"Steve Stone" wrote:

I'm a database analyst by day and I know statistics can be made to say
anything you want them to say, especially if you ask the wrong questions
that reflect what the reviewer wants to hear and not what the public wants
to tell them.

I tried making that point a couple months ago, with no affect.
Everyone thinks that any collection of data can be analyzed with a
normal distribution... and it just ain't so.

Likewise, like you say, surveys are often -- perhaps usually --
slanted to return the results they want. My personal experience with
Arbitron left me unimpressed.

The whole radio ratings game is a self-serving, narrow minded exercise
in mutual masturbation. Eventually the listeners will abandon radio
for podcasts, MP3s, email lists to discuss the latest bands, and so
on. Radio can no longer count on its captive audience.

--
Eric F. Richards,
"It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the purpose of a
business is to make money. But the real purpose of a business is to
create value. While it’s possible to make money in the short run
without creating much value, in the long run it’s unsustainable.
Even criminal organizations have to create value for someone."
- Steve Pavlina, April 10, 2006