Radio Audience Measurement

Trai has issued recommendations on Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) system to help the advertisers take informed decision on how to allocate their advertisement budgets for effective communication of the brand of their customers. In its recommendations, Trai has said that it would be mandatory for all RAM agencies to be registered with the ministry of information & broadcasting (MIB) including the existing ones. Trai has stressed on transparency for RAM agencies and restricted the cross-holding to a maximum of 10 per cent of paid up equity. Besides, Trai has proposed that all RAM agencies must declare any possible conflict of interest, make available online rates & discounts offered to their clients, declare measurement criteria & detailed processes, give adequate coverage to geographic representations of audiences, and notify complaint redressal process. MIB has to take final call on these recommendations and once it notifies the guidelines, Trai has proposed to give the agencies 12 months’ time to adjust to the new rules.