New York Investigates a Yardstick for Radio

The New York attorney general's office said Tuesday that it was opening an investigation into the way that Arbitron, which measures audiences for radio stations, is deploying devices called personal people meters. The devices, which people carry with them, can pick up radio signals. Critics charge that Arbitron, which is switching over from a system in which people keep personal diaries of their radio listening, is not putting personal people meters in the hands of enough minority listeners, potentially skewing the ratings for minority-oriented radio stations. In a letter to Arbitron, which is based in New York City, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo said he was worried that the new system was "neither reliable nor fair, and may have a dramatically negative impact on minority broadcasting in New York."