Arbitron has been invited to testify next Wednesday, December 2 in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The hearing will examine the PPM ratings service and discuss "whether the PPM technology and methodology accurately measure radio audiences and whether PPM has a disproportionately negative impact on radio stations owned by minorities or targeted toward minority listeners."

In a statement, Arbitron President/CEO Michael Skarzynski said, "Arbitron welcomes this opportunity to discuss the importance of electronic measurement, the effectiveness of the Portable People Meter (PPM) service, the value of the data it produces, and our responsible approach to the deployment of the service. Arbitron looks forward to sharing with the Committee our expertise and insights based on our long history and extensive experience in gathering and disseminating the quality data that is used throughout the radio industry by broadcasters, advertisers, and agencies."

"Arbitron launched this innovative electronic media ratings service to help support the radio industry's objective to have relevant, reliable data that enables it to compete for its share of advertising revenue," continued Skarzynski. "We have been proactive in our efforts to share relevant and pertinent information with our stakeholders, Congress and other state and Federal government agencies and continue to welcome opportunities to showcase the value of radio and the importance of electronic measurement."

In the announcement of the House hearing, Chairman Edolphis Towns (D-NY) stated, "With an unprecedented decline in ratings among popular minority television and radio stations, we must explore the possibility of methodological flaws in the implementation of the PPM. As it stands now, the current system jeopardizes the future of minority broadcasting."

"I remain deeply concerned that increased use of the PPM may unfairly threaten the financial viability of minority targeted radio stations whose advertising revenues depend on the size of their rated audience," added Towns. "In addition, there is a serious risk that certain groups of minority listeners will continue to be undercounted, imperiling minority audience radio stations and decreasing the diversity of opinions in radio broadcasting."