How to Use Your Personal Meter A Complete Guide to Participating in the Arbitron Ratings Your Representative:
Contents Page 1 Welcome!
Page 2 How does it work?
Your Personal Meter Your Recharger The Household Collector Page 4 How to keep your Meter with you Page 6 When do you recharge your Personal Meter?
Page 7 What do the messages mean?
Page 8 How to earn points toward cash gifts and bonuses Page 10 What about traveling?
Page 10 Need to reach us?
Page 11 Quick troubleshooting guide Page 12 Common questions and answers Page 14 An important message to parents of school-age children Inside back cover Important safety instructions Back cover FCC notice Welcome!
Welcome to the Arbitron TV and Radio Ratings!
Your part in these ratings is very important! We are counting on you and everyone in your household age 6 and older to tell us what you watch on television and what you listen to on the radio. With your information, TV and radio stations and others in the TV and radio industries can learn more about the programs that are watched or listened to. All you have to do is wear your Personal Meter every day from the time you rise until you retire for the day. Right before you go to bed, remember to put your Personal Meter in its Recharger. Thats all there is to it!
We want to make sure all your listening and viewing is included in the ratings no matter how much or how little you watch TV or listen to the radio. As our way of thanking you, there is a point system with rewards for wearing your Personal Meter, so the more you wear your Personal Meter, the more you can earn as a reward. This booklet explains the bonuses and the messages you will see on the Personal Meters Recharger. It also describes the equipment in your home and tells you what to do in case you have a problem or a question. Remember, just as you are helping us, we are here to help you. If you ever need to contact us for any reason, please call your Arbitron Ratings representative listed on the cover of this book. We think you will enjoy being a part of this ratings panel, and we thank you for joining. Sincerely, Steve Morris President, Arbitron Radio Ratings 1 How does it work?
Your Personal Meter Your Personal Meter is just for you. Your name will appear when you put your Personal Meter into its Recharger. Please make sure you are the only one using your Personal Meter. Your Personal Meter picks up what you watch on TV and listen to on the radio. It automatically identifies the radio station or TV program by picking up special encoded signals sent by TV and radio stations. It can also pick up encoded signals that are played over the Internet or at places such as stores, amusement parks, and movie theaters that participate with us in this research. These signals are silent to the human ear. However, if you can hear sound from your TV or radio or other encoded source, the Personal Meter will pick up the signal. Your Personal Meter doesnt hear or record your conversations or any other sounds. Your Personal Meter has a green light on the side to show you the Meter is working. The green light is attached to a special sensor that knows if you are carrying the Meter with you. All you have to do is wear your Personal Meter to keep the green light on. You simply wear your Personal Meter and it receives station signals wherever you are. Its important that you always wear your Personal Meter so it will report all your TV viewing and radio listening. We ask that you wear it from the time you first wake up and during all your daily activitiesat home, in the car, or at work. Your Personal Meter picks up TV and radio station codes wherever you go. 2 Your Recharger Your Recharger collects your TV viewing and radio listening information as well as recharges the Personal Meter battery. At the end of each day, you place the Personal Meter into the Recharger so all your TV viewing and radio listening for that day will be included. To make it easy, we ask you to place the Recharger in your bedroom where you can easily see it when you first wake up. The Recharger also displays special messages to you whenever you place the Personal Meter back into the unit. It will tell you how many points you have earned for wearing your Meter for the current and previous days. It will also tell you what your point total is for the current week and what it was for the previous week. There are two buttons located near the display on the front of your Recharger. They are used only for testing by our technicians and will do nothing when pushed. The Household Collector The Collector is plugged into an electrical outlet and into your telephone line. It collects viewing and listening data from each Recharger by communicating with these units through the electrical wiring in your home. It also transmits a silent signal that can be detected by your Personal Meter when it is within your house. This allows us to separate your media use at home from your media use in other places. The Collector then sends your households information to our main computer once each day by making a very short call, lasting just a couple minutes very early in the morning, usually between 4AM and 6AM. We can then combine your information with information from other households in your area to produce the TV and radio ratings. This call will not affect your phone service. You can use the telephone whenever you want. There is no additional cost to your phone bill. When connected properly, your Collector will show a solid green light on the front. If the green light is flashing or out, please refer to the troubleshooting section of this guide for instructions. Occasionally an orange light may come on and flash. This is normal. 