January 30, 2025
The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the math mavens from XTRENDS – are back with another attempt at making sense out of the ratings. As you are well aware, the HOLIDAY book is sort of the forgotten survey. Any station with a bad book can chalk it up to those dastardly bells and drummers.
This book is notable for a few things. First, it was five weeks long. This allowed NIELSEN to readjust its circadian rhythms. As a result, the CHRISTMAS carnage only affected the first three weeks of the book, which ran from DECEMBER 5TH through JANUARY 8TH.
This is also the book where we bid a fond farewell to the five-minute rule. We wish it well in its future endeavors.
Let’s go inside the numbers…
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January 29, 2025
Welcome back for another exciting round of ‘How the Ratings Turned.’ Once again, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the computational crafters from XTRENDS – are here to see how the holiday hostilities panned out. If our previous edition is any indication, then we are in for another wild sleigh ride.
The HOLIDAY book ran from DECEMBER 5TH through JANUARY 8TH. As a result, 40% of the survey was not tainted by the stench of BURL IVES and his ilk.
One other note – this also marks the end of the era: from now until the end of time, we will no longer have to abide by the five-minute rule. I’m thinking we should put up one of those roadside historical markers to commemorate the event.
Now, on with the countdown…
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January 28, 2025
Welcome to the roundup. In this issue we will see how much carnage Santa wrought on the radio landscape. However, there are three things that are worth noting for this survey.
First, it was five weeks long. This was so Nielsen could realign its metaverse.
Second, of the five weeks surveyed, only three were covered by the holiday music scam.
Third, this is the last time we will be encumbered by the five-minute rule (which is not to be confused with the five-second rule, which is the law of the land).
The HOLIDAY book ran from DECEMBER 5TH through JANUARY 8TH and featured, oddly enough, a few holidays. Imagine that. Here is the reality of the situation:
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January 16, 2025
As the tragic fires in Los Angeles have brought into sharp focus, significant and devastating natural disasters are a way of life in the U.S. And, whether it’s hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, blizzards, or wildfires, radio is ALWAYS there.
Radio – and more importantly radio people – are always at the forefront in providing critical, timely, and, often, life-saving information. Radio is also instrumental in the aftermath of any natural disaster. From clean up to fundraising, the power of radio makes a difference.
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January 9, 2025
Welcome to the first day of the rest of your radio life. As of January 9th everything in the ratings universe for PPM markets has changed – forever.
The new Nielsen three-minute rule is not the ratings law of the land. This grand change opens up a brave new world of possibilities for our industry.
What will it all mean?
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