Obama to Arbitron: Delay PPM Rollout

Sen Barack Obama (D-IL) weighed in on the Arbitron Portable People Meter radio-measurement-system rollout in eight markets, saying that he thinks the rollout should be delayed until the system is accredited by the Media Research Center. The MRC was created by Congress to vet media-ratings systems, although seeking its accreditation is voluntary, not mandatory. In a letter to Arbitron president Stephen Morris, Sen Obama and Sen Richard Durbin (D-IL) said they were concerned that the meters -- which are replacing paper diaries in radio-audience measurement -- were undercounting minorities.