UNIT 14 RADIO PROGRAMME RATINGS

Structure
Introduction
Objectives
Radio Audience Measurements
14.2.1 Reach of Channel
14.2.2 Channel Share
14.2.3 Programme Ratings
Methods of Audience Measurements
14.3.1 Survey Research
14.3.2 Baseline Studies
14.3.3 Day-after Recall
14.3.4 Self-Completion Diaries
14.3.5 Audiometers and People Meters
Measuring Radio Audience
14.4.1 Demographics of the City
14.4.2 Listening to Different Channels
14.4.3 Time Spent on Different Channels
14.4.4 Listening to Specific Programmes
14.4.5 TV Audience Measurement System
Audience Measurements Data
14.5.1 Using Reach Figures
14.5.2 Using Share Figures
14.5.3 Using Ratings
Let Us Sum Up
Glossary
Check Your Progress: Possible Answers

14.0 INTRODUCTION
Broadcasting, either on radio or television is one of the public services available to the
citizens of the country to get information and education and it is also one of the means of
entertainment to a large number of people. In comn~erciallanguage it could be described
as one of the ranges of goods and services marketed to users or consumers. However,
broadcasting has certain unique features. In broadcasting, no visible 'sales' take place.
A seller of soaps, for example, can quantify how much soap s/he has sold in a day or a month.
A public transport company can easily calculate how nlany have traveled for what distances
during any particular period. A film producer, similarly, can find out how many people have
seen the film in the very first week and also subsequently. A newspaper company is als,o
aware of how many copies of the newspaper have been sold though the company may not
be sure of how many more have actually read their newspapers. But broadcasters have no
such immediate data about the users of their services. In other words, if radio programmes
were to be considered as 'products' marketed there is no direct way of ascertaining how many
consumers these products have and which aniong these products are doing well and which
are not. We know that successful marketing of a radio channel is basically convincing the
advertisers that they will get value for their money by advertising on that particular channel.
Advertisers will be convinced when they have concrete evidence to prove that a channel is
being listened to by a significant proportion of their target audience- the persons who are
I
likely to buy their products.

The mechanism to get concrete evidence of the extent of listening to channels or specific
programmes is called Programme Ratings which are being widely used the world over.
To get these ratings, various methods have been evolved. In this unit the different issues
involved in obtaining and interpreting these measures are discussed. We shall also examine
the different measures of radio audience that can be used for marketing radio channels and
programmes.
 Radio Programme
14.1 OBJECTIVES . Ratings

After completing this unit, you should be able to:

discuss the need for audience measurement data both for commercial broadcasting and
public service broadcasting;
define various measurements of radio audience; ,
describe the methods used to obtain these measuremknts; -
outline the various stages of these methods;
explain the importance of each of these measures to different sections of people engaged
in broadcasting; and
analyse the related concepts of audience measurements.

14.2 RADIO AUDIENCE MEASUREMENTS

There is no doubt that there are users or 'consumers' of radio services but it is not possible
to know, immediately and directly, about these consuhers. Special efforts need to be made
to get this sort of informati~l;iildirectly. It has to be pointed out here that even the sellers of
other products can cnly know'how much they have been able to sell in different markets but
they will no? know about who their buyers are. If they want to know such things they have
also to make special efforts.

When broadcasting has to depend on its own earnings, this type of data is very much needed
for marketing radio channels and programmes. Even when broadcasting is funded by public
money there has to be adequate accountability and assessment of the efficaCy of Public
Service Broadcasting, which is needed not only by the funding agencies but the broadcasters
themselves.

There are a number of relevant parameters through which the performance of a radio channel
could be assessed. One is the geographical coverage of the channel- how far the signals reach.
Perhaps it is more important to know how many and what type of people within that range
have facilities to listen to that channel. When there are many channels, another obvious point
of interest is the comparative performance of the channels- which of them is doing well and
which is not and among which section of the population. Another obvious point of interest
will be the relative performance of programmes broadcast on these channels. One would like
to know which of them is popular among the different sections of listeners and which have
limited appeal. One could similarly think of other quantitative and qualitative criteria for
judging radio channels.

The performances of radio channels are assessed around the world through three quantitative
measures. These are, the 'reach' of the channel, the 'share' of the channel and the 'ratings'
of different programmes broadcast on the channel. Each of these measures is distinct and
independent and each deals with a specific aspect of the audience to the channel. However,
quite often all these three measures are clubbed together under the common term 'Radio
Programme Ratings'. Let us try to understand the meaning of these terms.

14.2.1 Reach of Channel

One obvious point of interest in the assessment of any radio channel is its reach or the number
of people who canlor are actually listening to that channel. Here there are two aspects -one
how many it can reach and two, how many it is actually reaching.

How many people a channel can reach depends to an extent on the technical parameters like
the power of the transmitter, the modes of transmission- FM or AM, Analog or Digital and
so on. The signals of any radio transmitter have a specific geographical range and whoever
has a radio set which can receive that channel in that range is a potential listener of the channel.
Technically, two radio channels with the same power and using the same broadcast technology
can be expected to reach the same number of people. That is to say, in a city, two FM chanyels
of the same power will have the same technical reach. The technical reach of a channel is the
percentage of people living in a specific geographical area with the facilities to receive the
programmes of that particular channel to the total population of that area.

