The Wilmington morning star., 1947-03-02
RADIO TWISTING
PROMOTES WAR
Two Companies Seek Con-
troll OF Rich Audience
Sampling Business
By GEORGE TUCKER

NEW YORK, Mar. /. - up "A
bitter drive for supremacy is be-
ing waged between the country's
two top samplers of radio audience
opinion.
One has installed 1900 miniature
listening posts" in private homes
throughout the country from which
are obtained minute-by-minute re-
ports of how often your radio is
used, how long it remains on, and
what programs are listened to.
The other makes 1880 telephone
calls per given half-hour program
to listeners in 80 key cities where
the four major networks have
equal outlet.
Both market their findings and
conclusion in the form of surveys
designed to picture a program s
popularity and its pulling power
The average citizen may not pay
much attention, but out of this
competition are coming re-
suits that help to determine how
long a program you like or one
you dislike stays on the air.
The man with the miniature
"listening posts" is Arthur c. Neil
sen, president of A. c. Nielsen Co.
A statistics-marketing agency.
He calls his gadget an audi
meter. 1t looks like a cigar box.
In it is a roll Of tape and a time
apparatus which auses the tape
to unwind at uniform speed con-
tlnuously for 81 days.
When an audimeter is installed
inside your radio, it is hitched to
the tuning shaft. Every twist of
the dial is recorded on the tape,
leaving a factual picture of all
stations listened to and for what
length of time.
A comparison Of tapes, Nielsen
claims, gives a clear c~ross-section
OF hstener-interest.
For this service Nielsen's clients
pay assessments ranging from
$4,000 to $50, 900 a year.
The mai who samples the lis
tening audiences pulse by tele-
phone is C. E. Hooper, president
of c. Z. Hooper, Inc.
"Hooperatings," described as an
index to network programs has
been a by-word among radio men
and entertainers for years.
When Hooper conducts a ma
tional survey in the 80 cities the
homes are chosen at random from
telephone directories. Simple ques-
tons are asked, such as ID Were
you listening to the radio just
now?
10 To what program, please?,
60 Over what station?
Supplementary questions follow
(A) what was advertised? CD how
many men, women, and children
were listening? &C. what is the
occupation of the head of the
household?
(This gives not only the listen
ing trend but indicates audience
composition and income-level OF
the families called.
The percentage of homes listen
ing to a particular program stands
as it's rating. Hence a program
with a rating of "17'' means thai
of 100 families called, II were lis
tening to the program in question
The remaining SO are cataloguec
under these classifications IL
those homes which did not answer
CO those answering the phone but
not listening to the radio. 90 those
listening to other programs.
Some 600 manufacturers, univer
sites, colleges, networks, ant
other institutions subscribe to the
Hooper service at assessment o.
$l25 to $1,000 per month.
Most research directors Of man
ufacturers and major networks
feel the combined information O.
both services indicate clearly
what the radio audience is think
ing but that neither service gives
the complete picture.
"For some things Nelson's ser
vice is most valuable, in my O.
pinion," said Col. Hugh M
Beville, research director of NBC
1T gives more detail city by city
minent by minute, than Hooper