Independent radio stations aired Tobin's pieces during the summer of 1998 to positive listener reaction from conventional jazz aficionados, who identified with the computer-generated drums and composition.

When Ripley's 1930 debut on The Collier Hour brought a strong listener reaction, he was given a Monday night NBC series beginning April 14, 1930, followed by a 1931-32 series airing twice a week.

The 205-page document thereafter submitted to Congress by the bureau took account of these findings as part of an exhaustive study based on various double-blind tests of listener reactions.

"We measure listener reactions under controlled conditions," says Dr. Toole.

Margulis's model describes three distinct types of listener reactions, each derived from listener-experienced tension:

Getting a strong listener reaction to 78-year-old fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson that November, Hay announced the following month that WSM would feature "an hour or two" of old-time music every Saturday night.

Rather, Mr. Clark measures listener reactions that reflect technical performance factors, and from these data he judges the validity of certain beliefs.

Although it was not possible to evaluate listener reaction in full, comments posted on the news service's Web site suggested that some were angry, bored or disgusted.

Thus Adorno suggested using individual interviews to determine listener reactions and, only three months after meeting Lasarzfeld, completed a 160-page memorandum on the Project's topic, "Music in Radio."

At times he roused strong listener reaction with his attacks on mainstream movies and his promotion of independent film.