5/1/08, Eric Sass, MediaDailyNews, “Ad Message: Radio Broadcasters to Post Ratings.”Sass reports on a, “collective decision, revealed by RAB President Jeff Haley in an interview with Radio & Records earlier this week, follows last week’s announcement by CBS Radio that it would begin posting ratings.” The plan was to be formally announced May 11 & voted on May 21. I’ve been sitting on this blurb a couple of weeks. To see if there has been an update, I checked the Press Releases for RAB. Oddly, there is nothing after 4/17/08. I also checked R&R where Sass saw the news — nada. This move, if it manifests, would be to appease advertisers, of course; but researchers would happily benefit.
5/15/08, Joe Mandese, MediaDailyNews, “Nielsen Chief: We Have No Plans to Expand Media Portfolio, May Divest Some.” Mandese refers to Nielsen Business Media as the “earnings laggard” that may potentially be what is spun off. Apparently the NBM’s revenues have fallen. Guess what? If NBM sold media data to the academies at a reasonable rate, they just might increase their revenue. We’ve been knocking on Nielsen’s door for a long while….HINT.
Mandese also mentioned recent mergers between TNS-GFK (almost WPP?) that has been in the news. Like he notes in the headline, Nielsen plans to go on a diet, not gobble.
