Nielsen Drops; Eastlan Adds

• Eastlan Ratings is celebrating its 25th year of service to radio and is expanding its reach into three new markets. Continuous ratings service began in Q1 in Raleigh-Durham, NC, making it the largest market Eastlan currently measures. And starting this month, Eastlan service will commence in Albany, GA and Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville, NC (Market No. 99). Eastlan’s expansion into Greenville/New Bern/Jacksonville preceded Nielsen’s announcement that it was exiting the market. RAMP also learned that Nielsen is also dropping twice yearly measured Visalia-Tulare-Hanford, CA (Market No. 109) and Sunbury-Selinsgrove-Lewisburg, PA (Market No. 215), both of which were two-book markets.

And there’s more — Eastlan is also increasing its existing service in Waco, TX, upgrading to continuous Eastlan measurement, with March being the first monthly data release there.

“Time moves so quickly, we are grateful to have been entrusted for a quarter century to provide a complete and unbiased look at how radio is used in markets across North America,” said Eastlan President Mike Gould. “When we founded Eastlan in 1999, I don’t think any of us expected to still be growing 25 years later. We owe our success to our fantastically loyal staff and media buyers across the country demanding a comprehensive view of the radio landscape before they invest. Most of all, to local broadcasters insistent upon credible research at an equitable price.”

• Eastlan Ratings is a privately held media-research firm headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.