3 How to keep your Meter with you Three simple rules 1. Remove your Personal Meter from its Recharger as soon as you wake up. 2. Wear your Personal Meter wherever you go and make sure its green light stays on. 3. At the end of the day, just before you go to sleep, place your Personal Meter into its Recharger to recharge while you are sleeping. Wear it wherever you go Please remember to wear your Personal Meter everywhere you go so all your TV viewing and radio listening will be included. To accurately pick up all of your TV and radio use, your Personal Meter must be on you throughout your day, morning, noon and night. When you leave the house, keep your Personal Meter with you wherever you goin the car, at work, even on a trip to the store. You may think that you wont be viewing anything on TV or listening to radio, but youll be surprised at how many occasions you will find yourself watching or listening to a program. Youll be prepared if you always wear your Personal Meter. When you wear your Personal Meter, the green light stays on. If you put the Personal Meter down, it will turn off after a short while if you dont move it. First, it begins blinking after you put it down to let you know it needs attention. Then, if you do not pick up your Personal Meter or at least move it to let it know you are there, the green light turns off. Your Personal Meter light will come back on when you wear it or pick it up. 4 Ways to wear your Personal Meter You can wear your Personal Meter just about any way you like. We suggest:
clipping it to your belt or another piece of clothing;
carrying it in your shirt, pants or skirt pocket
(please keep the green-light end near your pocket opening);
clipping it to your purse while you are carrying it
(remember to take your Meter off your purse when its not with you); or using one of the accessories provided to help make it easier to wear your Meter. You will probably think of other ways to wear your Personal Meter that work best for you. Keep your Personal Meter with you. Keep the green light on. 5 When do you recharge your Personal Meter?
Your Personal Meter must be recharged at the end of your day. To recharge, return your Personal Meter to its Recharger each day right before you retire and go to sleep. If you forget, please place your Personal Meter in its Recharger at the next opportunity for at least four hours. When you insert your Personal Meter, the Recharger will beep and display a series of messages. If your Recharger does not beep or does not go through a series of messages, make sure that:
your Personal Meter is inserted all the way into the Recharger;
the Recharger is plugged into a working electrical outlet.
(Always keep it plugged in.) Recharge your Personal Meter before you go to sleep at the end of your day!
6 What do the messages mean?
Your Recharger has been equipped with a message readout to inform you about your bonus points and to provide you with information about the status of the equipment. Below is a list of the basic messages and what these messages mean. When the message says:
RECHARGER FOR (YOUR NAME) HELLO (YOUR NAME) THANK YOU (YOUR NAME) PLEASE WAIT. ADDING POINTS. TODAY (POINTS) YESTERDAY (POINTS) THIS WEEK (POINTS) LAST WEEK (POINTS) PLEASE CHECK YOUR COLLECTOR PLEASE CALL US It means:
There are no other messages for you. The Recharger recognizes that the Personal Meter placed in the Recharger belongs to you. The Recharger is saving the information from the Personal Meter. The Recharger is adding up the points you have earned by wearing your Meter. This is the total number of points you have earned so far today1 and the number of points you earned on the previous day. This is the number of points you have earned so far this week2 and how many points you earned last week. Your Collector may be unplugged. Please check to make sure it is plugged in. There may be a problem with your Personal Meter. Please call Arbitron Ratings using the toll-free number. 1For calculating daily points, the day begins at 4AM local and ends at 3:59AM local. 2For calculating weekly points, the week begins at 4AM local on Monday and ends the following Monday at 3:59AM local. From time to time, we may send special messages that will be displayed when you place your Personal Meter in its Recharger. All will be simple and self-explanatory. 7 How to earn points toward cash gifts and bonuses We hope youll wear your Personal Meter at all times you are awake so we can include all of your viewing and listening. To thank you for wearing your Personal Meter wherever you go, we set up a special bonus system. You automatically get a $5 cash gift each month just for participat-
ing in the TV and radio ratings. However, you can earn extra money each week simply by wearing your Personal Meter for just over 14 hours a day (just under 12 hours for school-age children). Your bonus is NOT based on how much or how little you watch TV or listen to the radio. What is the point system?
