Hispanic advertisers form council to discuss PPM radio ratings

US-- The Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA) has set up an advisory council to look into issues surrounding Arbitron's portable people meter (PPM) radio ratings system.

The move came in response to questions and concerns raised at the AHAA's recent semi-annual conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Isabella Sanchez, managing director of Hispanic media buyer Tapestry, will chair the council, with other members to be announced in the coming weeks. The AHAA said they will represent Spanish-language broadcasters and Hispanic advertising agencies.

Last year, broadcasters targeting ethnic minorities voiced concerns over compliance and sampling problems with the PPM system. Discontent among clients eventually led Arbitron to delay the PPM rollout and take time to address the issues. The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters went as far as requesting a congressional investigation into the PPM methodology in December last year.

Forming the advisory council was the first move made by the AHAA's new chairman, José López-Varela, and a meeting with Arbitron is planned soon. López-Varela said that moving to electronic measurement was “the right thing to do”, but that the association needed to ensure its members opinions were “heard and are united in a way that will ensure effective adoption of this new rating system”.

He added that ratings from Houston and New York City confirmed the “significant importance” of Spanish radio in the media mix.

Author: Robert Bain

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