Gaming the Ratings?

Voltaire claims to smooth out the rating bumps.

Does it work? Is the magic box, Voltaire, junk science, or voodoo technology? Nielsen has looked into the processor. Nielsen's testing was done in a lab. Now the Media Rating Council (MRC) is looking into the technology using real world testing by working with stations that use the processor.

There are plenty of complaints in public radio circles about the wild swings in ratings under the PPM system. Part of the problem of PPM is the short sample time which will lead to volatility in the ratings. I prefer to look at ratings over periods of time to help eliminate bounce. Six month trends seem more stable.

Voltaire claims to improve sound processing to enhance PPM's ability to measure a station's encoding.

The tests by MRC will continue through August.