{"id":37948,"date":"2019-05-26T07:06:58","date_gmt":"2019-05-26T11:06:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=37948"},"modified":"2019-05-26T07:06:58","modified_gmt":"2019-05-26T11:06:58","slug":"the-audimeter-a-1939-solution-for-measuring-radio-audiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/the-audimeter-a-1939-solution-for-measuring-radio-audiences\/","title":{"rendered":"The Audimeter: A 1939 solution for measuring radio audiences"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_37949\" style=\"width: 635px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Radio-Audience-Meter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37949\" class=\"size-large wp-image-37949\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Radio-Audience-Meter-1024x634.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Radio-Audience-Meter-1024x634.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Radio-Audience-Meter-300x186.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Radio-Audience-Meter-768x476.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Radio-Audience-Meter-624x387.jpg 624w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Radio-Audience-Meter.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-37949\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo showing off the inside of an Audimeter, a device for measuring what people were listening to on radio (Photo: February 1945 issue of Radio-Craft via Gizmodo)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>(Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/paleofuture.gizmodo.com\/the-weird-machine-that-measured-radio-audiences-in-the-1633851253\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gizmodo<\/a>)<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>[&#8230;]The February 1945 issue of Radio-Craft magazine included an article titled \u201cRadio Audience Meter\u201d which looked at the machine that was revolutionizing audience measurement. First installed in homes on a trial basis in 1939, the Audimeter was placed next to a family\u2019s existing radio.<\/p>\n<p>The article included photo cutaways that showed how the Audimeter worked. Back in those days, radios had dials. Fitted with a series of gears, the Audimeter was a standalone device connected to a radio. It had an arm that moved whenever the radio dial was turned. So whenever the radio station was changed, the Audimeter\u2019s arm would swivel along a long tape that was slowly rolling inside this gadget. The tape inside was about 100 feet long and three inches wide and reportedly lasted for about a month of recording.<\/p>\n<p>The market researchers would collect the tapes by visiting each house monthly and shipping the tapes to a plant in Chicago. Once there, the tapes were processed by dozens of laborers feeding the tapes into tabulation machines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Audimeter made it more scientific,\u201d Buzzard noted about the measuring device. \u201cThey got automatic readings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And words like \u201cscientific\u201d and \u201cautomatic\u201d were all the rage for gadgets of the 1940s, even if by today\u2019s standards there was quite a bit of legwork involved.[&#8230;]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/paleofuture.gizmodo.com\/the-weird-machine-that-measured-radio-audiences-in-the-1633851253\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click here to read the full story.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Source: Gizmodo) [&#8230;]The February 1945 issue of Radio-Craft magazine included an article titled \u201cRadio Audience Meter\u201d which looked at the machine that was revolutionizing audience measurement. First installed in homes on a trial basis in 1939, the Audimeter was placed next to a family\u2019s existing radio. The article included photo cutaways that showed how the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,305,288],"tags":[1324,4091,7789],"class_list":["post-37948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","tag-gizmodo","tag-radio-history","tag-the-audimeter"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-9S4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4320,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/gizmodo-shortwave-radio-deserves-a-place-of-prominence-in-the-home-of-any-audiophile\/","url_meta":{"origin":37948,"position":0},"title":"Gizmodo: &#8220;shortwave radio deserves a place of prominence in the home of any audiophile&#8221;","author":"Thomas","date":"August 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Gizmodo) Classic turntables may get all the glamour, but the shortwave radio deserves a place of prominence in the home of any audiophile. For a stylish way to surf the airwaves, try this stunning late 1950s\u00a0Trans-World T-9, produced by Philco (that's the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company, for those who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Philco-300x168.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10898,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/1930s-refrigerator-had-built-in-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":37948,"position":1},"title":"1930s refrigerator had built-in radio","author":"Thomas","date":"September 24, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to Andy Sennitt for sharing this fascinating piece of radio nostalgia: Gizmodo columnist, Matt Novak, writes: Jesse Walker, author of the book Rebels on the Air: An Alternative History of Radio in America, pointed me to this rather novel invention from 1937 \u2014 the refrigerator-radio combination unit. This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RefrigeratorRadio","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/RefrigeratorRadio.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/RefrigeratorRadio.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/RefrigeratorRadio.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/RefrigeratorRadio.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11143,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/10\/uncovering-the-wullenweber-elephant-cages\/","url_meta":{"origin":37948,"position":2},"title":"Uncovering Wullenweber&#8217;s &#8220;Elephant Cages&#8221;","author":"Thomas","date":"October 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Bill Patalon, for sharing this article via Gizmodo: In the early days of electronic espionage, the US intelligence community didn't have the benefit of all-seeing spy satellites\u2014it had to intercept and interpret high-frequency radio waves transmitted by the Soviet Union. To do so, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"800px-CDAA_Elmendorf_AFB","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/800px-CDAA_Elmendorf_AFB.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/800px-CDAA_Elmendorf_AFB.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/800px-CDAA_Elmendorf_AFB.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/800px-CDAA_Elmendorf_AFB.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14852,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/gizmodo-preppers-who-are-ready-for-next-solar-storm\/","url_meta":{"origin":37948,"position":3},"title":"Gizmodo: Preppers who are ready for next solar storm","author":"Thomas","date":"September 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to several SWLing Post readers who shared a link to\u00a0this post\u00a0on Gizmodo which focuses on preparations\u00a0for a major solar storm like the 1859 Carrington Event. Gizmodo\u00a0touches on several preparedness basics and specifically mentions tucking away a shortwave radio with your survival gear: Several preppers suggested keeping shortwave receivers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"BC-348-Q-Dial","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/BC-348-Q-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/BC-348-Q-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/BC-348-Q-Dial.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/BC-348-Q-Dial.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10721,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/a-map-of-every-device-connected-to-the-internet\/","url_meta":{"origin":37948,"position":4},"title":"A map of every device connected to the Internet","author":"Thomas","date":"September 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"SWLing Post reader, Mehmet Burk, shares this tweet from Sherry Rehman: Portrait of an unequally connected planet. A map of every device connected to the internet: http:\/\/t.co\/TWZqtBVyf9. pic.twitter.com\/B7NA4ZpWCN\u201d \u2014 sherryrehman (@sherryrehman) September 1, 2014 Many thanks, Mehmet! Though this map may not be completely accurate since IP addresses in IPv4\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"(Source: John Matherly, via Gizmodo)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Bwam-MeIEAAiJ-i.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Bwam-MeIEAAiJ-i.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Bwam-MeIEAAiJ-i.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36179,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/this-nyc-vintage-vault-is-a-source-of-electronics-for-movies-and-tv-shows\/","url_meta":{"origin":37948,"position":5},"title":"This NYC vintage vault is a source of electronics for movies and TV shows","author":"Thomas","date":"February 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Kevin and Stan who share the following article from Gizmodo. Stan notes: You (and your readers) often comment on radios in movies and tv shows, so I thought ya'll might be interested in the following article: \"Where Movies Get Their Vintage Electronics\" https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/where-movies-get-their-vintage-electronics-1832218560 Turns\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Fear-the-Walking-Dead-S04E11-2_desk2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Fear-the-Walking-Dead-S04E11-2_desk2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Fear-the-Walking-Dead-S04E11-2_desk2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Fear-the-Walking-Dead-S04E11-2_desk2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37948\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}