Arbitron wants to know about all of it. The diary starts on a Thursday and ends on a Wednesday, which explains why radio stations often hold their giveaways on Thursday mornings. After a week, participants send the surveys back to Arbitron. And their work is done. Within a few weeks, Arbitron tabulates the results and announces the results.
Radio stations learn how popular they are and what kinds of people tune in.
It sounds fairly simple. But it's not. Arbitron actually has plenty of challenges that affect the results and make them less than completely reliable. Arbitron has done several things to make sure minorities and young men take part. Arbitron has even made its surveys look flashier so they'll grab the attention of young people.