Arbitron Agrees to Improve How It Counts Minority Radio Listeners

Arbitron, the largest radio ratings service, has settled a lawsuit in California over how it measures minority audiences, agreeing to pay $400,000 and to abide by certain research methods in tracking black and Latino radio listeners.

The agreement settles a suit filed last week by the attorney general of California, who was joined by the city attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles. The suit contended that Arbitron undercounted minority audiences in how it recruited people to use its Portable People Meter, an electronic device that it introduced in 2008 to measure radio listening habits. Arbitron agreed in the settlement to reach listeners by address and make other steps to represent minority groups. It will also pay $150,000 each to the State of California and the City of Los Angeles, and $100,000 to the City and County of San Francisco.