Just The Fax

Welcome to the Hotel PPW.

Now that R&R has finally come to the party, (invitations were sent out over two years ago…it took them that long to RSVP) Plays Per Week have become the standard throughout the industry.

All the charts that matter (The Network Forty, Billboard and R&R) use actual airplay for calculation. However, The Network Forty’s Plays Per Week charts are the best in the business. Bar none.

Why? It’s simple, really.

Billboard uses BDS to determine their charts. While BDS is recognized by many as the ultimate measure of airplay, it is a fact that BDS does not monitor many radio stations that are extremely important in determining the success of a record. Billboard misses many stations that impact record sales. Their chart is incomplete.

R&R’s charts have inherent problems. The weighting system is totally out of whack. (That’s another editorial by itself.) R&R has already dropped the weighting system used on the Alternative chart and most in the industry believe the weighting will soon be dropped from the Top 40 charts as well. R&R’s reporting universe is only slightly larger than BDS and creates the same limited picture. But R&R’s major problems exist because of the way information is gathered. R&R does not accept faxed PPW information. R&R depends upon phone calls from reporters to determine Plays Per Week. That practice opens a window of opportunity for easy alteration by those who would report inaccurate airplay.

The Network Forty has the most accurate and most complete Plays Per Week information available. The Network Forty has the most complete universe of radio stations available. BDS monitors only the larger markets. R&R “allows” only 170 reporters. The Network Forty gathers reports from over 250 radio stations across the country. And it isn’t just the number of reporters that makes The Network Forty PPW system the most accurate, it’s the methodology.

With the help of many in the industry, The Network Forty invented PPWs over two years ago. (Its fine that R&R has begun utilizing PPWs as the basis of their charts. It would also be nice if they gave credit to The Network Forty for the original idea, but we understand that R&R wants everyone to believe they discovered PPWs. R&R has never let facts get in the way.) We recognized early on that the industry wanted a chart based on airplay, not playlists. We also recognized that the most accurate way to gauge actual airplay is to accept computerized print-outs from music scheduling software. Anything less makes it easy to manipulate supposed airplay.

Although everyone in our industry pays lip service to honesty, it is a fact that there are individuals who still “play for pay” for station promotions or other considerations. Without faxed, computer print-outs, manipulation is easy and the industry would be right back where it was before the advent of PPWs and BDS.

By accepting faxed PPWs, The Network Forty guarantees that airplay manipulation is minimal. R&R cannot make the same claim.

The Network Forty verifies our data by spot-checking music logs from selected stations against the computer-generated airplay reports. The Network Forty also monitors selected radio stations by listen lines or actual listening. The Network Forty pays more than lip service to honesty. We take these added steps to ensure the accuracy and integrity of our charts, because that’s what the industry wants. Stations that attempt to manipulate airplay information are warned once, then monitored weekly. Those that don’t comply by reporting accurate PPWs are deleted from The Network Forty reporter universe. Four stations have been dropped this year.

Any trade magazine that doesn’t take these necessary stops runs the risk of printing flawed data. Trade magazines that want accurate charts should insist on computer-generated music scheduling print-outs via fax. It makes manipulation almost impossible.

Take a taste test.

Billboard’s charts give an accurate gauge of airplay. But Billboard doesn’t monitor all markets. The supply is limited.

R&R has too many additives (flawed weighting, add factors, etc.) and can be harmful to your health. R&R takes information from only 170 stations. R&R doesn’t accept computer-generated airplay reports by fax. R&R accepts information only over the phone, allowing reporters to “make up” or “guesstimate” airplay. In other words, there’s no list of ingredients on the label. You don’t know what you’re drinking.

The Network Forty has been producing a Plays Per Week chart for over two years. We have 256 reporters…more than any of the others. And The Network Forty accepts computer-generated airplay reports by fax to ensure that ours is the most comprehensive and accurate data available.

It’s a slam dunk.

The Network Forty is the winner. It tastes great and is more filling…and it is better for you.

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