KTCK didn't Encode Signal ???

[w9wi]

The Nielsen system is wired, thus the ability to do overnight ratings. Any deviation from the norm can be seen... and here I am guessing... by means of an algorithm that sets off a warning for any unusual occurrence or from monitoring of the outlets themselves. The Nielsen "set top boxes" actually know what they are tuned to, and can send this data back very quickly. The PPMs are portable and only send data home each night if they are docked in a charger (although wireless ones are in development). Just in case, I am checking with Arbitron to see if they have any specific systems in place.

I do know of one nameless station that somehow took the encoder out of the audio chain, and the station did not know about it until the first weeklies came back with horrific numbers... they called Arbitron... and the first question was, "is your encoder working?"

Nielsen has monitoring points of their own -- they don't have to hear from any of the boxes they've sent viewers to know there's a code problem. 

I suppose the radio equivalent would be for Arbitron to put a bunch of the decoders Scott mentions in a room somewhere in the market & configure them to notify Arbitron if someone's encoding disappears.

(The decoders Scott mentions do also exist for TV)

[DavidEduardo]

I suppose the radio equivalent would be for Arbitron to put a bunch of the decoders Scott mentions in a room somewhere in the market & configure them to notify Arbitron if someone's encoding disappears.

The advantage Nielsen has is that they also have the Nielsen BDS monitoring points in the market; Arbitron has no equivalent.

Also, TV is relatively easy to monitor. With radio every market has many stations that, at any given location, can not be received or received reliably or received at night, etc. It would take multiple locations to check all the signals in most PPM markets. In the LA market, there are even multiple cases of the same AM or FM frequency being used twice within the market (94.3 FM and 1220 AM are two examples and there are several more).

The solution would seem to be an encoder alarm with "you have to see it" notification in the studio and engineering... but with so many stations unattended at certain times, even this is not perfect. Messaging for the key staff is another useful mechanism, but the staff has to know how important this is.

[w9wi]

Also, TV is relatively easy to monitor. With radio every market has many stations that, at any given location, can not be received or received reliably or received at night, etc. It would take multiple locations to check all the signals in most PPM markets. In the LA market, there are even multiple cases of the same AM or FM frequency being used twice within the market (94.3 FM and 1220 AM are two examples and there are several more).

Good point.  Nielsen has several monitoring points (last time they called, it was because of a problem at a cable system at the eastern edge of the market -- Nashville itself was fine) but they don't need nearly as many points to monitor TV as they'd need for radio.

The solution would seem to be an encoder alarm with "you have to see it" notification in the studio and engineering... but with so many stations unattended at certain times, even this is not perfect. Messaging for the key staff is another useful mechanism, but the staff has to know how important this is.

In the end that kinda falls into the same category as having someone check the station's own decoder periodically -- us techies can provide every tool under the sun but we can't force the staff to use them

[BenB]

At CBS Radio Dallas we check hourly and call the engineers immediately if there are any issues.

[pickledfirefly]

At CBS Radio Dallas we check hourly and call the engineers immediately if there are any issues.

Really? REALLY?
The monitor(s) provided by arbitron will go into alarm state within three minutes of encoding loss (and reverse that state within three minutes of encoding return). At time of encoding loss a closure is provided on the DB connector on the rear of the unit. This should be connected directly to your remote control or another device capable of immediately texting, calling, or other means of contacting your engineers.
If one simply performs a visual check hourly, there could have very well been numerous encoding loss events missed during said hour, and the "Green Light" just happens to be on when you looked.
You need the monitor(s) properly installed sooner rather than later as your ratings depend on it. It's just two wires ......

[OKCRadioGuy]

The reality is big corporate broadcasters like Cumeless have done it to themselves.  They have cut so many humans, especially higher paid ones, out of their payroll that no one is left to give a damn. What eng help they have left is probably overworked and under-appriciated.  I've seen it before several times.  Good people that are left are just doing damage control and that's about it....

[dfwupallnight]

What this really boils down to is one person who is either incompetent or just doesn't care. If you were listening to the Ticket the morning after the superbowl, you know what I'm talking about. Of course you'd have to be listening to the stream since everything else was off the air. My vote is for incompetence.

[OKCRadioGuy]

"What this really boils down to is one person who is either incompetent or just doesn't care"  Well, when you keep getting beat up by corporate clowns, at some point you just say to yourself "I don't give a damn".  I suppose it's not right, but then again what corporate America does to their help, especially in radio it seems, isn't right either.  The employee-employer relationship is poor, and that yeilds inferior results.  In the mean time Lew Dickey, his relitives, and others just like him scrape all the cream off the top and leave the machine no oil to run.  They are not alone, but they sure stand out as one of the worst of the worst big ones.  The truth is the people left are probably just too damn beat up to watch everything they are supposed to watch.  At some point it's about self-protection to keep from self-damage.  You cannot be everything to everyone when those at the top simply do not care enough to cover the bases.

[OKCRadioGuy]

So technically, you're 100 percent right.  Someone screwed up big-time.  The underline problem isn't likely just that though.  The real problem is with a bunch of Dickeys.

[Triple Fake Jerry]

Five days of not encoding will result in what, a 0.1 dip in the Ticket's first-quarter numbers?

The only thing this will result in is some Barry Horn gloating on an upcoming Saturday.