MacKenzie Renews Criticism Of RAJAR’s Diary System

Wireless Group chairman, Kelvin MacKenzie, has renewed his criticism of RAJAR’s diary system of audience measurement, this time over an “unexplained” decline in radio listening in London during the World Cup.

MacKenzie claims that Wireless Group-owned talkSPORT suffered a 37.6% period on period drop in male London listeners during the second quarter of 2002, but says that outside London male listeners for the sports radio station increased.

He claims that the London-based decline is “impossible to believe”, saying: “These figures are totally out of line with the rest of the country. How during the World Cup could talkSPORT have suffered a drop in men quarter on quarter in London only?”

According to MacKenzie, who is an advocate of electronic audience measurement systems, total London listening hours dropped by 10% between April and June this year. MacKenzie is blaming RAJAR for the decline, saying: “The diary system is once again proven to be flawed and is costing companies like mine revenues every time they’re published.”

The Wireless Group is currently testing a new wristwatch audience measurement device which it claims will provide a more accurate picture of exactly what radio stations people listen to (see TWG Tests New Radio Measurement Device). According to MacKenzie, who has been critical of RAJAR in the past (see MacKenzie Attacks Rajar’s ‘Widely Discredited’ Research Methods), the results of the tests will published next month.

RAJAR, which has always defended its diary system, is due to complete trials of the Arbitron pager and Radiocontrol watch measurement systems next year (see

Wireless Group: 020 7959 7800 RAJAR: 020 7903 5350 www.rajar.co.uk

Recent Radio Stories from NewsLine GWR Gets A Management Make-Over Emap’s Kiss To Launch Across GWR Digital Multiplex Jazz FM Agrees To £44.5m Takeover By GMG

Subscribers can access ten years of NewsLine articles by clicking the Search button to the left