|
Broadcasters, Agencies Sign Long Term Agreements With Arbitron For
Radio Ratings In Guadalajara
Company Provides Syndicated Ratings Service To Second Mexico
Market 07.23.02 (en
Español)
NEW YORK, July 23, 2002 - Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) has signed long-term commitments with Grupo Radio México, Grupo Radio Centro and ACIR to provide Guadalajara radio market ratings. These broadcasters operate six stations in Guadalajara.
In addition, several national advertising agencies and media buying services companies currently participating in Arbitron's Mexico City ratings services - including Control Media, Media Planning and OMD Mexico - have extended their contracts to include the Guadalajara market.
"We are delighted that we are able to expand our services for Mexico broadcasters, agencies and advertisers so soon," said Steve Morris, president and chief executive officer, Arbitron Inc. "The prompt success of our Mexico City endeavor shows that the Arbitron radio ratings service is a valued asset that is enhancing the vitality of the Mexico media marketplace."
Arbitron began conducting syndicated radio audience measurement services in Guadalajara, Mexico for broadcasters, advertisers and agencies on July 1, 2002. Guadalajara is Arbitron's second syndicated radio market in Mexico, joining Mexico City, where the company began measuring in Fall 2001.
"Arbitron opens the radio market of Guadalajara with richer and more reliable information that will benefit the advertising industry," said Julio Gonzalez Munive, president, OMD Mexico. "OMD Mexico is one of the first agencies lending its support to the project."
"We are believers in research, and therefore we support Arbitron in its expansion of the radio ratings service to Guadalajara," said Miguel Angel Ruiz, general director, Control Media.
"We view Mexico as the cornerstone of our Latin American strategy,"
said Clara Carneiro, vice president, Latin American Marketing, Arbitron Inc.
"With our expansion into Guadalajara, we will continue to create a new
radio audience measurement standard for Latin American broadcasters and agencies."
About the Arbitron Guadalajara Radio Ratings Service
Each quarter, beginning in July 2002, Arbitron will use a Spanish-language version of a standard seven-day radio diary to survey the radio listening behavior and key socio-economic characteristics of approximately 2,300 Guadalajara residents, ages 12 and older. In-person interviewers will place the diaries at the households selected to participate in the survey and retrieve the diaries at the end of the survey week. This differs from Arbitron's practice in the United States that employs telephone interviewers to recruit survey participants and the U.S. mail to place and later retrieve diaries for processing.
Collected diaries will be shipped to Arbitron's Columbia Research and Technology Center for processing and tabulation using the company's existing processing infrastructure, which has been adapted to handle the Mexico diaries. The first syndicated report detailing the size and composition of Guadalajara radio listeners will be issued in early November 2002.
Arbitron has been successfully using these specially adapted diary method and
processing procedures since September 2001 in its Mexico City radio survey.
Since February 2002, Arbitron has been delivering monthly reports of the Mexico
City audience based on a rolling average of the three most recent months being
surveyed. All audience information in Mexico is delivered via software applications
only.
About Arbitron
Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) is an international media and marketing research firm serving radio broadcasters, cable companies, advertisers, advertising agencies and outdoor advertising companies in the United States, Mexico and Europe. Arbitron's core businesses are measuring network and local market radio audiences across the United States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of local market consumers; and providing application software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information data. Arbitron Webcast Services measures the audiences of audio and video content on the Internet, commonly known as webcasts. The Company is developing the Portable People Meter, a new technology for radio, TV and cable ratings.
Arbitron's marketing and business units are supported by a world-renowned research and technology organization located in Columbia, Maryland. Arbitron has approximately 800 full-time employees; its executive offices are located in New York City.
Through its Scarborough Research joint venture with VNU Media Measurement &
Information, Arbitron also provides media and marketing research services to
the broadcast television, magazine, newspaper, outdoor and online industries.
###
All product names used are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
owners.
This press release is available on the Arbitron Web site at www.arbitron.com and the KCSA Web site at www.kcsa.com. You may register to receive Arbitron's future press releases or to download a complete Digital Investor Kit™ including press releases, regulatory filings and corporate materials by clicking on the "Digital Investor Kit" icon at www.kcsa.com
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements regarding
Arbitron in this release that are not historical in nature, particularly those
that utilize terminology such as "may," "will," "should,"
"likely," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates,"
"believes" or "plans," or comparable terminology, are forward-looking
statements based on current expectations about future events, which Arbitron
has derived from the information currently available to it. These forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause
our results to be materially different from results implied in such forward-looking
statements. These risks and uncertainties include whether we will be able to:
-realize the benefits we expect to achieve from our spin-off from Ceridian Corporation;
- renew contracts with large customers as they expire;
- successfully execute our business strategies, including timely implementation
of our Portable People Meter and our Webcast Ratings services, as well as expansion
of international operations;
-effectively manage the impact of further consolidation in the radio industry;
and
- keep up with rapidly changing technological needs of our customer base, including
creating new products and services that meet these needs.
Additional important factors known to Arbitron that could cause forward-looking statements to turn out to be incorrect are identified and discussed from time to time in Arbitron's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in particular the risk factors discussed under the caption "ITEM 1. BUSINESS - Business Risks" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which discussion is incorporated herein by reference.
The forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of
the date hereof, and Arbitron undertakes no obligation to correct or update
any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.
