• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, November 14, 2008

Three of the nation's leading radio broadcasters are signing up for Media Monitors' new Audience Reaction research service, which provides strategic insights about programming based on rapid analysis of audience data from various sources.

Citadel, Emmis, and Clear Channel are all expanding their existing relationships with Media Monitors to include the new service. The speed and precision offered by the service has been enabled in part by the rollout of ratings from Arbitron's Portable People Meter, a passive electronic measurement device that is replacing paper diaries in top markets across the country.

The new Audience Reaction service from Media Monitors is a Web-based platform that allows radio programmers to track the audience size and composition via a virtual, visual dashboard on a minute-by-minute basis. For example, a programmer might notice an uptick (or dropoff) when certain styles of music, DJs, talk-show hosts or guests appear in a particular combination. The new measurements allow stations to target audiences with more appealing content mixes.

Citadel plans to use the Media Monitors data to refine its programming strategy at flagship WABC and WPLJ-FM, both in New York, as well as several other big stations around the country, including KABC-AM and KLOS-FM in Los Angeles and WLS-AM and WLS-FM in Chicago.

Emmis plans to use data from Arbitron's Portable People Meter, a passive electronic measurement device, in conjunction with Audience Reaction to gain strategic insights about their programming in the same three cities.

Clear Channel is making the new research service available to the programming directors in big media markets.