Online Radio Diary

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Radio Diaries are essentially weekly surveys that capture the radio listening habits of all individuals 12 years of age and older living in randomly selected households across various Canadian markets.

For a one-week period you and your fellow participants are asked to record which radio stations you listen to throughout the day based on 15-minute increments. One Diary is provided for each individual 12 years of age and older living in your household. You’re also asked to capture the time you are not listening to the radio.

Upon receipt, Numeris processes the completed Diaries and compiles databases of audience behaviour based on a few key demographics for each market. Radio stations, advertising agencies and advertisers then use this data to determine who listens to what programs in what format, and to buy and sell commercial air time.

You should note that we combine your data with information from other Radio Diaries to produce ratings about groups of people, not individual people or individual households, and we never disclose the names, addresses or phone numbers of survey participants. In other words, your privacy will not be compromised.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

You can access your Radio Diary by going to the website listed on the card we sent you in the mail. Personalized log-in information is provided for each individual 12 years of age and older living in your household. Starting on a Monday, each individual is asked to fill out their Diary for one week.

At the end of the survey week, once household members have recorded their radio listening for each day and completed the questionnaires, the Diaries can be submitted online.

Please contact us if you did not receive your card or have misplaced it.

GETTING STARTED

By now, you have hopefully received your Radio Diary login information. Please rest assured that all the information you share with us will be kept strictly confidential. It will not be released to any marketers or sales people.

Ready to begin? Please go to the website that appears on your card and sign into your Radio Diary using your username and password. Now, let’s walk through the steps together.

STEP 1: Record your personal radio listening
STEP 2: Tell us about yourself
STEP 3: Submit your Radio Diary

STEP 1: RECORD YOUR PERSONAL RADIO LISTENING

Below are survey section samples and instructions to help you record your radio listening. Please record listening details whenever you listen to the radio for five minutes or longer. You can access your online Diary on any device with an internet connection, including a desktop computer, a laptop, tablet or smartphone.

STEP 1A

Select the day that you want to record your listening. You will not be able to select days that are in the future.

STEP 1B

Click on “Add listening” to make an entry. If you don’t listen to the radio at all on a particular day, please select “Did Not Listen All Day”. This lets us know that you didn’t simply forget to complete your Diary for that day.

STEP 1C

ENTER YOUR RADIO LISTENING:

1. Select the time you began listening to a radio station.

2. Select the time you finished listening to a radio station. If you listened for at least five minutes during the 15-minute time period, record your listening.

3. Search for the station you listened to. You can search by name, call letters, dial position, etc. If you listened to more than one station in a 15-minute period, record details of the station you listened to the most.

4. Select the location where you listened.

STEP 2: TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

To help us understand what type of music and formats you like and what kind of products are popular among members of your household, please answer the questions in the “About You” and “More About You” sections.

STEP 3: SUBMIT YOUR RADIO DIARY

Thank you for completing your Radio Diary. Please take a few moments to make sure you have answered all of the questions and recorded all of your radio listening for the week.

At the end of your survey week at midnight of the last survey day, a “Submit Your Diary” button will appear on the main page of your online diary. Once your diary is complete, make sure that you submit your information to us. Remember, it doesn’t matter how much or how little listening took place. Even if an individual has not listened to the radio at all that week, it is important to submit their diary.

Please submit your Radio Diary as soon as the survey week has come to an end so that we can count your radio listening in our ratings.

Again, thank you for your participation.

NEED HELP?

If you have any questions, please check out our FAQs below.

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I am having trouble logging into my account. What should I do?

If you are having trouble logging in, please check the following items:

1. Ensure that you have typed in the survey website exactly as it appears on the card you received in the mail. If you have used a browser search to find the website, instead try to manually type the website into address bar at the top of your internet browser using your card as reference.

2. Ensure you are typing the username and password exactly as it appears on the card you received in the mail. If you have completed a password reset, you should use the new password you selected.

If you still are unable to login after completing steps 1 and 2 above, please contact us by phone (for service in English – call 1-800-214-5226 and for service in French – call 1-800-243-3226) or by email (online.radiodiary@numeris.ca).

