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Arbitron Launches Radio Audience Measurement Services In Monterrey, Mexico
Company Reaffirms Commitment to Serving Latin American Market.
09.26.02
(en Español)
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 26, 2002 - Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) launched its syndicated radio audience measurement services in Monterrey, the company's third radio market in Mexico. In fall 2001, Arbitron began measuring the Mexico City market, followed by Guadalajara in July 2002.
Arbitron has signed long-term commitments with Grupo Radio México, Grupo Radio Centro and ACIR that include all three markets, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. These broadcasters operate seven stations in Monterrey.
In addition, several national advertising agencies and media buying service companies currently participating in Arbitron's Mexico ratings services—including Control Media, Media Planning, Starcom and OMD Mexico—have extended their contracts to include Monterrey.
"Opening Monterrey, our third market in Mexico, demonstrates our continued commitment to the Mexico media marketplace," said Steve Morris, president and chief executive officer, Arbitron Inc. "Our focus is to provide the tools to help the diverse Latin America media marketplace to prosper and grow."
"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 Monterrey, we will continue to create a new radio audience measurement standard for Latin American broadcasters and agencies."
About the Arbitron Monterrey Radio Ratings Service
Each quarter, beginning in September 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 2,200 Monterrey residents, ages 12 and older.
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 Monterrey radio listeners will be issued in early February 2003.
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.
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All names used are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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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.
