Arbitron clarifies MRC accreditation status

US-- Arbitron has moved to clarify that the Media Rating Council has not yet renewed accreditation for its diary-based radio ratings, following comments made by CEO Michael Skarzynski earlier this week.

The firm said: “While the diary service is currently accredited by the Media Rating Council, the MRC did not take a vote in its first quarter meeting regarding renewal of accreditation. The MRC has indicated that the latest audit of Arbitron's diary-based services remains in process and a vote on accreditation renewal is expected to occur later this year.”

During a conference call with investors on Tuesday, Skarzynski had said in a prepared statement that the company was “pleased to learn that the Media Ratings Council has renewed accreditation for the radio ratings data produced by our diary service”.

The firm recently brought forward its schedule to introduce cellphone-only sampling in all radio markets – after rival Nielsen announced its entry into radio ratings in the smaller local markets through a contract with Cumulus Media.

Author: Robert Bain