The people who run radio stations, of course. That's the number of locals who took part in the latest survey by Arbitron, the national company that figures out radio ratings. Without ratings, radio stations would have no idea how many people are listening. They wouldn't know which shows are the most popular or how much to charge for commercials. With ratings in hand, stations know a lot more.
Ratings can boost a radio career or kill it.
And it all starts with those very important 3,363 residents, most of whom probably have no idea how much clout they have. All they have in common is that they were chosen at random by Arbitron, the leading radio ratings company. Those who agree to take part get a weeklong diary for each person in their household, said Thomas Mocarsky, a spokesman for Arbitron. It's got one page for every day and questions in the back. All we ask people to do is write down whenever they hear a radio.