Radio stations in Baltimore, Jacksonville, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh will be selling against Nielsen Audio PPM numbers that no longer carry the Media Rating Council's seal. The MRC revoked accreditation for the PPM service in those four markets in its quarterly accreditation report, released Friday, Oct. 16.
The same report denied accreditation for Audio PPM in a longer list of markets: Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Hartford, Houston, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Memphis, Nashville, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC and West Palm Beach.
The MRC is an industry body that audits audience measurement services, and accreditation is voluntary. Losing or being denied it does not stop Nielsen from selling the service. The practical effect is that PPM ratings in the affected markets lose their audited designation, which some agencies and advertisers weigh when buying time.
Nielsen said it is working to improve its measurement systems, a response it has given in past cases where accreditation was revoked or denied.
Sales managers in the listed markets may want to check how their buyers and agencies treat non-accredited ratings when planning upcoming buys.