The Bureau of Broadcast Measurement, or BBM, is an audience measurement organization for Canadian television and radio broadcasting. In radio, BBM is the main provider of ratings services; in television it competes against the American company A.C. Nielsen. When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are generally referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by the New York City-based firm Nielsen Media Research to determine which shows television viewers watch at what times. ...
BBM was established on May 11, 1944 as a division of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. In 1964, it became the first ratings service in the world to introduce computerized sample selection. May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Canadian Association of Broadcasters is an organization representing Canadas private television and radio networks, established in 1926, it has over 600 members. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... Sampling is that part of statistical practice concerned with the selection of individual observations intended to yield some knowledge about a population of concern, especially for the purposes of statistical inference. ...
BBM uses a diary-based system for tracking radio and television audience habits. The company had reached a deal with Nielsen in 1985 to use Nielsen's people meter system, but that deal fell through and in 1989 Nielsen launched people meters in Canada without BBM's participation. An appointment diary A diary or journal is a book for writing discrete entries arranged by date. ... This article is about the year. ... The People Meter is a device and system designed by Nielsen Media Research to allow a relatively passive measurement of the viewing habits of TV and cable audiences. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
It was set up as a non-profit tri-partite cooperative of broadcasters, advertisers and their agencies with a mandate to provide high quality, impartial, measurement of radio audiences in Canada, at the lowest possible cost to all concerned.
Later, BBM records note that "premiums" were sent out with each "ballot" as recompense for the respondent's efforts and cooperation and in order to assure a high percentage return.
On July 7, 1966, in recognition of the expanding nature of the broadcasting industry, the Board of Directors officially renamed the organization "BBMBureau of Measurement" and drafted a new constitution.
Pioneer broadcaster Darby Coats, who was with CFCF radio when it came on-air in Montreal in 1920, recalled going down to the local record store to "borrow" a phonograph and some records.
The Association was also the instigator of the Broadcast Executives' Society, which developed as a valuable forum for the exchange of views and information among its members, with guest speakers being invited to share their thoughts on the current broadcasting scene, and their crystal ball visions of the future.
Through their participation in the business of broadcasting, by serving on the boards of broadcasting organizations such as the Radio and Television Bureaus, the Broadcast Executives' Society and the Bureau of BroadcastMeasurement, they were givers as well as takers, and the industry has been the better for their presence.
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