[English Bob]

Question for anyone who has any knowledge of broadcasting! How exactly do they calculate the listening figures? I think I remember them saying something about a survey or a census?

I only ask because Moyles always seems to throw his '8 million listeners' phrase around....yet when he does a text punt....he usually gets a couple of thousand texts. Now obviously the figures don't mean 8 million people are all listening at the same time, I was just curious

How do they calculate them?

[foot-loose]

I'm not allowed to talk about listening figures.

I get shouted at.

[S4B]

Listening diaries are handed out to random people around the country where they record what they listen to each day. Those figures are then collated and multiplied up, then they take away the number they first thought of, divide them by the population and multiply them by Pi.

[Andy B]

*sigh* The Radio Authority Joint Audience Research company (RAJAR) does indeed hand out diaries to registered people. They then write down what they have listened to that day. Listened to means the radio is on and within earshot for at least fifteen minutes. It lasts for about a week and once the figures are collected they average them out by age/gender/location etc.

By 8 million it means 8 million people over 16 listen for at least 15 minutes per day during the week of collating figures.

I think that's an accurate description if not an accurate method. Aled knows all. Ask him.

[S4B]

Isn't that what I said Andy?

[DannyBoy]

If you want to compare and contrast for different stations you can have a look at the RAJAR ratings here http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarte ... tening.php the interface is a bit weird but you can trawl back through the years.

[in4308]

and........ for every 1 person that fills in a listening diary, they add 1000 people to the listening figures. (e.g 6 people = 6000 listeners)

They also calculate the current figures (RAJAR) by using the last 3 sets.....so even if the information they get from listeners goes up, the figures could go down because of the way its calculated. It may then take 9 months for the figures to go back up......

[thenamesarnold]

You would think in this day and age that there would be an more accurate way of doing it but hey
if thats the only way ...

[Console]

The only 'more accurate' way would be to ask more people, which costs more money and takes more time, and won't necessarily give wildly different results.

[neilt0]

That's not the only way. In the U.S they used to use diaries and are switching to PPMs (Portable People Meters) in some markets.

http://www.arbitron.com/portable_people_meters/home.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_People_Meter

People don't fill in the diaries accurately, so when they introduced PPMs, some of the top radio stations went to the bottom and vice versa.

http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/2007 ... s-nyc.html

[Andy B]

I was just about to post this. RAJAR are considering introducing a thing that you wear on your wrist that looks a bit like a watch (or an ASBO tag for Cat) that automatically picks up what frequency you are listening to. Got told about this last night.

[catherine]

Tags usually go on your ankle, my ex used to have one (that is actually true even though I will get laughed at.)

[foot-loose]

Hahahahahahahahaha.

Asbogirl strikes again.

[in4308]

Until somebody comes up with a better idea RAJAR has stations over a barrel....

Most commerical stations only do RAJAR because it helps them sell advertising. Theres no real reason (that i know of) why the BBC do it......

[dimtimjim]

Sounds like a daft way to work it out, if you ask me....

Just like when coke stopped selling 'vanilla coke'.... Not because sales were bad (sales were great, apparently) but because a survey they conducted of 300 people came back as 'unpopular'. Odd.

Surely these things should be based a little more on fact?!

[Boboff]

Until somebody comes up with a better idea RAJAR has stations over a barrel....

Most commerical stations only do RAJAR because it helps them sell advertising. Theres no real reason (that i know of) why the BBC do it......

They have to protect the license payers interest's. If they had all our dosh and were shite i.e. did not have many listeners, then they could not justify the fee. That is why my dear, like any business they need to analyze the competition, do SWOT analysis, look for new growth areas, technological advantages, and new trends in order to maintain and grow the "value" of the service they provide. As this can not be done with "profit" they need to show performance through other key performance indicators, and I am sure that listener figures, together with targets for maximum growth in overhead cost, and innovation, and local broadcasting and minority interest broadcasting, and education all play a huge role in the governors of the BBC setting targets, reviewing performance and assessing best value broadcasting within the license fee paying market.

Do that seem reason enough?

[in4308]

Indeed.....I know lots of about the commercial sector (because i work in it) but not so much the BBC.

The next set of figures have been released to stations tonight so will be interesting to hear what Moyles and the Team have got this time round.....

[Sunny So Cal]

We just did the Arbitron ones. We had 3 diaries for the house. For mine the people are going to look at the results and go, "Whoa. Nutjob" because every night I wrote "from 10:30 PM to 2:00 AM" I listen on the "Internet" then I wrote to which station ("BBC Radio 1") and even provided them with the web address ("bbc.co.uk/radio1/chrismoyles") and checked the "at home" box. Then, on the weekends when my husband is around with his car (which has Sirius) I wrote "Sirius 11 BBC Radio 1."

It's probably going to seriously screw up their San Diego radio station figures but I was being honest!

[Andy B]

Doubt it. They'll just multiply you with however many people there are like you in San Dago and that'll be the listening figure although as I doubt the BBC pay for international sweeps it would probably just get put down as other.

That said I have no idea what Arbiter is other than a thingy from Halo 2 so I could be wrong.

[Sunny So Cal]

Well it's not that I don't also listen to our radio here. It's just that I tend to only listen if I've left my iPod in the house. So on those dates, I did write down proper stations.

Arbiter? San Dago? You make me laugh.

[Andy B]

I have that effect on women. I just wish they wouldn't do it when I drop my trousers.

[Sunny So Cal]

Well maybe if you didn't stand on your head and do your Gonzo impression they wouldn't?

[Andy B]

I'm out of blue paint at the moment anyway.

[Boboff]

Use string, tight enough it will go blue eventually, careful though can cause it to drop off.

[Andy B]

I use an elastic band when I'm on stage. Just enough to restrict the blood flow mind.