• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, May 15, 2006

Days after being asked to provide an in-depth market plan for a new radio audience measurement service, Mediamark Research Inc. Friday pulled out of the competition, leaving Arbitron and The Media Audit as the sole contenders in the running for the radio industry's request for proposal for a new, state-of-the-art, electronic audience measurement system.

MRI's withdrawal is the most recent in a series of surprise moves surrounding the RFP, which has been driven by radio broadcasting giant Clear Channel Communications. After months of speculation, the so-called cross industry evaluation team organized by Clear Channel announced it had narrowed its proposals down to Arbitron, MRI and an alliance of The Media Audit and European researcher Ipsos.

The alliance said that following a review of more detail proposals it would ask the contenders to implement a "live test period" in this spring. Arbitron has had several years of market trials supporting the development of its electronic portable people meter system, and recently announced a national rollout plan for a commercial radio ratings service based on the system.

The Media Audit, meanwhile, has organized its own market trial of its so-called "smart phone" metering system in Houston. The Media Audit has not provided details of that market trial, but says most if not all of the radio broadcasters, and some ad agencies in the market are supporting it.

An executive familiar with MRI's move implied that the company, known of its magazine audience measurement, and for plans to expand into a variety of other media, did not want to commit more resources into a market trial unless the radio industry coalition was willing to help fund it.