James W. Seiler of the American Research Bureau

Abstract

This article explores the contributions of one of the pioneers of ratings research, James W. Seiler, the founder of the American Research Bureau (ARB), the forerunner of Arbitron. Seiler and his small management team filled a small but productive window of time as the youthful ARB rode the crest of a giddy but short-lived success during the ‘50s and early ‘60s. The ARB was responsible for a number of leaps in product design-including popularizing the diary method, first for television and then radio, extending the number of weeks of measurement from one to four, measuring all U.S. T.V. markets at the same time (known as sweeps, which was to lead to first extended measurement of TV viewing beyond metropolitan areas), and using the first meter to capture audience viewing in real time (called Arbitron). It emerged as the key competitor against the Nielsen service in the battle to measure the local market for television until it withdrew from TV measurement in the ‘90s. Arbitron's success led it to monopolize the measurement of radio audiences, a position it currently holds.