Algum cuidado com as conclusões dos estudos consultados

«The Arbitron Company, in conjunction with Edison Media Research (Arbitron Study, 1999), conducted a large telephone survey of more than 1000 Arbitron diary keepers. Among the stated goals of this "spot load" study was to probe listener perceptions toward radio advertising. Because Arbitron has a vested interest in the overall success of radio as an advertising medium, the wording of many questions and the presentation of many findings have an obvious positive spin. Among the relevant findings were that the vast majority of respondents believe that listening to commercials is a "fair price to pay for free programming on the radio." On the other hand, a less publicized finding was that one third of the total sample would be willing to pay $5 per month for commercial-free programming. This study also concedes that young people (ages 12 to 24) are more likely to switch stations due to commercial avoidance. The Arbitron study (1999) does provide some important insights, but there is a clear agenda permeating the entire project. The obvious intent was to place radio in as good a light as possible and not dwell on chronic problems. AIthough switching due to commercials was recognized, there was no attempt to actually quantify its magnitude except by using imprecise phrases such as "rarely" and "sometimes."» (McDowell and Dick, 2003: 52)