Initial ratings from the second phase of the Portable People Meter U.S. market trial in Philadelphia are on the books. According to Arbitron, compared to existing methods of measuring media audiences, the PPM continues to report higher average quarter-hour audiences on a 24-hour day, total-week basis for the combined electronic media stations and networks that encoded full time.
February 2002 PPM results showed "somewhat higher average quarter-hour audiences for radio." The PPM reported a higher average daily cumulative audience: 84.8% for the PPM vs. 73.7% for the Arbitron radio diary. The PPM also showed less time spent listening for radio: 3 hours and 20 minutes per day for the PPM vs. 3 hours and 35 minutes per day for the dairy.
Findings continue to suggest that the PPM is tracking media exposure that is not included in today's diaries.