All I get is transistor blast
![radio [car] SayHolaToTravis](http://chrismarlowe.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/radio-car-sayholatotravis.jpg?w=150&h=102 "radio [car] SayHolaToTravis")
All sides of the controversy over Arbitron’s Portable People Meter are about to be heard in an official capacity. The deadline for the FCC’s formal Notice of Inquiry is less than two weeks away, followed by the decision whether the PPM system’s numbers are to be trusted.
So the news about noticeable problems with the system in Detroit and other areas is particularly interesting, as are Arbitron’s efforts to make corrections. Hispanic and black audiences are underrepresented, just as critics said they would be.
The PPM system involves inaudible codes embedded in the radio signal which are automatically tracked and reported by rechargeable little gizmos that are worn by representative listeners.
If you really want to read the government-ese, here are links to PDFs of the Notice of Inquiry and statements by Acting Chairman Michael J. Copps, Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein and Commissioner Robert M. McDowell.
(Title lyric from XTC – video intro by Peter Cook! – and Creative Commons photo by SayHolaToTravis/Travis Ekmark.)