Generally, statistics about the population living within a geographical area are available froin
the decennial Census reports. In some cases, statiqtics about the number of households having
Radio Management However, the actual reach of a radio channel will be different from its technical reach.
And Marketing . A channel which has programmes appealing to a larger section of the population is likely
to reach a larger number than a channel with programmes that has appeal to a small section
of the listening public. In the example quoted of a city with two FM channels, if one of these
channels is broadcasting only educational programmes and the other broadcasting general
entertainment programmes the general entertainment channel is likely to have a larger reach
than the educational channel. ,

The actual reach of a channel is the average percentage of people who tune to that channel at
least for some period within a specified period of time. The weekly reach of a channel is the .
average percentage of people who tune to that channel at least for some time during a week
and the average daily reach is the average percentage of people who tune to that channel at
least for some time in a day. Though the reach (technical or actual) is generally expressed as
a percentage to the total population of the area, in some cases, it may be expressed in absolute
numbers - so many millions or so many thousands. Apart from the total reach, that is reach
among the total population, sometimes it could be necessary to determine the reach for
specific demographic groups like youth, women, those in the higher income groups etc.
It is possible that a channel which has a higher reach among the total population could have
a comparatively lower reach among a particular section of the same population.

To illustrate, in a particular city with a populatioii of say 10 lakhs (in rating studies the
population is generally defined as people above a particular age like above 4 years, above
8 years or above 15years etc) if channel A is tuned at least for some time during a particular
week by 2 lakhs and channel B by 1.5 lakhs, then the weekly reach of channel A is 20 percent
and the weekly reach of channel B is 15 percent. If in that city, the youth population is
estimated at 2.5 lakhs and Channel A is listened in a week by 50,000 and Channel B by one
75,000 young people in that area, the weekly reach of channel A among youth is 20 percent
and the reach of channel B among the same youth population is 30 percent.

14.2.2 Channel Share

The second measure of perfoqance of a channel is its share of the audience. The concept
of channel share is similar in nature to the widely used term market share of consumer goods.
Let us take the example of washing machines as a product. normal!^, rr?2ny brands of
washing machines are sold in the market. Let us assume that in a particular market, during a
particular month, a total of 10,000 washing machines are sold of which 5000 are of brand X,
3000 of brand Y and 2000 of other brands. In this case, the market share of Brand X works
out 50 percent, of brand Y 30 percent and all other brands have a total share of 20 percent.
Brand A is considered to be the market leader.

In radio broadcasting also such share figures will often be useful to assess the relative
performance of different channels. Let us assume in a city there are four radio channels and
people of that city in a day, on an average spend 18 minutes with channel- 1, 12 minutes with
channel-2, 15 minutes with channel-3 and 15 minutes with chaniiel-4. The total time spent
on listening to radio in this case, works out to 60 minutes and the share of channel-1 is 18
minutes of these 60 minutes or 30 percent of radio listening in that particular city. The share
of channel can be defined as the percentage of time spent by listeners with a particular
channel to the total time devoted to radio listening among all listeners.

Apart from the share (over a day or a week), many times it may become important to know
the share of the channel at different parts ofthe day like mornings, afternoons, evening prime
time etc. (Such specific timings are called 'day parts'.) Similarly, in some cases, it is important
to know the shares by audience-type, such as women, youth etc. As in the case of reach, a
channel having a higher share among the total population could have a comparatively lower
share among certain sections of the same population.

Collecting information on the exact time spent on listening to different channels is not an
easy task and it may be easier to calculate the shares at specific timings. Let us assume that
in a kity of 10 lakhs, at 9:00 P.M for example, one lakh people are listening to radio and of
them 50,000 are listening to channel A, 20,000 are listening to channel B and the rest to
other channels. The share of channel A at that point is 50 percent; the share of channel B is
20 percent. This is the share at that particular point of time.

sn
 Radio Programme I
The main difference between the share and the reach could be noted here. The base for Ratings i,
calculating the reach is the total population of the area whereas the base for calculating the
share is the number listening to radio and the shares of different channels adds up to one

Activity
List the Radio Channels that are listened to in your area of residence. Try to find out the
possible reach of these channels and their share of listening among the student community.

14.2.3 Programme Ratings

The concepts of reach and share are meant to assess a radio channel as a whole. These
measures help in understanding the perfminance of an individual channel among various
channels available to listeners. On the other hand, programme ratings assess the relative
performance of different programpcs broadcast on the same channel and also across different
channels available for listeners ill a specified area.

The dictionaq zieaning of laring is "a quantity or amount considered in relation to or

measured against arother quantity or amount". The rating of a particular programme is
defined as the percentage of people listening to that programme. The rating is calculated by
dividing the estimated number of people listening to the programme by the total population
and multiplying the figure by one hundred. In general terns, if out of a total number of N, ,
people P number are listening to programme Z, then the rating of that programme is-
P multiplied by 100 divided by N.

