The Qualitative
Diary service is designed to help local radio broadcasters
talk to their home-town advertisers in terms they can
understand," said Mr. Charlebois. "Telling
your advertisers - ‘Here are your customers and here
is how they listen to my station!’ - is a great way to
boost station revenues and write new business."
Subscribers in qualitative
diary markets can use the Arbitron Maximi$er® software
to profile radio station listeners in terms of their
plans to buy automobiles, appliances, electronics, hardware,
home improvement services and furniture. The service
also tracks grocery spending, restaurants visits, department
store and malls shopped at, beer and soft drink consumption
as well as providing top-line estimates of newspaper
readership, broadcast tv news viewing and cable television
viewing by radio station listeners.
Note: Market
Ranks for Fall 2004 will not be finalized until Arbitron
conducts its annual market population updates later this
year.
About Nassau Broadcasting
Nassau Broadcasting Partners, L.P., a privately held
firm, that owns and operates radio stations throughout the
Northeaster United States. Pro Forma for
pending transactions Nassau owns and/or operates 50 radio stations and is the
27th largest broadcaster in terms of revenue and 15th largest
in terms of number of stations in the U.S. The Company’s website is www.nassaubroadcasting.com.
About Arbitron
Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) is an international media and marketing research
firm serving radio broadcasters, cable companies, advertisers, advertising
agencies and outdoor advertising companies in the United States, Mexico
and Europe. Arbitron’s core businesses are measuring network and local
market radio audiences across the United
States ; surveying the retail, media
and product patterns of local market consumers; and providing application
software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information
data. The Company is developing the Portable People Meter, a new technology
for radio, TV and cable ratings.
Arbitron’s marketing and
business units are supported by its research and technology
organization located in Columbia , Maryland . Arbitron has approximately 900
full-time employees; its executive offices are located
in New York City .
Through its Scarborough
Research joint venture with VNU Media Measurement & Information,
Arbitron also provides media and marketing research services
to the broadcast television, magazine, newspaper, outdoor
and online industries.