Florida AG Files Suit to Block Miami PPM Release

RADIO ONLINE | , , | :am CT

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has filed suit against Arbitron in an effort to block the PPM ratings for Miami that are scheduled for release this week. The suit, filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Tuesday, calls PPM "flawed" and that its radio station ratings "significantly undercount minority listeners." If released, McCollum says, "The flawed ratings would threaten the viability of radio stations in Miami."

The suit contends that when Arbitron releases PPM results for Miami on July 16, it will "systematically undercount African American, Hispanic and other minority listeners" that would "dramatically reduce the ratings of numerous radio stations with large minority audiences."

The suit points to New York as an example of ratings for minority broadcasters which it says has "fallen 40-60% since October, 2008." "Arbitron has produced 'pre-currency' ratings in the Miami area market based on the new methodology that show significant decreases for several minority broadcasters, especially given the fact that certain minority broadcasters are not subscribing to this methodology and are thus excluded from the ratings," the suit said.

"Advertising agencies have already begun contacting numerous minority broadcasters in the Miami market seeking to negotiate a 30-50% discount in their rates," the suit maintains, "in anticipation of the currency ratings under Arbitron's new methodology."

The suit is asking the court to declare that Arbitron's use of its PPM service for currency ratings in any radio market in Florida, without having received MRC accreditation, violates Florida law.