Though the rating is the percentage of people listening to a programme, the word 'people'
is defined in different ways in different rating systems. In some systems, it is the total
population (as mentioned earlier in audience measurement studies the population is generally
defined as people above a particular age). In some other systems the base will be taken as
only those who listen to radio. For example, let us assume that radio ratings are calculated for
. a city with an estimated population of 10 lakhs, with 6 lakh people listening to radio. Let us
further assume that the system estimates that 60,000 people are estimated to be listening to
programme P and 30,000 to programme Q. If the base for the ratings is taken as the total
population, the rating of programme P will be 60,000 divided by 10,00,000 and multiplied by
100 that is 6 and in a similar way the rating of programme Q will be 3. However, if the base is
taken as the radio listeners the rating for programme P will be 60,000 divided by 6 lakhs and
-:lultiplied by 100 equal to 10 and the rating of programme Q will be 5. It is to be noted here
that whatever the base may be, the relative position of programmes A and B remain the same,
programme A is twice as popular as programme B.

Though the ratings evaluate individual programmes, the ratings of different programmes
broadcast on a channel contribute to the reach and share of that channel. A channel, which has
a larger number of programmes with higher ratings, will naturally have a greater share of the
audience than a channel with fewer programmes of higher ratings. Similarly, the reach of a
channel with popular progra~nmeswill be higher than another channel, which does not have
many popular programmes.

On radio channels with composite programmes, each individual programme like a news
bulletin, a drama or an interview etc has its own patrons and the rating of each programme
will be required separately. But in thematic and purely entertainment channels (like channels
broadcasting only film songs), one individual programme may not be much different fiom
another. In such cases, the average ratings are calculated by day-parts like mornings,
I afternoons and evenings or for time-chunks like 8:OO-9:00 AM, 600-9:00 PM etc.

As in the case of reach and share, ratings of programmes to the total population is important
but some times the ratings of the programme of a specific audience group like women, youth
etc may be more relevant. Ratings are also calculated for such groups.
Radio Management Check Your Progress: 1
And Marketing

Note: 1) Use the space below for your answers.

2) Compare your answers with those given at the end of this unit.

Define the following terms:

1) Technical teach of a channel.

............................................................................................................
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2) Weekly reach of a channel.
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............................................................................................................
3) Audience Share.
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............................................................................................................
4) Rating of a programme.
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............................................................................................................

14.3 METHODS OF AUDIENCE MEASLTREMENTS

So far we have considered how different radio audience measurements like the reach, the
share and the ratings are defined. Before discussing how they can be used, let us consider
the various methods available to get these measures. We have seen that these measurements
basically tell us how many listen to radio, to the different channels, to different programmes
on these channels and/or and at different times of the day. They also tell us about the age,
sex and social backgrounds etc. of the people who listen to these channels and programmes.

4.3.1 Survey Research

The method generally used in all radio audience measurement studies is collecting
information on radio listening through sample surveys. This method of collecting data is
called Survey Research Method in social sciences. Radio audience measurement is the main
activity of Radio Audience Research. The various methods adopted by Audience Research
have been covered in Unit 17 of this course and as such they will not again bediscussed here
in detail. However, three basic issues related with survey research relevant for audience
measurements are recapitulated very briefly in the following paragraphs. These three issues
are - the selection of the sample, the development of the measurement instruments and
conducting the fieldwork.

Sampling

The bas& principle of sampling is that we can draw reasonably valid conclusions about the
whole (population or universe) by examining only a small part (sample). These principles
have been learnt from everyday life and are universally applied to all fields of knowledge.
For drawing valid conclusions about the population through the study of sample there are two
main requisites. The first is that the sample should be representative. This implies it should
be capable of representing a cross-section of the radio listening public of the place. The
second requisite is that the size of the sample should be adequate- it should not be too small.
All estimates made on the basis of a sample will always have a component of 'error' and this
error is measurable and could be reduced by increasing the size of the sample. However,
increasing the size of the sample beyond a certain number will be counter-productive; it
could bring in different kinds of errors. Another important point is that the sample size need
not be related to the population size, that is, a sample of say 5000 may be adequate for a city
of twenty lakhs or even for a city of fifty lakhs.

52
Questionnaire Radio Programme
Ratings
In survey research, the basic instrument of data collection is the questionnaire and it is very .
i~iiportantthat this question~lairehas been prepared properly. An English maxim says- 'If you
ask a silly question, you get a silly answer' and this word of wisdom is specially addressed
to those developing questiollilaires for surveys. In survey research, there is a need to avoid
ambiguity and the questions to be asked should be worded carefully to help the respondent to
answer them accurately and precisely. The questionnaire should be able to get all information
needed, in this case, all facts required for calculating the different measures of listening. At
the same time, there should not be too many questions as this can create weariness among
the respondents. There has to be proper balance between what is needed and what could be
obtained. In our country people speak many languages, hence proper translation of the
questions is very important. The translator should have a good knowledge of the language
and idioms of the area where the survey is to be conducted. A badly prepared or translated
questionnaire can spoil an otherwise well organised survey.

Field Interviews

The success of survey research mainly depends on how well the fieldwork is conducted. In
audience measurement studies, part-time interviewers generally do the fieldwork. There has
to be a proper selection of such interviewers who should be adequately trained. In addition,
there has to be proper supervision during the fieldwork and certain number of interview
schedules should be rechecked to ensure quality. The success of a field interview depends
largely on the interviewer. The interviewer has to establish proper rapport with the
respondents. Hisher personality, manners, tone and even body language also contribute to
the success of the interview and collection of accurate information.

