The Center for Radio Information
was born in 1977 to perform a computer analysis of leading radio
stations for the magazine "TV-Radio Age".
The new company quickly established an enviable record. They
completed that first station analysis in record time, produced
the most usable data from FCC reports of station sales, revenues and
profits and created the first computer analysis of station performance
(27 custom reports) which was delivered to clients the day after the
Arbitron books.
Meantime, they were building the most complete database of radio
station information in the industry. Their work used the most complex
of main frames in data centers. Custom lists of stations selected by
format, market size, station power, county size and many other criteria
gave a new meaning to Target Marketing.
They became the leading producer of mailing labels, station lists and
- with the advent of the PC - computer databases.
CRI became a "third-party processor" of Arbitron Metro data, and
have since expanded to include Arbitron Nationwide and County Coverage
data. They became a leading producer of customized station data for
both the broadcast media in the U.S. and Canada.
Early in its history, CRI became the source of data on radio -
formats, wired and unwired networks - for the Simmons Market Research
Bureau and for Mediamark Research.
Today, CRI furnishes data on both radio and TV stations for the
SmartPlus computer media buying service of Media Resources Plus. The
early MMPlus system has nearly 1,000 agency subscribers, who are
converting to SmartPlus at a rapid rate.
CRI has an extensive business in producing audience data for
networks and program syndicators with a highly efficient system of
their own design.
One of CRI's most powerful developments is MARKET/PROBE
- a system that can put together dozens of networks and syndicated
shows and give a combined coverage report for the exact markets
important to the client. Report data can be by DMA, by Metro and by
individual counties or groups of counties.
MARKET/PROBE has made network/syndicated
radio an extremely targeted medium, in contrast to the general
impression that "with network radio you don't know what you're
getting". Now you can tell quite precisely.
These powerful systems have recently taken CRI in a new direction
as a national syndicator for radio programs, a move everyone at CRI
is quite excited about.
Keeping up with technology, CRI delivers 99% of its jobs via
e-mail directly to the client and in the very near future clients
will be able to access their data online via the Internet.
The Center for Radio Information
is proof of what can be done with the practical application of a
combination of data and technology.