Rajar said today that it would not be introducing electronic measurement in the immediate future, as it is concerned that tests of two different meters was inconsistent.
However, it is not ruling out introducing electronic measurement at a future stage, saying that electronic meters will remain at the top of Rajar's agenda.
Rival radio measurement firm Gfk signed a three-year deal with Kelvin MacKenzie's Wireless Group to test Radiocontrol on his TalkSPORT national radio station.
Rajar has been testing the Arbitron Portable People Meter and the Radiocontrol wristwatch, but found problems with both.
Rajar said that the Radiocontrol audio-meter was unable to distinguish between broadcast platforms, ie if a programme was simulcast on AM and FM. The Arbitron PPM has been questioned because of the cost implications, as it would require a panel of listeners six times larger than the present panel.
Jane O'Hara, managing director of Rajar, said: "Following careful consideration, the Rajar board has decided against the introduction of electronic meters for the time being. Its decision is wholly based on the findings of Rajar's detailed tests, which have shown that neither electronic device, in its current form, is capable of delivering a radio measurement system for the UK that would reach Rajar's gold-standard."
Kelvin MacKenzie, the former Sun editor, has taken on Rajar's monopoly on measuring radio audiences, claiming that the current system is inaccurate and robs some stations of audience numbers.
GfK owns Radiocontrol, a company which has developed an electronic wristwatch that records the listening habits of the wearer for a week. By audio-matching the watch's recording against the output of the monitored radio stations, the wearer's preferences can be identified. The company is planning a three-year trial.
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