14.3.2 Baseline Studies

Radio audience measurement studies require different types of information. As we have seen,
for calculating the reach we need to know details about the total population of the area, its
different characteristics and the number among this population listening to radio in general
and to different channels available in the area. For getting the ratings, we have to know the
details about listening at specific timings and to specific programmes. We can thus see that
at least two different sets of information are needed. One set of information has to be
collected from a representative sample of the total population of the area including radio
listeners and non-listeners, whereas the other set has to be collected from a sample of only
those who listen to radio.

In the example cited earlier (in 14.2.3) of a city with an estimated population of 10 lakhs
(persons who are 15 years or more) 6 lakh people are listening to radio and among them
60,000 people are estimated to be listening to programme P. For estimating how many
listen to radio (in this case 6 lakhs), the sample has to be taken from the general population
including radio listeners and non-listeners. Whereas, to estimate the number of people
listening to programme P (in the given example 60,000), the sample could have been taken
only from radio listeners, leaving out the non-listeners.

A survey that is conducted among the total population of an area to get estimates about
how many and what categories of people listen to radio, with what frequency and to which
channels etc is generally called a Baseline Survey. Quite often, such a survey will form a part
of a larger multi-purpose survey for estimating media habits, ownership of consumer durables
etc. Such baseline surveys are conducted taking a representative sample of all households in
the city. In the selected household, one adult member will be contacted and information from
himlher will be collected through a questionnaire. For selecting the household member, there
is a simple procedure to ensure randomness by using what is called Kish Grid. Kish Grid is
a table of numbers used for selecting one member of a household.

The questionnaire in such surveys will be designed to collect two types of information: one
about the household and the other about the individual interviewed. The relevant information
about the household collected in such baseline surveys4willbe the number of family members,
their age, education, the family income, details about the radio sets in the family etc. The
information relevant about the individual relevant to be collected will be hislher radio
listening habits, channels listened, time spent on different channels etc. If the individual
is not listening to radio at all, no further questions will be asked.
Radio Management Activity
And Marketing

A Baseline Survey to measure the r a d i ~audience is to be conducted in your city. Frame

suitable questions to get information on the following aspects:
Listening to radio
Listening to different channels of radio
Time spent on listening to different channels

Estimating Liskning to Specific Programmes

In surveys, to estimate the number of people listening to different channels and programmes
radio listeners in that area will form the universe. Generally, radio broadcasts follow a weekly
schedule and some programmes are broadcast only on specific days, e.g., dramas on Fridays, .
interviews on Mondays etc. If it is necessary to get ratings for all the programmes then a
separate representative sample for each day has to be drawn independently. In some other
cases, it would be sufficient to cover weekdays and weekends separately.

For collecting information about listening on specific days and at specific timings three
methods are available. All three methods employ sample survey techniques, applying the
principle of drawing conclusions about the population through the study of a sample. These
three methods are Day-after recall, Self- completion diaries and Audio meter1Peoples' meter.

14.3.3 Day-after Recall

The most extensively used technique for collecting information on listening to specific
programmes in radio audience measurement studies is descr~bedas 'Day-after Recall'
method. In this method, a representative and adequate number of respondents are drawn
from among radio listeners and are to be interviewed face-to- face by trained interviewers.
The respondents w ~ lbel requested to recall the full details of their radio listening on the
previous day of the interview. If the interview is conducted on a Monday, full details about
listening on Sunday will be collected. Questions on only the previous day's listening are
asked as it is well known that human memory is short and very few would be able to
remember what they listened to three days or a week back. In somc cases, the details of
the programmes broadcast on different channels are either supplied or read out to help the
memory of the respondents.

14.3.4 Self-completion Diaries.

Another commonly used method for collecting information about listening to specific
programmes is by requesting a representative sample of respondents to keep a diary of their
radio listening. For this purpose, respondents are provided with a printed diary listing the
channels and times of day for all the seven days of a week. In such studies, the interviewers
will first contact the selected respondents and give proper instructions about the filling-up the
diaries particularly requesting them to complete the diary each day.

In such studies, generally a panel of listeners representing a cross-section of the listening

public of the area is formed and the panel members will be requested to maintain a radio
listening on a continuous basis, week after week or one week every month. When a panel
member drops out for any reason, another person of the same socio-economic group is
substituted. Such a method will work only if the panel members agree to maintain such
a diary with a certain amount of care. It is to be noted here that Survey research methods
assume that the respondents cooperate and answer the questions posed to them truthhlly.
In the self-completion diary system the level of cooperation required from the respondents
is much higher than in a face-to-face interview.

