Arbitron has "no objection" as to what services they measure, but do broadcasters?

"We can do it today," said Arbitron EVP/COO Sean Creamer on Tuesday, referring to the company's online audience measurement service. But Arbitron "can't launch the service" yet.

"Like PPM, the service requires industry cooperation," writes Inside Radio, and Arbitron reportedly isn't getting it. "We have not reached a point where there is a critical mass of customers providing the digital log file data," Creamer explained at the JP Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in Boston.

Some broadcasters are reportedly worried that Arbitron's coming measurement service will help Internet radio pureplay services "siphon off radio ad dollars" (more in RAIN here). Many even object to services like Pandora and Slacker being categorized as "radio." What's apparently happening is these operators, to avoid putting their online audiences up against the online-only powerhouses, are simply withholding their data from Arbitron.

Creamer's remarks echo what he said in February about the web audience measurement service: "The timing is not within our control" (RAIN coverage here). Arbitron's goal is to create an all-in-one measurement service, combining PPMs, diaries and server logs. The service could potentially measure any service, said Creamer (pictured) in Febuary, including Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio or others. 

"There’s no objection on our part to measuring whoever is defined as being radio," said Creamer on Tuesday.

Inside Radio writes that "until an industry consensus emerges about what constitutes 'radio,' the service won’t leave the launch pad." The publication comments that the debate about what is and isn't "radio" is "delaying radio's ability to more fully monetize its streaming audience."

While the industry debates, Pandora yesterday released AQH and cume ratings for 11 local markets with the help of Triton Digital (RAIN coverage here).

"But we certainly would welcome the opportunity to move the relationship with Arbitron to something that provides the marketplace with the quantitative data they’re looking for," reportedly said Pandora CRO John Trimble.

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