Radio listening figure people RAJAR have announced they will undertake a widespread review of their activity following a decision to not proceed with the 'personal meter' method of monitoring radio listening.
As much previously reported, some in the radio industry have expressed concern with the somewhat antiquated way that RAJAR gather their stats - by getting a sample group to track what they listen to in a handwritten diary. This all came to particular attention when Kelvin Mackenzie ran TalkSport, because he reckoned the RAJAR system meant his station's listening figures came out lower than they should, and he made it is mission to force RAJAR to adopt a personal metre system (where your sample group wear a little device that tracks what they are listening to). When RAJAR were slow to adopt that method of measurement he set up his own rival radio ratings survey.
Since Mackenzie left TalkSport media focus on the shortcomings of RAJAR has been less, but the body has still been experimenting with the personal metre option the former TalkSport chief advocated. However, they now say that those experiments have shown that personal metres cause more problems than they solve in monitoring radio listening, and that they want to look into other alternative systems. Hence the review.
The three year review will be led by Morag Blazey, formerly CEO of ad agency PHD Media, and will look at the changing nature of the radio industry (including the growth of online, on demand and podcast services) and at how RAJAR should adapt as a result. There are also plans to put the existing RAJAR diary system online, so that listeners in the research sample group enter their listening records into a website, something which should give radio station's a wider range of stats even if those stats - if you believe the likes of Mackenzie - remain a bit suspect.
Confirming her new role, Blazey told CMU: "The pace of change in the radio market is dizzying, and quite rightly RAJAR feels it is necessary to keep pace in order to serve its users as effectively as possible. The project I have been asked to undertake is really interesting, far reaching and genuinely democratic in its intent. I am really excited to be part of it".