Nielsen, Arbitron Tout Synergies

Arbitron and Nielsen believe that together, they can better measure more audience and go where that audience consumes media in the future.

So said executives of both companies in a conference call with Wall Street analysts Tuesday, according to a story by Leslie Stimson at RadioWorld.

The deal for Nielsen to acquire Arbitron, announced this morning, makes sense for both ratings companies, executives said, as they pointed to similar goals and business plans.

For radio, the deal helps bring the medium “more into the center part of the advertising mix,” said Arbitron President/CEO Bill Kerr, who’s soon transitioning away from that position but will remain on the board. He also said the deal creates “broader opportunities for our employees.”

Executives skirted a question about the future of current Arbitron management, other than Calhoun characterizing Arbitron as “the domain experts in radio,” and “we have a lot of appreciation for what they bring their clients.”

Asked about how the cross-measurement products from both companies would fare, Calhoun said “we don’t know enough about each other’s road maps today” to discuss integration.

Arbitron has been working on a cross-platform measurement concept for awhile, one that would measure both traditional radio and streamed stations. In answering one analyst’s question about that, Creamer said: “Our job is to measure radio wherever it’s being consumed.

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Tom's Take:  Synergies...isnt that code for lay-offs?