14.3.5 Audiometers and People Meters

A device called Audiometer (a particular brand name was audiometer) attached to a radio
set can use the electronic technology to record when that radio set was switched on and to
which channel (meter bands) it was tuned. It will also record the shifts in the channels made at
different timings. For example, if a particular radio set was switched on at 8:00 AM to channel
A, and shifted to channel B at 8:30 AM and switched off at 8:50 AM and again switched on
to Channel C from 6:OO-7:00 PM. All these details will be recorded in the audiometer. This
technology can be used and was being used extensively to collect data on radio listening.
 J L I S like
~ a panel of listeners formed to get information in the self-completion diary method, Radio Programme
Ratings
a panel of representative sample radio homes could be formed and information recorded in
the audiometers could be collected and analysed. The earlier versions of audiometers were
recording details about which channel is tuned at what time but in the improved versions
called People Meters it was possible to incorporate which members of that family were
listening to radio at those timings.

Such audiometers or People meters can be attached to radio sets, which are kept at a fixed
place. With the growth of transistors and car radios, such meters have gone out of use from
radio but the same technology is extensively used now in Television Audience Measurements
(TAMS).
b
Check Your Progress: 2

Kote: 1) Use the space below for your answers.

t
2) Compare your answers with those given at the end of this unit.

Mention one merit and one demerit of each of the following methods:

1) Day-After Recall.

Merit ......................................................................................................

Demerit.. ................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
2) Self-completion diary.

Merit. .....................................................................................................

Demerit. .................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
3) Audiometer/People Meter.

Merit ......................................................................................................

Demerit.. ...................I ......................:.....................................................

14.4 MEASURING RADIO AUDIENCE --

t
The different issues involved in calculating radio audience measurements could perhaps be
understood better through a concrete example. In this section, we shall explain the various
stages involved in planning and conducting radio audience measurement surveys for a
fictitious city. The different audience measurements have also been calculated for this city
from imaginary data that could have been collected through such an exercise.

14.4.1 Demographics of the City

Let us assume the radio audience is to be measured for a fictitious city C. In this city, four
radio channels (Ch-1, Ch-2 etc) are operating. Let us assume that those above the age of
15 years only are to be included in the survey. The Population Census of that city was
recently conducted and according to this census, the population of the city is 12.8 lakhs.
(Even if such a census has been conducted some years back the present population can be
estimated by using suitable projection methods). Many demographic features of the city will
be available from the census but let us consider only the information in Table-1A.
Radio Management Table 1: Demographic Details of the City
And Marketing (Number of persons in thousands)

Age Total Men Women

Below 15 years 280 145 135
- 15 years & above 1000 520 480
Total 1280 665 615

In the above table we see the city has a population of 1280 thousand or 12 lakhs 80 thousand
and the number of persons who are 15 years are above is 10 lakhs and of them 5.2 lakh are
men and 4.8 lakh are women. (The figure of 10 lakhs has been taken to make calculations
simple and easy to follow.)

14.4.2 Listening to Different Channels

At the first stage, a baseline survey has to be conducted taking a representative sample
of households in the city. Let us assume that a large sample of 5000 households has been
selected and one person from each sample household has been interviewed. In selecting the
person to be interviewed the prescribed procedure (use of Kish Grid) has been followed.

Now we have information about radio listening habits from a representative random sample
of 5000 persons in the city. After tabulation of the 5000 schedules it is found that 3000 of
the 5000 persons in the sample are listening to radio, at least one day In a week and 2000
are not listening to radio at all. Similarly, 1500 persons are listening to Ch-1, 1200 persons
are listening to Ch-2 etc as shown in the second column of Table-2. The reach of different
channels can be calculated from these figures. The reach of a channel is the percentage of
people listening to that channel and as in this case, 1500 out of 5000 in the sample are
listening to Ch-1 the reach of this channel works out to 30 percent. The city has a population
of 10 lakhs (15 years or above), we can deduce that this channel is reaching 3 lakh or 300
thousand people. In Table 2, similar figures have been worked gut for other channels
operating in the city.

Table 2: Reach of Different Channels

Number Reach (percent to Reach in

Channel listening number in the figures
in the sample sample to total (Number in
of 5000' sample size) thousand)
Radio 3000 60.0 600
Ch-1 1500 30.0 300
Ch-2 1200 24.0 240
Ch-3 2000 40.0 400
Ch-4 800 16.0 160

From the data collected in the survey, the reach of the channels by different variables like sex,
age, education etc. can also be calculated. In Table 3, the reach of these four channels by men
and women are shown as an illustration.

Table 3: Reach of Different Channels among Men and Women

(All figures as percentages)

Channel Total Men Women

Radio 60.0 54.1 65.3
Ch- 1 30.0 28.5 33.0
Ch-2 24.0 10.0 40.0

From the above figures, it could be interpreted that a higher percent of women listen to radio.
Ch-3 has the highest reach of all channels among both men and women. Ch-2 reaches more
women whereas Ch-4 reaches more men.
 Radio Programme
14.4.3 Time Spent on Different Channels Ratings

During the course of the survey, information was collected from the respondents on how
much time they spend listening to the different channels on a normal day. Only those who
listen to radio (in this case 3000 of the 5000 respondents) had provided this information and

I share of Ch-1 is 18 of these 85 minutes or 31.2 percent of total listening. Similar figures have
been calculated for the other channels in Table-4.

c Table 4: Share of Different Channels

Channels Average 'Time Spent on the Channel Share

! Phnnnal in M i n ~ ~ t e c

14.4.4 Listening to Specific Programmes , ,

From the large baseline study, we have estimated the reach and the share of the channels. Let
us assume for estimating the ratings the 'day-after-recall' method was used. For each of the
seven days, independent samples of 300 radio listeners were drawn and the number listening
to each programme was tabulated. It needs to be noted here that only radio listeners (who
form 60 percent of the city) were included in these samples.

