Atlanta’s radio listeners will suffer a setback this Fall when the new Arbitron ratings system takes effect according to a radio industry insider. The “next generation of electronic ratings” is based on a new system called the Portable People Meter which already has radio programmers pulling their hair out.

The creator of the new system was in town yesterday delivering the bad news to area radio stations. Urban radio programmers say the system is unfair to urban formats because it uses volunteers to wear portable meters which pick up signals from radios in the area. The problem, say the programmers, is that there won’t be enough volunteers wearing portable meters in urban areas.

The PPM system is already in place in major markets such as LA, Houston, Philadelphia and New York. Stations that were once riding high on the Arbitron charts saw their ratings plunge. WBLS shock jock Wendy Williams‘s show plummeted from the #1 spot out of the top ten when the system took effect in NY last year. Her contract is not expected to be renewed.

Several stations in Atlanta will be forced to change formats come August when the system is launched here. But one Atlanta urban radio station is set to close it’s doors for good according to my source.