Nielsen Test of Enhanced CBET System Begins Monday in D.C., Baltimore

Nielsen will begin its real world test of an enhanced system for gauging radio listenership in the cities of Washington and Baltimore Monday, the company said on a webinar and a panel at the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters Thursday. The Critical Band Encoding Technology (CBET) system enhances the ability of Nielsen’s portable people meters (PPM) to pick up the inaudible signals behind radio content that Nielsen uses to assign ratings, said Nielsen Senior Vice President-Product Leadership Bill Rose. The system is seen as a response to The Telos Alliance’s Voltair device, which performs a similar function. The Voltair system can boost a station’s ratings by 8 percent, a Telos executive said at the NAB Radio Show, and it's seen as an important tool for any station that wants to remain competitive, Tony Gray, programming director of WYOB-FM, Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, told us Thursday. Rose said the new CBET system is intended to provide “a level playing field” for “everybody.” Voltair devices cost about $15,000 and must be purchased by individual stations, radio officials have told us. Though Rose said Voltair can be used with the new CBET system, Nielsen doesn't endorse doing so. A Nielsen official told us Nielsen doesn’t endorse Voltair because of its “subjective use” and because it has the potential to make the PPM tones audible. The CBET has been extensively tested to ensure it doesn’t affect sound quality, Nielsen officials said. Voltair didn't comment. The rollout of the CBET is expected to begin in other cities in November, and Nielsen wants to complete the process this year, Nielsen officials said.