New York - Jul 8, 2008 - Arbitron now offers a free, customized concierge service targeted to Portable People Meter (PPM) survey participants between the ages of 18 and 34. The user-controlled, Web-based, telephone wakeup and reminder service is designed to improve compliance by increasing the day-to-day contacts between the PPM respondents and Arbitron's ongoing panel relations efforts.

Called the PPM VIP Service, PPM panelists in New York, Houston and Philadelphia who live in households with a person age 18-34 in residence can use the personal digital calendar service to help keep track of their schedules. Users can visit their password-protected panelist Web page and register any phone number to receive customized alerts for any personal event.

Once a panelist activates the service, he can receive alerts and reminders on as up to five different numbers. The website lets a panelist modify messages for each phone number, time of alert and personalize the content with exact text for every message he enters into the system. Later, when the PPM VIP Service calls back at the designated day and time, an automated voice reads the same message the panelist input into the website.

Arbitron will consider adding to the options offered and expanding the service to additional PPM markets after an evaluation of panelist adoption rates and long-term usage patterns.