From the publisher: Here at A.T.E.! we've been trying for weeks to locate an actual Arbitron Portable People Meter household whose members would go on the record about their lives and the PPM experience. Now that we've found one, we think this article series will be valuable information for anyone in radio who wants to know what makes a meter carrier tick. We won't reveal the market this family is from for reasons of privacy. But the rest is on the table for you to digest. We tried to stay away from actual radio station questions in order to concentrate on the personalities and motivations of those who hold your future in their hands. Now, meet...the Farkel family.
The Farkels - An OverviewThe amount of cold-calling and badgering that went into this project is staggering, but suffice to say that the discovery of the Farkels caps a difficult multi-week search for a PPM household willing to share the experience with you. Come to find out, the Farkels actually love media attention, and bent over backwards to accommodate us. In this first installment of our series, we'll meet them individually.
Frank Farkel, 52 - family patriarch. Employed full-time by a waste management firm. Hobbies include science and meteorology, which might explain the ominous gigantic mylar weather balloon anchored in the family's back yard.
Fanny Farkel, 47 - loving mother who co-manages a self-serve laundromat on very flexible hours, which allows her to participate in many other money-making side projects and still devote time to her five kids.
The Farkel children: Fourteen-year-old Flicker Farkel; 11-year-old twins Simon and Gar Farkel; Sparkle Farkel, 9; Charcoal Farkel, 8.
Income - Education - Lifestyle
Income - Education - Lifestyle
We estimate the Farkels' combined income to be in the neighborhood of $70K/year. The family car is an American-made SUV; the neighborhood is lower middle-class; they have no pets or livestock. All the children attend public schools and none have had to repeat a grade, though two have had close calls. Of the family's seven members, only Fanny Farkel has had a felony conviction (currently on appeal). The Farkel children's resemblance to good friend and trusted neighbor Ferd Berfel is strictly coincidence, we are told.
Now that we've given you a quick sketch of the family, we hope you'll return tomorrow when we'll hear from the Farkels about the PPM experience, in their own words.
