Consumers Encountering Halted Radio Streams Easily Find Alternatives According to New Arbitron and Coleman Study.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2001

Many consumers who listen to radio station rebroadcasts on the Internet have encountered streams that have been halted due to disputes over rights fees, but have easily found other sources of streaming audio that deliver similar programming, according to a new study by Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) and Coleman, a media research firm specializing in music, trends and branding.

This new study - Broadband Revolution 2: The Media World of Speedies - examines the media usage characteristics of "Speedies" - consumers who have broadband Internet access at home, work or school. Nearly 70 percent of speedies who have used streaming audio are aware disputes over rights fees that have caused some sources of audio on the Internet to stop streaming. One-third have encountered radio station Web sites that have ceased streaming due to these disputes. More than two-thirds (68 percent) of those who have encountered halted audio streams were able to find other sources of similar-sounding audio programming online.

"Traditional radio stations that have temporarily discontinued their rebroadcast on the Web risk losing their webcast audiences to Internet-only webcasters," said Bill Rose, general manager and vice president, Arbitron Webcast Services, Arbitron Inc. "Our research indicates that the rapidly growing number of those with super fast Internet access, whom we call "Speedies," will find alternative sources of audio if they can't find their favorite station online."

Another key finding of the new study also shows that more than half (59 percent) of Speedies report tuning to the same sources of audio over and over again, while only less than a quarter (24 percent) say they seek new sources of audio when they tune in online.

"Like consumers who listen to over-the-air radio, online listeners say they spend most of their time with one or two sources of audio when they tune in. Therefore, if they can't find the audio they want it will far more difficult to win these listeners back after they leave," said Warren Kurtzman, vice president, Coleman.

Other issues addressed by this study are:

-- Widely held myths on who has Internet broadband access and where they
connect;

-- How broadband access impacts media usage habits;

-- What factors will contribute to the growth of residential broadband adoption
and usage of Internet-based media, such as streaming audio and video; and

-- Illegal downloading of copyrighted material;

These facts are a preview of the findings in the upcoming "Broadband Revolution 2: The Media World of Speedies" study. The full study will be released in a presentation given on June 20, 2001 in the Grand Ballroom of the Long Beach Convention Center at the Streaming Media West convention in Long Beach, California.

About Coleman

Coleman (www.ColemanInsights.com), headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina with offices in Los Angeles and Hamburg, Germany, is a media research firm that has provided deeper insights into music trends and branding opportunities to its clients since 1978. Its client base includes MTV, VH1, and CMT and hundreds of radio stations in North America and Europe, including those owned by Infinity Broadcasting, Emmis Communications, Jefferson-Pilot Communications, Citadel Broadcasting, Susquehanna Radio Corporation, Entravision Communications Corporation, Sandusky Radio, Inner City Broadcasting, Mid-West Family Broadcast Group, Hubbard Broadcasting and Capitol Broadcasting.

Among the services offered by Coleman are Plan Developer perceptual studies, which provide strategic planning tools for media outlets. Coleman FACT(R) studies provide radio stations with the most advanced strategic approach to music testing available.

About Arbitron

Arbitron Inc. (www.arbitron.com) is an international media and marketing research firm serving radio and television broadcasters; cable companies; advertisers and advertising agencies; magazines; newspapers and the online industry in the United States and Europe.

Arbitron's core businesses are measuring radio audiences in local markets across the United States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of local market consumers; and providing application software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information. Arbitron Webcast Services measures the audiences of audio and video content on the Internet, commonly known as webcasts.

Arbitron's marketing and business units are supported by a world-renowned research and technology organization located in Columbia, Maryland. Arbitron employs approximately 700 full-time employees; its executive offices are located in New York City.

Arbitron Webcast Ratings is a service mark of Arbitron Inc. All product names used are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

This press release is available on the Arbitron Web site at www.arbitron.com, on the Coleman Web site at www.ColemanInsights.com and the KCSA Web site at www.kcsa.com.