Radio Zapping
Nick NorthGfK Media Ltd, United Kingdom
Lex van MeursIntomart GfK, Netherlands
INTRODUCTION
The minute-by-minute, mechanical measurement of radio audiences was first introduced in 1942. AC Nielsen's Audimeter registered each movement of the radio tuning dial with the scratch of a stylus on a roll of paper tape, storing the information in a cartridge, which at the end of each survey period was mailed back to the company for analysis. From 1950 until 1963, the Audimeter-based Nielsen Radio Index served the US radio industry as its official currency. Technological change and legislative action brought about its demise:...