Why are radio surveys conducted?

Numeris’ Radio Diary surveys provide audience information that enables radio broadcasters to deliver the music and programs you want to listen to. These surveys give you an opportunity to tell decision-makers what you think of their station and programs.

When are the surveys conducted?

Radio surveys are conducted throughout the year.

How do you conduct Radio surveys?

We ask household members who are 12 years of age or older to record their radio listening during a one-week period in a Radio Diary. We ask one person in the home to act as Numeris’ contact, helping to ensure that everyone records their listening and that all Diaries are returned to Numeris. We enter the information from all the Diaries we receive into our database. This data is then compiled and used to produce our audience estimates and reports, which are released to our members twice a year.

How did you get my name and telephone number?

We obtain contact information in two ways. The phone numbers, names and address details we use are randomly selected from telephone book listings, cell phone listings included. In addition, we use a computer program to randomly generate new numbers in order to reach unlisted phone numbers.

Why was my household chosen?

A sample of homes across Canada is selected to represent the entire radio audience. This sample includes all types of homes. Yours was randomly selected as a representative of your community.

Why do you ask personal questions in the survey?

We ask personal information strictly for research purposes. You should note that we combine your data with information from other Radio Diaries to produce ratings about groups of people, not individual people or individual households, and we never disclose the names, addresses or phone numbers of survey participants. In other words, your privacy will not be compromised.

Must I answer all of the questions in the Diary?

Yes. Please answer all questions, and try your best to include as much detail as possible when filling out the radio listening section for each day.

What is the minimum listening time worth recording in my Diary?

If you listen to the radio for five minutes or more, we’d like you to record it.

Why did you send me more than one Diary?

We sent you a Diary for each member of your home aged 12 years or older. Please have each member of your household complete their own Diary.

I don't listen to the radio much. What good is my Diary?

It’s important that all selected homes participate in the radio listening survey, whether they listen to the radio just a little or a lot. This helps make sure we have a representative sample that reflects all types of radio listeners.

What if I don't know the name of the station?

Please enter any information you have about the station. The search field will try to match this information to our database. If there is no match, you can create a new entry for that station.

What if I switch stations during a 15-minute period?

Record the station you spend the most time listening to for each 15-minute period. Please record only one station per 15-minute period.

Is the AM/FM part important?

Yes. Some stations on one frequency have the same name as a station on another frequency. We want to make sure that the station you were actually listening to gets the credit, so it’s important to tell us whether it was on AM or FM.

What if I didn't choose the station?

Regardless of whether you chose it, if you listened to it we want to know.

Should I include programs I listen to in another language?

Yes. Please keep a record of all listening, whether the program is in English, French or another language.

Should I include US or international stations?

Yes. We want a complete picture of all your radio listening, so please include Canadian and US stations as well as those in any other country.

What if I listen to the radio away from home?

Please record the stations you listen to while in the car, at work, at someone else’s home, or any location outside of your home. Please remember to indicate where you were while you were listening.

If I listen to the radio in the middle of the night, where should I record it?

If you listen to the radio between 1:00 am and 5:00 am, relax and enjoy. There is no need to record it. Even Diary keepers need a rest!

How do I include listening to Sirius or XM?

Please include this information in your diary by entering Sirius, XM or SiriusXM in the “Station Name” field, depending on which station you’re listening to. And remember to select the appropriate «Location» for this listening.

What if I don't listen to the radio for one or more days of the survey week?

Please click on the “I Did Not Listen All Day” button if you did not listen to the radio at all that day. Otherwise, please enter the details of your radio listening.

What if a friend listens to the radio at our house?

Your Radio Diary should reflect your listening only. Please do not include anybody else’s listening in your Diary.

I recorded my listening on the wrong day. What should I do?

Please delete the incorrect entry and enter your listening information on the correct day.

If I'm listening to the radio while working from home, should I check off Home or Work?

Although you are working, please select the «Home» option. We are most interested in knowing where you are while you listen to the radio.

CONTACT

For service in English, please call 1-800-214-5226. For service in French, please call 1-800-243-3226.

Have a question?

If you could not find the answer you were looking for in our FAQs, please send us your question below.