Zenith Optimedia Commits to Arbitron Portable People Meter System for Future Radio Planning and Buying.

NEW YORK -- Multi-Year Data Services Contract Includes Provision for Use of PPM-Based Radio Estimates Pending Arbitron Deployment of Electronic Audience Measurement Service

Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) announced today that Zenith Optimedia, a unit of the world's largest media services group, has signed a commitment to use radio audience estimates based on the Portable People Meter (PPM(SM)) when Arbitron deploys its state-of-the-art audience measurement service. The agreement is part of the agency's renewal of a multi-year Arbitron data and software services contract.

Zenith Optimedia is among a growing number of U.S. agencies that have committed to use Portable People Meter audience estimates in order to plan and buy radio. The company been a strong advocate of the Portable People Meter system and the benefits it will bring to radio and advertisers alike.

"We are gratified by the firm commitment Zenith has made to the Portable People Meter," said Carol Hanley, Senior Vice President, Sales, US Media Services, Arbitron Inc. "As we get closer to a decision regarding the deployment of the PPM in the U.S. media marketplace, the support by those who spend money advertising on radio should send a clear message to the industry."

The agreement covers the US-based radio planning and buying activities of Zenith Optimedia companies: Zenith, Optimedia, Conill, Saatchi & Saatchi and Team One. In aggregate, these media planning and buying units of Zenith place advertising for such national advertisers as Toyota, Sprint, General Mills, JP Morgan Chase and Verizon Wireless.

This agreement with Zenith Optimedia does not commit Arbitron to a specific timetable for deployment of the Portable People Meter system. Arbitron has not yet made a decision regarding when and for which markets it will deploy the Portable People Meter system to measure local market radio audiences.

Arbitron is evaluating two approaches for the commercialization of the Portable People Meter system. Arbitron granted Nielsen Media Research an option to join in the potential commercial deployment of the Portable People Meter for audience measurement in the United States. In the event that Nielsen Media Research exercises the option, the Arbitron and Nielsen would form a joint venture to commercially deploy and operate the Portable People Meter system for the collection and measurement of listening and viewing audience data in local markets for broadcast and cable television as well as for radio.

In the event that Nielsen Media Research chooses not to exercise its option to form a joint venture with Arbitron to use the PPM technology for radio and television audience measurement, Arbitron intends to offer a PPM service for audience measurement to the radio industry.

About Zenith Optimedia

Zenith Optimedia is part of the world's largest media services group. Fully owned by Publicis Group, our 169 offices in 59 countries ensure that we are able to offer a top-level service wherever our clients require it.

About Arbitron

Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) is an international media and marketing research firm serving radio broadcasters, cable companies, advertisers, advertising agencies and outdoor advertising companies in the United States, Mexico and Europe. Arbitron's core businesses are measuring network and local market radio audiences 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 data. The Company has also developed the Portable People Meter (PPM), a new technology for media and marketing research.

Arbitron's marketing and business units are supported by its research and technology organization, located in Columbia, Maryland. Arbitron has approximately 1,700 employees; its executive offices are located in New York City.

Through its Scarborough Research joint venture with VNU, Inc., Arbitron also provides media and marketing research services to the broadcast television, magazine, newspaper and online industries.

PPM(SM)is a service mark of Arbitron Inc.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements regarding Arbitron in this document that are not historical in nature, particularly those that utilize terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes" or "plans," or comparable terminology, are forward-looking statements based on current expectations about future events, which Arbitron has derived from information currently available to it. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our results to be materially different from results implied in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include whether we will be able to:

--renew all or part of contracts with large customers as they expire;

--successfully execute our business strategies, including implementation of our Portable People Meter services;

--effectively manage the impact of consolidation in the radio and advertising agency industries;

--keep up with rapidly changing technological needs of our customer base, including creating new proprietary software systems and new customer products and services that meet these needs in a timely manner;

--successfully manage the impact on our business of any economic downturn generally and in the advertising market in particular; and

--successfully manage the impact on costs of data collection due to privacy concerns and/or government regulations.

Additional important factors known to Arbitron that could cause forward-looking statements to turn out to be incorrect are identified and discussed from time to time in Arbitron's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in particular the risk factors discussed under the caption "ITEM 1. BUSINESS - Business Risks" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The forward-looking statements contained in this document speak only as of the date hereof, and Arbitron undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.