After tabulation of the data for all the seven days it was found that the highest number- 90

the city. ~ h e r a t & s of the eight popular programmes have been worked out with both the
bases in Table-5.

Table 5: Ratings of some Pro~ramknes

Programmes Number listening Programme Rating Programme Rating

(Sample size 300) (Base: Radio (Base: Total
Listeners) Population)
P- (Ch-2) 90 30.0 18.0

The ratings could also be calculated by different variables like sex, age, education etc. The
ratings (base: radio listeners) by men and women for the same eight programmes are given in
Tabled.

Table 6: Programme Ratings

(Base: total population of the city)
Radio Management
And Marketing
14.4.5 TV Audience Measurement System

The focus of this unit is Radio Programme Ratings. However, it will be relevant to look at
Television Audience Measurement (TAM) system using People Meters which is operating in
a number of cities in India for nearly a decade. This system collects information from all those
who are 8 years and above in the select sample households and supplies data about TV
audience once a week. As an illustration, some extracts from a weekly report for Delhi about
the reach and share of some select channels and ratings of a few TV programmes telecast
during a specific week in 2002 are reproduced below.

Illustration

Figures from Television Audience Measurement (TAM) System for a particular week for
the city of Delhi
Reach of Select Channels
(Base: Population (8 years and above, 76 lakhs)

Channel All Individuals All Males All Females All Kids All Adults

Aaj Tak 28.9 27.9 30.0 25.8 30.0

Local Cable 42.1 41.1 43.3 38.4 43.5
DD- 1 59.4 61.1 57.5 59.6 59.3
DD-2 71.7 71.0 72.6 75.4 70.3
Star Plus 38.7 37.4 40.2 35.5 40.0
Zee TV 32.4 30.1 35.0 30.4 33.1

Share of Select Channels

Channel All Individuals All Males All Females All Kids All Adults
Aaj Tak 3.1 3.6 2.8 2.3 3.2
I Local Cable 9.8 8.1 12.7 7.8 10.1
DD- 1 8.9 9.4 8.2 10.5 8.6 1
DD-2 22.3 21.0 24.5 22.0 22.8
Star Plus 11.2 9.2 13.1 11 .O 11.3
Zee TV. 3.1 2.1 4.2 2.0 3.4

Rating of Select Programmes

(TV Viewers (8 years and above), 61 l a b s
I - 'I

Programme Channel All SEC-A SEC-B SEC-C SEC-DIE

Individuals
Hindi film DD- 1 9.2 2.5 1.7 17.0 13.7
Kahani Ghar.. Star Plus 8.7 10.6 13.8 5.9 5.5
Ramayan DD-2 8.5 5.8 4.5 12.3 10.6
Kyunki Saas.. Star Plus 8.4 11.5 13.5 5.9 4.3
Kashish DD-2 7.4 4.7 3.5 11.8 9.0
Shaktiman DD- 1 6.7 4.2 3.5 13.5 6.0

14.5 AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT DATA

In the previous sections, we have discussed the definitions of various measurements made
to understand radio audiences. The need for such measurements has already been discussed
and it was stated that such audience measurement data is required both for commercial
broadcasting and public service broadcasting. For a commercial broadcasting channel,
audience measurement data is needed for marketing the channel, particularly to convince
the advertisers that they are getting value for money. When broadcasting is funded by public
money, there has to be some sort of accountability and the efficacy ofbroadcasting can only
be assessed through audience measurement data. Broadcasters themselves need continuous
confirmation that they are working efficiently and addressing the needs of listeners properly.
 Radio Programme
Different sections of people engaged in broadcasting require different kinds of information for Ratings
different purposes. This section deals with how the different audience measures can be used
by people with such varied interests. As we have seen the 'reach' of the channel, the 'share' of
the channel and the 'rating' of a programme are distinct and independent measures- each one
dealing with a specific aspect of the audience. The use of these three measurements needs to
be considered separately.

14.5.1 Using Reach Figures

The reach of a channel, as explained earlier, is the percentage of people who listened to that
channel. The objective of public service broadcasting is to achieve universal reach, that is,
reaching every section of the listening public. For example, the mandate given to Prasar
Bharati is to provide comprehensive broadcat coverage to the people living in any part of the
country - particularly those living in bord;, regions, backward or remote areas. The statistics
about the reach of different All India Radio channels among different sections of the people
will be of great importance to Prasar Bharati in assessing how far this mandate has been
fulfilled. If it is found that a pariicular radio station is not reaching an important section say,
tribal population of tiiar alca, steps could be taken to introduce programmes that could attract
such people.

Even for commercial channels, reach figures will be important in attracting advertisers.
There are some products, which are targeted to the general public and many others, which
are targeted to specific groups, and the advertisers require reach figures to select the right
channel.

