Basic Numbers / Hungary
Michael Hedges October 14, 2005
The fundamental question of trust opened a wide ranging discussion with radio advertising specialists from Eastern Europe in Budapest.
Participants at the egta-organized Radio Budapest Academy came from sales-houses and broadcasting organizations in ten Eastern European countries. Draw a line from Estonia to Macedonia, then Turkey and Russia to grasp the geography. Their curiosity had no bounds and the audience measurement discussion filled Thursday afternoon, stretching late into the evening.
In Western Europe, the science part of audience research is rarely questioned, until recently. Research suppliers take great pains to provide users with details on samples, errors and questionnaires. Media buyers, advertisers and broadcasters demand that very high level of rigor.
Outside of the highly developed Western media markets, the same rigor is unproven. The push to develop Eastern Europe’s media includes the need for audience measurement, the better to build a currency. And with that need, measurement suppliers often come with Western credentials: affiliates of TNS Gallup, GfK, Ipsos. More often media measurement is offered ad hoc by several institutes, allowing no reliable comparisons and providing results with few details of methods and only to paying clients. One participant talked of dealing with four different organizations. Another, from Albania, said there were none. A Russian participant said one reliable media research company stayed only six months.
At the same time, because the dominant media business model is Western, effective exchange – selling – requires effective currency. To create that effective currency both buyers and sellers must agree on common terms. Not just the common terms of method – reach, frequency and share – but the common terms of effectiveness – stability, reliability and face value – must be agreed.
The most effective model providing media research in Western Europe is the joint industry committee (JIC), organizations that provide for media outlets, sales houses and their advertising clients standardization of terms plus an independent eye on methods. While JIC’s are common in Western Europe – from Spain to the UK, Sweden to Germany, Switzerland and Italy – only the participant from Slovakia could report any similar structure. Slovakia, he said, is adopting the MediaProjekt model from their Czech neighbors.
Basic questions, more basic than media terminology, filled the room. What is a sample? Can a sample of 1000 be reliable for measuring radio in all of Turkey? How is error calculated? All of these questions, essential for establishing credibility, should be demanded of the research suppliers.
And even more basic, the question of measurements’ limits arose with a lively debate. Strictly constructing a model of price by delivered – measured – audience leads only to a “race to the bottom” as the broadcasters value is lost when its service is reduced to a simply commodity. In markets where audience measurement is difficult to explain, selling by story – constructing a narrative, in post-modern marketing language – is always more effective.
Briefly, very briefly, the discussion turned to electronic measurement. Every participant knew about it. How could they not? But, the interesting turn in that conversation was not about methods or equipment or results. These young media professionals from Eastern Europe had strong views and hard questions about privacy issues. And this is a subject that needs considerable thought.
Editors note: Michael Hedges traveled the new EU Member States in 2005 and 2006 surveying the audiovisual sector for European Commission Social Dialogue committee. The reports for ftm are his own observations and do not reflect the positions of the European Commission or any of the members of the Social Dialogue committee.
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Listeners Measured in Albania - November 6, 2006
Broadcasters launch first radio survey
Working together as a network, a group of Albanian private local radio stations are set to conduct the nations first radio audience survey.
Tirana-based Radio Ime organized several local broadcasters into a network in 2003 to exchange ideas and programs, according to Radio Ime Programming Director Iris Luarasi. The radio audience survey will be conducted by the Tirana University Sociology Department and used by broadcasters to “get better use from the ad market.” Radio Ime coordinates the program exchange. The network project received support from International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). The new audience measurement project is set to start in autumn 2006.
Since 1990 Albania and its radio broadcasting has changed considerably. The former isolated communist country now boasts of 32 local radio stations as well as two national commercial and two public radio stations.
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