• April 5, 2005

TNS Media Intelligence (formerly Competitive Media Reporting) Monday said it would begin tracking ad expenditures on June 1 on local radio stations in 30 top markets via a partnership with Mediaguide. This initiative marks TNS' largest undertaking of local radio advertising monitoring to date in the U.S., with plans for adding more markets throughout the rest of the year. Initially, TNS said it would provide information on 15 stations per market, both AM and FM, with additional stations being added on a regular basis. Tracking of ads will be done 24 hours a day, seven days a week. TNS rival Nielsen Monitor-Plus, a division of Nielsen Media Research, last month announced it is monitoring local radio ad expenditures with brand level detail in the top 26 radio markets. -- J.M.