14.5.2 Using Share Figures

We have seen that the concept of 'channel share' is similar in nature to the widely used term
'market share' of consumer goods like soaps and refrigerators. In a competitive market, the
objective of the manufacturers/sellers of different products will always be to maxiinise the
sale of their products and outdo their competitors. How far this has been achieved will be
reflected in the market share figures. Similarly, when many radio channels are competing
with each other, one of the main concerns of the Channel Managers will be to improve the
audience share of their channels and share figures.

In commercial broadcasting, the objective to improve the total share of the channel improving
the share during 'peak listening hours' becomes more important. This is because in broadcasting,
the advertising tariffs are different for different day parts and is the highest at the peak listening
hours and the earnings of the channel could be improved if its share in the peak listening hours
increases. The share figures are not that important for public service channels but even such
channels try to ensure a reasonable share of the audience otherwise there is the danger of losing
their relevance among the public.

14.5.3 Using Ratings

We have seen that the rating of any radio programme is the measure of how many people
are listening to that particular programme. The rating is important for everyone involved
in broadcasting- the Producer, the Channel Manager, the Marketing Manager, the buyers of
airtime etc. Every Producer wants that the highest number should listen to hislher programme
and how far this has been achieved could be judged only through the rating of that programme.
More popular programmes on a channel means a better channel share and for this reason
1 the ratings are important to Channel Managers. Also the Channel Managers can judge the
performance of their Producers through the ratings of the programmes they produce. The
ratings are most important to the Marketing Managers and buyers of airtime for obvious
reasons.

The media planners and buyers of airtime want their messages to reach as many as possible
and putting out an advertisement in a programme which has a higher rating will be more
beneficial than broadcasting the same advertisement with a programme having a lower ratlng.
In marketing of airtime, two other terms connected with ratings are widely used. They are
'Cost per Thousand' (CPT) and 'Gross Rating Points' (GRP). Let us try to understand these
terms.

59
Radiio Management Cost Per Thousand
And Marketing
Advertisers use ratings of radio programmes to calculate a value that is called 'costper
thousand'. Cost per Thousand is the unit amount, which the advertiser has to spend to reach
1000 persons among his potential buyers. Let us assume that the rating of radio programme
A is 10 and another programme B is 5 and these ratings are calculated with a base of six
lakh radio listeners. Let as also assume that the cost of putting a 10 second advertisement in
programme A is Rs 300 and an advertisement of the same duration on programme B costs
Rs 200. From these ratings, we can calculate and find that programme A is listened to by
60,000 and programme B by 30,000. The advertiser for putting out the advertisement with
programme A will be spending Rs 300 to reach 60,000 people or slhe will be spending
Rs 5 to reach one thousand people. If s h e puts out the same advertisement with programme
B slhe will be paying Rs 200 to reach 300,000 or spending Rs 6.67 to reach one thousand
people. In other words, the cost per thousand for advertising in programme A is Rs 5 and
the same is Rs 3.33 for programme B.

The calculation of cost per thousand will not only be useful for exploring more efficient
advertising options among different radio channels and individual programmes on these
channels. The same concept is also used in choosing different media like newspapers,
radio and television.

Gross Rating Points

Generally an advertiser (or an advertising agency on hisiher behalf) does not buy a single
advertising spot but many spots at different timings and with different programmes. These
programmes have their own ratings and the sum total of the rating points of all the programmes
in which an a*&ivent appears is called the gross ratingpoint. Such gross rating points
will be useful fbr aaessing the results of the total advertising campaign. When two products
are competing in a market keeping track of the gross rating points of the competitor will be
helpful in planning future campaigns.

Check Your Progress: 3

n
Note: 1) Use the space below for your answers. ,
2) Compare your answers with those given at the end of this un~t.

1) In Table 5 (14.5.4) the ratings of 6 Programmes P to U have been calculated.

Calculate how many people in the city are listening to these programmes
P ......................................................................................................
Q ......................................................................................................
R ......................................................................................................
S ......................................................................................................
T ......................................................................................................
u ......................................................................................................

2) Let us assume that the cost of 10 second advertisement with programmes P and Q will be
Rs 1000 and the same cost with programmes T and U will bc Rs 500. Calculate the cost
per thousand for these four programmes.
P ....................< .................................................................................
Q ......................................................................................................
T ......................................................................................................
u ......................................................................................................
14.6 LET US SUM UP
Broadcasters do not have immediate data about the users of their services and special efforts
have to be made to get this sort of information indirectly. Such data is critical for marketing
radio channels and programmes and also for accountability and assessment of the efficacy of
broadcasting, which is needed not only by the funding agencies but the broadcasters as well.

For the assessment of the performance of broadcasting, certain measures which are together
called Programme Ratings have been developed and are being used widely the world over.
To get these ratings, various methods have been evolved. In this unit we have learnt about
the meaning and use of these measures and have understood the various issues involved in
obtaining and interpreting these measures.
\
We have first discussed the definitions of the three quantitative measures the 'reach'of the Radio Programme
Ratings
channel, the 'share' of the channel and the 'ratings'of different programmes broadcast on the
channel. We have also learnt that reach &d share are meant to assess a radio channel as a
whole whereas programme ratings assess the relative performance of different programmes
broadcast on the same and also across different channels.

We have also seen these measurements basically tell us how many listen to radio, to the
different channels, to different programmes on these channels andlor and at different times
of the day. They also tell us the people of what age, which sex and what social backgrounds
etc. listen to these channels and programmes.

