The UK’s radio industry has spent a long time preparing for electronic measurement, but at the last hurdle they’ve abandoned their plans and a re sticking to diaries. After spending about £3.5 million on feasibility studies with Arbitron’s Personal People Meter, it’s all been called off.

The joint industry organisation that looks after radio measurement, RAJAR, might be looking at a new online diary system, with testing taking place in July.

Apparently the main problem was getting the panel to put accurate data into the machines at breakfast time.

The electronic meter trials started in London in early 2007 but one of the key sponsors, the television measurement body BARB, left after a year. This made the project costly for the remaining partner, RAJAR.

eBay is auctioning unsold inventory from 2,300 US radio stations. Advertisers can buy airtime using the eBay Media Marketplace which was originally set up for cable tv ad auctions. The service effectively rebrands the Bid4Spots efforts to open a radio media space auction marketplace. It’s a reverse auction system where advertisers declare how much they will pay for airtime and radio stations compete by making offers to win the business. Bid4Spots and eBay are partners in the operation.

TargetSpot lets small businesses launch ad campaigns on internet radio via a full service online suite taking them from ad creation to media buying. There are many solutions like this for text or image advertising on the web, but the availability of an end to end radio service is something new. (more…)