Feder: ESPN 1000 blasts Nielsen for ratings undercount

A rare correction and admission of error by Nielsen Audio Thursday wasn't enough to satisfy WMVP 1000-AM after the ESPN Radio sports/talk station was shortchanged in the latest Chicago radio ratings, Robert Feder writes.

Overall the station gained only one-tenth of a point, raising its total audience share from 1.2 percent to 1.3, and securing its ranking from a four-way tie for 25th to alone in 25th place.

Sources said the increase for ESPN 1000 was more significant in key demographics, especially among men between 25 and 54. Shares for midday hosts David Kaplan and the team of Carmen DeFalco and John Jurkovic rose as much as 50 percent. (Nielsen guidelines prohibit publication of specific demographic data.)

Despite the correction, Jim Pastor, vice president and general manager of ESPN 1000 Chicago, said he wasn't pleased with the process, calling Nielsen's Portable People Meter technology "inadequate at best" in measuring listenership on digital devices.

Get the full report, and more Chicago media news, at robertfeder.com.