• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, August 16, 2011

Arbitron's efforts to use its Portable People Meters (PPMs) for cross-media measurement may have picked up some steam as it released results from a 2010 test conducted with station owner Entravision in Denver. A principal conclusion: an advertiser using radio and TV together can reach a notable unduplicated audience and has a chance to extend reach.

Somewhat intuitively, the test found radio has heavy usage during the day and TV at night. Over the 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. time frame, radio accounted for between 70% and 80% of the combined radio and TV audience. From 7 p.m. to midnight, TV drew 80%.

Further, Arbitron said results showed radio and TV reach different audience profiles. "Each media type reaches a heavy user that is a distinct consumer segment that the other cannot effectively deliver," the measurement company said.

Arbitron, the dominant source of radio measurement, is seeking to build a business offering single-source, cross-media measurement with its PPMs. Consumers wear the cell-phone-sized devices, which can capture exposure to audio-based advertising on radio and TV as well as online video - both inside and outside the home.

Entravision, a Spanish-language broadcaster that owns two TV stations and three radio outlets in Denver, is eager to sell ad packages that combine the two media, perhaps charging for a single rating or performance metric.

Jeff Liberman, who heads Entravision's radio business, said in a statement that the study results cement what the company has been arguing for some time - that "utilizing both radio and television is an efficient and effective way to increase reach over a radio-only or television-only advertising schedule."

Arbitron, for its part, can now use the case study to pitch a radio-TV service to programmers and advertisers.

The study in the Colorado market used data from 1,274 panelists and was conducted from Aug. 19-Sept. 19 of 2010. Entravision has the Univision and TeleFutura affiliates in the DMA, along with two FM and an AM station.