We have also learnt in all radio audience measurement studies "Survey research" method
is generally employed. We have recapitulated very briefly three basic issues connected
with survey research relevant for audience measurements - the selection of the sample, the

We have noted that radio audience measurement studies require at least two different sets
of information- one set of information to be collected from a representative sample of the
total population of the area including radio listeners and non-listeners and the other set to be
collected from a sample of only those who listen to radio. We have also learnt about base-line
surveys, which are survey conducted among the total population of an area to get estimates
about how many and what categories of people listen to radio, with what frequency and to
which channels etc.

We have also learnt that for collecting information about listening on specific days and at
specific timings three methods are available all employing the sample survey principle of
drawing conclusions about the population through the study of a sample. We have learnt in
detail about these methods Day-after Recall, SeljlCompletion Diaries and use of Audiometers
and People Meters.

We have discussed in a separate section the various stages involved in planning and
conducting radio audience measurement surveys for a fictitious city and we have also are
calculated for this city from imaginary data all the audience measurements like reach etc. In
practice different people engaged in broadcasting require different kinds of information about
the radio audience for different purposes. We have learnt how people in broadcasting use the

14.7 GLOSSARY
The number (of persons, Radio listeners etc) used to
calculate percentages

Baseline studies A large sample survey conducted to get initial information

about media habits, consumption patterns etc.

Collection of information about every unit of a populatio~l

as distinct from only a sample.

The basic variables like sex, age, education etc to classify

The difference between the real value and its estimate

made through a study of a sample.

A table of numbers used for selecting one member of

a household.

Public Service The system of broadcasting where public interest gets

priority over commercial earnings.

Survey Research A method of social research using the principle of

sampling.
61
Radio Management
And Marketlng 14.8 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS: POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Check Your Progress: 1

1) The technical reach of a channel is the percentage of people living in a specific

geographical area and having facilities to receive the programmes of that particular
channel to the total population of that area.

2) The weekly reach of a channel is the average percentage of people who tune to that
channel at least for some time during a week

3) The audience share of channel is the percentage of time spent by listeners with a
particular channel to the total time devoted to radio listening among all listeners.

4) The rating of a radio programme is the percentage of people listening to that programme.

Check Your Progress: 2

1) Day-After-Recall
Merit : Is easy to practice in the field situation- asking questions and getting
answers appear to be simple task.
Demerit : The respondents may not be remembering all the programmes they had
listened on the previous day

2) Self Completion Diary

Merit : The respondents can enter the diaries at their convenience.
Demerit : Many respondents may not enter the details everyday and tlry to make
entries for all the seven days only when the Interviewers come for collecting
the diaries.

3) Audiometer/People Meter
Merit : The electronic device will maintain a very accurate record of listening.
Demerit : Not possible to attach meters to transistor sets and car radios.

Check Your Progress: 3

1) Number Listening

Population of the city (15 years and above): 10 lakhs

Radio Listeners in the city: 6 lakhs
Rating of Programme P (base Radio Listeners) is given as 30.
Number listening to the programme P is 30 percent of 6 lakhs, which will work out
to 1.8 lakhs.
Rating of the same P (base total population) is 18.
Number listening to the programme P: 1.8 lakhs

In a similar way the number listening to other programmes will be:

Programme Q 1 R 1 S I U 1 V
Listeners (Lakhs) 1 1.72 1 1.60 ( 1.44 1 1.32 1 1.30

2) Cost per thousand

Cost of 10 second advertisement with programmes P: Rs 1000 (Given)

Number listening to this programme: 1.80 lakhs or 180 thousands
Cost of reaching 180 thousand: Rs 1000
Cost of reaching one thousand (CPT) will be Rs 5.55

In a similar way CPTs of other programmes will be:

Programme R U V
CPT (Rs) 6.25 3.78 3.85

62
FURTHER READING
All India Radio (2002), Audience Research Unit, Prasar Bharati, Broadcasting Corporation
of India, New Delhi.

Bhatia Brajesh (1988), A Manual on Audience Research and Programme Evaluation.

Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), Kuala Lumpur.

Graham Mytton (1999), Handbook on Radio and Television Audience Research, U N E S C O ,

Paris

Kotler Philip (1999), Marketing Management, Prentice Hall of India Private Limited,
New Delhi.

Manual on Audience Research (1992), Audience Research Unit, A11 India Radio, New Delhi.

Mandel Toby (2000), Public Service Broadcasting: A Comparative Legal Survey, UNESCO
and AIBD, Kuala Lumpur.

Panwar, J.S. (1997), Marketing in the New Era: Combating Competition in a Globalising
Economy, Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.

Sengupta, Subroto (1990), Brand Positioning: Strategiesfor Competitive Advantage,

Tata McGraw, Hill Book Publishing Co. Ltd., New Delhi.

Wirnrner, Roger D., and Dominick, Joseph R. (2000), Mass Media Research:
An Introduction, Wadsworth Publishing, Belmont.
 Malf to:
Programme Coordinator (PGDAPP)
Education, Research & Training Unit
EMPC, IGNOU, Maidan Garhi,
New Delhi-110068, India.