Contributor: Rich Tunkel, Managing Director, Nielsen Audio
For the past several years, we’ve been on a mission at Nielsen: to make sure radio measurement is as modern and dynamic as the industry itself. Content and advertising decisions depend on accurate, reliable data and that means constant measurement evolution and adaptation.
I’m thrilled that this journey is reaching a major milestone. This month, we are officially launching the Nielsen mobile survey (mSurvey). This marks the most significant change Nielsen has ever made to the Audio Diary service, which covers more than 150 local radio markets in the U.S. It is the latest piece of a multi-year transformation plan designed to make our measurement more resilient and ensure the radio audience is represented more robustly.
A Multi-Year Transformation Journey
The launch of mSurvey didn’t happen in a vacuum. It is the culmination of five key initiatives we’ve been rolling out to modernize how we connect with people and improve the quality of the data we provide.
1. eScreener: A Modern First Impression In early 2024, we introduced the eScreener. This is the very first point of contact where we reach out to a household to collect demographics and contact information. By moving to a digital format, we’ve found it much easier to attract those difficult-to-reach respondents who are more likely to participate in a digital survey, helping us build a more balanced sample from the start.
2. Digital Incentives: Rewards for the Digital Age We also overhauled how we incentivize our participants. In addition to mailing cash or checks, we now offer digital incentives—online rewards that respondents can choose from, including major retailers and digital payment services. These digital rewards are particularly appealing to younger listeners. The response has been incredible: 94% of respondents who received digital awards redeemed them when we rolled this out.
3. Targeted Reselects: Reaching the 18-34 Respondent One of our biggest wins came in the Spring of 2024 with “Targeted Reselects.” For the first time, we intentionally invited households that had participated in the past—specifically those with members aged 18-34—to join a new survey week. The result? We saw a massive 14-point increase in 18-34 sample proportionality in just one season. We are continuing this program to ensure these vital young listeners are fully represented in your data.
4. Full Address-Based Sampling (ABS): Precision Recruitment Traditionally, we recruited about 25% of our Diary sample over the phone. However, phone-based recruiting increasingly skews toward older (55+) consumers. In the Fall of 2024, we moved to 100% Address-Based Sampling (ABS). By using physical addresses instead of phone numbers as our starting point, we can much more accurately find and include households that reflect the true makeup of a local market.
The Final Piece: mSurvey
With those foundations in place, we are now ready for mSurvey—the digital version of the one-week diary, accessible on any mobile device. We’ve been testing, re-testing and building this for over three years to make sure it’s ready for the spotlight.
While the paper diary will remain the primary mode of collection for the majority of our respondents, mSurvey is designed to keep our measurement relevant to the way people spend their day and interact with the world around them. The mSurvey makes logging radio listening easy and intuitive for the modern consumer, leading to cleaner data and faster data collection. The goal of mSurvey is to improve proportionality, particularly among younger respondents, without sacrificing the robustness of the data collected that our clients have come to expect. While mSurvey will account for approximately 10% of our total diary sample, we will continue to test and improve it with the hope to further expand it in the future.
The initial rollout is set for the Spring 2026 survey period, with sample selection taking place right now.
Reliable Data You Can Trade On
This entire transformation—from eScreeners to the launch of mSurvey—has been about one thing: giving you a more representative and modern look at your audience. We’ve done the heavy lifting to ensure the Audio Diary remains the robust, reliable currency your business depends on.
We’re excited to take this final step forward with you. Get ready for a new era of radio measurement this Spring.
Thank you for your continued partnership as we invest in the future of audio.