Arbitron has inked a contract extension with Infinity Broadcasting Corp. and ABC Radio. The deals will allow the stations access to quarterly radio ratings until the Spring 2003 radio survey.
The
company is developing the Portable People Meter, a new way to track radio, TV and cable ratings. Arbitron said the contract extension would allow the company time to give its customers the information
they need to help renew their ratings contracts.
“How the Portable People Meter will affect the scope of our radio ratings services over the next few years is an important topic of discussion
between Arbitron and our customers,” said Steve Morris, Arbitron Inc. president/CEO in a prepared statement. “As we progress in our market trial of the Portable People Meter and in our joint-venture
discussions with Nielsen Media Research, we will be better able to articulate the value propositions for the new ratings service.”