Arbitron Outlines Two Key Sample Quality Improvement Initiatives for Diary and PPM Markets

Arbitron Outlines Two Key Sample Quality Improvement Initiatives for Diary and PPM Markets

-- Increasing Diary cell-phone-only household sample target to average of 15 percent; -- Increasing PPM cell-phone-only household sample target to average of 20 percent

COLUMBIA, Md., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) today announced two sample quality improvement initiatives as part of its ongoing continuous improvement program. These initiatives are designed to reinforce customer confidence in the ratings currency produced by the Arbitron Diary and Portable People Meter(TM) (PPM(TM)) services. Arbitron plans to expand further cell-phone-only household sampling in its Diary and PPM ratings services to address that growing demographic.

"Arbitron continues to make advances to further our commitment to continually improve sample quality," said Michael Skarzynski, Chief Executive Officer and President, Arbitron. "We also continue to lay the groundwork to help ensure that the radio industry has the state-of-the-art solutions and services that it will need to compete for the long-term."

Announced following the Summer 2009 meeting of the Arbitron Radio Advisory Council (RAC), these sample quality improvement initiatives include plans to:

-- Increase its sample target for cell-phone-only households in Diary
markets to an average of 15 percent by year-end 2010

-- Increase its sample target for cell-phone-only households in PPM
markets to an average of 20 percent by year-end 2010

Arbitron also announced that it achieved its target of delivering a sample containing at least 10 percent cell-phone-only households across 151 local markets - yielding a 25 percent increase in Designated Delivery Index (DDI) for Persons aged 18-34 - in the Arbitron Spring 2009 Diary survey. Arbitron noted that the Spring 2009 survey also delivered a DDI of 80 or higher among Persons aged 18-54 in 100 percent of 4-book markets with CPO sampling; and in nearly 90 percent of other Diary markets with cell-phone-only sampling. The Company previously announced plans to include cell-phone-only household sampling in all 288 Diary markets in the continental US, Hawaii, and Alaska by the Fall 2009 survey.

Arbitron calculates DDI by dividing the actual sample size for a given demographic group by its target sample size for that demographic group. A DDI of 100 means the actual sample size equals the sample target for a given survey period.

"We are impressed by the gains Arbitron has achieved in its Spring 2009 Diary survey results and believe that these new initiatives can continue to help achieve even more dramatic results for sample quality and enhanced accountability," said Lisa Decker, Radio Advisory Council Chairperson and Senior Vice President and Seattle Market Manager for CBS Radio. "The Radio Advisory Council has participated in a highly productive meeting and is pleased that Arbitron has taken these steps to raise the bar on sample quality and enhance confidence in the currency."

The RAC consists of 24 radio industry leaders who act as the voice of subscribing radio stations, advising Arbitron on issues important to radio and helping improve Arbitron's services and policies. The RAC comprises both elected and appointed positions from various radio format and market size categories from a spectrum of expertise including research and programming. In addition, each of Arbitron's five largest radio station group customers has one appointed seat on the RAC.

The members of the RAC are:

Arbitron Radio Advisory Council
LEADERSHIP

Chairperson
Lisa Decker, Senior Vice President/
Market Manager, Seattle
CBS Radio

RAC Vice Chairman RAC Past Chairman
Doug Abernethy, Vice President & Chuck DuCoty, COO
General Manager NRG Media
KBXX-FM/KMJQ-FM/KROI-FM (Radio One)

2009 Members
Don Benson, President & CEO Lucy Hughes, Senior Vice
Lincoln Financial President, Research
Continuous-Service Markets 1-50 CBS Radio
Top 5 Group-Appointed

Gerry Boehme, Executive Vice Buzz Knight, Vice President,
President, Strategic Planning & IT Programming
Services Greater Media
Katz Media Group Group Programming-Appointed
Researcher-Appointed

Kathleen Bohan, Vice President, Lee Larsen, Senior Vice
Research & Marketing President, Rockies
Univision Radio Clear Channel Radio
Researcher-Appointed Top 5 Group-Appointed

Natalie Conner, VP/Marketing Manager Thomas Mandel , President &
WXTU-FM (Beasley Broadcast Group) General Manager
Youth Format/Top 100 Markets WAKR-AM (Rubber City Radio
Group)
Continuous Markets 51+

Rick Cummings, President, Radio Dale Miller, President
Division WVAQ-FM (West Virginia Radio
Emmis Communications Corporation)
Continuous-Service Markets 1-50 Small Market/Condensed Market

Bruce Demps, Regional Vice President Jay O'Connor, Regional Vice
Radio One President
Black/Urban Format/Top 100 Markets Cox Radio Tampa
Top 5 Group-Appointed

Judy Ellis, COO Michael D. Osterhout, Chief
Citadel Broadcasting Operating Officer
Top 5 Group-Appointed KCLB-FM (MCC Radio LLC)
Any Market/Two-Time Standard
Markets

Roger A. Fessler, General Bill Pasha, Vice President of
Manager/Market Manager Programming
KISV-FM (American General Media) Entercom
Continuous-Service Markets 51-100 Top 5 Group-Appointed

Mike Haile, Vice President & General Tony Perlongo, General Manager
Manager KSOL-FM (Univision)
WDWS-AM, WHMS-FM Hispanic Format/Top 100 Markets
Small Market Condensed

Jeff Haley, President/CEO Tom Skinner , Vice President &
Radio Advertising Bureau General Manager
At Large-Appointed KZST-FM (Redwood Empire
Stereocasters)
Any Market/Two-Time Standard
Markets

Jess Hanson, Senior Vice
President/Research
Clear Channel Radio
Group Research-Appointed

For more information on RAC members, see: http://www.arbitron.com/radio_stations/arac_members.htm

About Arbitron

Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) is a media and marketing research firm serving the media - radio, television, cable, online radio and out-of-home - as well as advertisers and advertising agencies. Arbitron's core businesses are measuring network and local market radio audiences across the United States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of local market consumers; and providing application software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information data. The company has developed the Portable People Meter, a new technology for media and marketing research.

Portable People Meter(TM) and PPM(TM) are marks of Arbitron Inc.

PPM ratings are based on audience estimates and are the opinion of Arbitron and should not be relied on for precise accuracy or precise representativeness of a demographic or radio market.

Arbitron Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this release that are not strictly historical, including the statements regarding expectations for 2009 and any other statements regarding events or developments that we believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future, may be "forward-looking" statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, among other things, the current global economic recession and the upheaval in the credit markets and financial services industry, competition, our ability to develop and successfully market new products and technologies, our ability to successfully commercialize our Portable People Meter(TM) service, the growth rates and cyclicality of markets we serve, our ability to expand our business in new markets, our ability to successfully identify, consummate and integrate appropriate acquisitions, the impact of increased costs of data collection including a trend toward increasing incidence of cell phone-only households, litigation and other contingent liabilities including intellectual property matters, our compliance with applicable laws and regulations and changes in applicable laws and regulations, our ability to achieve projected efficiencies, cost reductions, sales growth and earnings, and international economic, political, legal and business factors. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in our SEC filings, including our 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and the Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

Source: Arbitron Inc.

CONTACT: Jessica Benbow of Arbitron Inc., +1-410-312-8363,
jessica.benbow@arbitron.com

Web Site: http://www.arbitron.com/

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