NY State sues to stop use of Portable People Meter to measure audience size

Here is the problem. The Portable People Meter is considered more accurate than the traditional diaries that people used to use because it actually measures whether people are in the room watching the show. Apparently, African-Americans were claimed to watching shows at much higher rates than they actually were. To prevent the use of this more accurate measure, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed a lawsuit.

New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a lawsuit on Friday accusing Arbitron Inc, the largest ratings company for radio in the United States, of false advertising and deceptive business practices.

Cuomo's office said in a statement that the lawsuit accuses Arbitron "of deceptively claiming that its Portable People Meter system is valid, fair, and representative of diverse radio markets." . . .