Birch ratings

Birch Radio Ratings was a United States media audience measurement service that was founded in 1978 and grew internally and through acquisitions in the 1980s to become the nation's largest provider of newspaper audience data and second largest provider of radio audience ratings. Using a daily telephone interview to capture prior day listening instead of the weekly written diary employed by industry leader Arbitron, Birch was successful in gaining widespread support from over 1,200 radio stations and 2,500 advertising agencies. Birch Radio advertiser and agency clients in the 1980s included BBDO/New York, McCann Erickson, McDonalds, Delta Air Lines, Anheuser Busch and others. At its peak, Birch Radio employed over 1,200 people and conducted over 100,000 monthly interviews, measuring over 280 markets throughout the U.S and Canada.

Birch Radio was sold in 1987 to Dutch publishing conglomerate (and ultimate acquirer of the Nielsen television rating service) VNU, and the company was merged with VNU subsidiary Scarborough Research. Birch Radio's founder, radio industry veteran Tom Birch, became Chairman and CEO of the merged Birch/Scarborough entity until his departure in 1990 to form Opus Media Group.

In December 1992, two years after Birch's departure, VNU sold a 50% interest in Scarborough to Arbitron and shuttered the Birch Radio ratings service. Scarborough continues today as the leading provider of local television, radio and newspaper qualitative and shopping behavior information.