Courtesy Radio Business Report

(June 16, 2009) Arbitrend data for the Tampa-St. Pete market will be reissued this morning, after Arbitrend recalculated the numbers without entries from seven diaries submitted by a “media-affiliated” household.

CBS Radio says the person involved was not one of its employees. Arbitron confirms that.

As reported Monday, the station primarily affected by the recalculation is Sports/Talk WQYK-AM. Arbitron confirmed to RBR/TVBR that the household whose seven diaries were thrown out is not the household of a CBS Radio employee.

Arbitron would not, however, explain what connection the household has to the station, saying it does not divulge the identity of diarykeepers.

CBS Radio says the person involved was not an employee, but declines to explain what the connection was. That was confirmed by Arbitron, which also would not explain the connection, saying it does not divulge the identity of diarykeepers.]

Arbitron informed subscribers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater market that Spring Phase I Arbitrends will be reissued. The household of a CBS Radio employee was found to have returned seven diaries, which are now being removed from the in-tab calculations.

The identity of the offender hasn’t become known in the market, nor whether they actually have seven people in their household. Arbitron told subscribers that “Audience estimates for WQYK-AM may be substantially affected” by the recalculation. The Sports/Talk station typically doesn’t meet minimum reporting standards for Persons 12+, but had jumped to a 1.0 in the Arbitrends which had been issued for the Spring book in progress. The seven diaries had been received for Spring 2009 Week 3.

“Revised Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Arbitrends data for the Spring Phase 1 (February-March-April) Arbitrends report period, based on an In-tab sample that excludes these diaries, will release on Tuesday, June 16 at 10 am Eastern Time,” Arbitron said in an advisory to subscribers.