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Last month marked the last time many markets would be getting Arbitron ratings from paper diaries… yes, despite being in the 21st century, radio ratings data was gathered by asking people to keep track of their listening habits and send them in. They did pay you $1 though.

The next time around stations will be shaking their fists not at diary distribution, but at Arbitron’s new PPM. The Portable People Meter. Or as I like to call it… the “One eyed one horned flying Portable People Meter.” It will be in all top 50 markets by 2010. Goodbye Space Shuttle, Hello PPM.

I like the idea that they are incorporating more advanced technology in calculating ratings and all, but it seems a little too “Big Brother is watching” to me. Here’s how it’ll work: Radio stations will all have their own unique sub-audible tone… the Portable People Meter is like a pager, and whenever you are listening to a radio station, it’ll pick up the tone and make note of what station you are listening to.

It’s certainly a lot more accurate than just asking people to keep track of or remember their listening habits, but still seems like it has a lot of the same problems that the mail in diaries had… since the numbers could change drastically depending on who happens to have the meter at a given time. Not to mention the fact that it seems like it would be easily fooled by people like me who are constantly changing stations.

I wonder if dogs will hear the tones…

In case you were wondering, they just released the last “old” Arbitron ratings for Chicago and WGN Radio was at the top of the pile with their best spring book in three years… hmm, Dan Deibert shows up and suddenly they have their best spring book in three years. Coincidence? I think not.