You earn points by wearing your Personal Meter wherever you go and making sure the green light stays on. You receive one point for every 10 minutes of green light time. Youll soon see that these will easily add up. Every week, Monday through Sunday*, the points are added up for each panelist. Each panelist earning 600 or more points (averaging a little more than 14 hours per day) is a bonus winner and receives an extra $2.50 for that week. School-age children (18 years and younger) become bonus winners by earning 500 or more points (averaging a little less than 12 hours per day). Including the monthly cash gift, each person can earn up to
$15 per month. If you dont earn the bonus one week, you still have the opportunity to earn the bonus the next week and the week after that. Your Arbitron Ratings representative will be happy to talk with you about this program.
$100 gift after 90 days!
When youve completed your first 90 days, each participating person in your household gets a one-time $100 gift.
* For calculating weekly points, the week begins at 4AM local on Monday and ends the following Monday at 3:59AM local. 8 Anniversary gifts!
Every person in your household who is in the Ratings will get a $100 cash gift each year on the anniversary of your households joining the Ratings. Weekly Sweepstakes drawings Keeping your Meter with you will also qualify you for our Weekly Sweepstakes. Specific rules for the current sweep-
stakes are included as an insert to this guide. Your Arbitron Ratings representative will review the rules, eligibility and prizes with you. When new sweepstakes drawings are introduced, the rules will be sent to you along with your monthly check. It adds up fast!
In just the first 90 days, including the $20 welcome gift, each person age 6 or older will get between $135 and $165even more if you win one of the Weekly Sweepstakes!
When do you receive your check?
The monthly gift and all bonus money will be sent in a check once a month to each person. Generally, you will receive your money for each month by the middle of the next month. Every Ratings member gets a check. The amount of the check depends upon the number of weekly bonuses that person earned for the month. 9 What about traveling?
During the time you are in the Ratings, you may find that you have to be away from home for several days. Here are two simple rules:
1. If you are going to be away from home no more than two nights, take your Personal Meter with you. When you return home, place your Personal Meter in its Recharger for at least four hours when you go to sleep. 2. If away for three or more nights at a time, please leave your Personal Meter in its Recharger while you are away. With a full four-hour charge, your Personal Meter will work for up to 30 hours before the battery runs down. When this happens, the green light will turn off and the Meter will shut down. The Meter is saving the information it has already picked up, but there is not enough battery power to collect new information. You must recharge it before you can use it again. When in doubt, take your Personal Meter with you. We want to pick up as much of your viewing and listening, even if it means that the battery might run down. You can recharge it when you get home. Need to reach us?
Just call your Arbitron Ratings representative listed on the front cover of this book. If you ever need to speak to someone after hours, day or night, you can still call our toll-free number. An answering machine will take your message, and a representative will be on call to pick up messages and contact you. 10 Quick troubleshooting guide Just in case, here are some quick tips:
If this happens:
Green light goes out on your Personal Meter No messages appear on the Recharger The message Please check your Collector appears on your Recharger The green light on the Collector is flashing Numbers appear counting up on the Recharger display Try this:
1. Pick up the Meter and move it. 2. If picking up the Meter and moving it does not work, the battery probably needs to be recharged. Charge it by putting it in its Recharger. 1. Make sure the Recharger is plugged in. 2. If the Recharger is plugged into a wall outlet that is connected to a light switch, make sure the switch is turned ON. Your Collector may be unplugged. Check to make sure it is plugged in and the green light is on. The phone line may be disconnected from the Collector or the wall jack. Check to make sure the phone line is securely plugged into the back of the Collector and at the wall jack. The Recharger is getting new instructions loaded from the Collector. Wait 10 minutes and the normal messages should appear on the Recharger. If you need further help, please call your Arbitron Ratings representative. 11 Common questions and answers Q. What happens if I wear someone elses Personal Meter?
A. That person gets credit for the time you wore the meter and the TV and Radio Ratings wont be as accurate. Please exchange meters as soon as you discover the error and notify your Arbitron Ratings representative so that they can correctly credit your viewing and listening. Q. Will this equipment interfere with my TV or radio reception?
A. No, you will receive all stations available to you now without any changes. Q. Will this equipment interfere with my telephone service?
A. No, it uses the line only once a night for a few minutes when it calls our main computer. Q. Can I move the Personal Meter Recharger after it has been plugged in?
A. We dont recommend moving the unit because of its internal design. Please keep it in one place. Q. Will the Personal Meter still pick up the signal if my TV is on mute?
A. The sound must be on for the signal to be picked up by the Meter. Remember to watch or listen to TV as you normally do. Q. I must go through an x-ray machine at work (or at the airport). Will this harm the Personal Meter?
A. No, it will not harm your Personal Meter. Q. Does watching more TV or listening to more radio increase my points?
A. No. Points are related to the amount of time you wear the Personal Meter each week. It doesnt matter how much or how little you watch TV or listen to radio. 12 Q. What if I have to go away from home for a day or two?
A. If only for a day or two, take your Personal Meter with you. For three or more nights, leave it in the Recharger at home. If you have travel questions, please call your Arbitron Ratings representative. Q. If my entire family is in our car for a days outing, can we take only one of the Personal Meters with us?
A. Each participating person should take his/her own Personal Meter to pick up individual viewing and listening. We arent able to include everyones viewing in the ratings if there is only one Meter. 13 An important message to parents of school-age children As you may know, wearing devices that are, or look like, pagers is not permitted in some school systems. If you want your child to wear their Personal Meter to school, we recommend that you first check with the school administration. We would be happy to provide you and your child with a special letter regarding the daily use of the Personal Meter in the TV and Radio Ratings. This letter could be given to the administration at your childs school to explain their participation and ask for permission to wear the Personal Meter during school hours. If you would like us to send you such a letter, please call your Arbitron Ratings representative. We want to make the Ratings experience as simple for you as we can. 14 Important safety instructions Save These Instructions WARNING: To avoid the risk of electric shock, do not expose any of this equipment to moisture. Arbitron tests all equipment for safety. As with all electrical equipment, you need to take a few simple precautions. Please read and follow these instruc-
tions. 1. Please heed all warning and caution labels. 2. For cleaning, use only a damp clothdo not use liquid or aerosol cleaners. 3. Never push objects of any kind into an opening. 4. Do not place equipment near heat sources such as stoves, radiators or heat vents. Do not cover equipment. 5. Do not walk on the power cord, bend power cord sharply or push items against the power cord (to prevent pinching the cord). 6. Do not overload power outlets or extension cords. 7. Do not use attachments or move any equipment unless recommended by Arbitron. 8. Never attempt to service equipment yourself. Opening or removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage or other hazards. Call Arbitron personnel for all servicing. 9. Call Arbitron to service equipment under the following conditions:
a. The power cord or plug is damaged. b. Liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the device. c. The unit has been exposed to water. d. The unit does not operate normally or exhibits a distinct change in performance. e. The unit has been dropped or the enclosure has been damaged. For service, call your Arbitron Ratings representative. FCC notice This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful in-
terference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency en-
ergy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guaran-
tee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interfer-
ence by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. Contact Arbitron for help. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Arbitron could void the users authority to operate the equipment. 2004 Arbitron Inc. 04-PPM-605 5/04