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The Nielson Family

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  • highquality
    #1 Super Guy
    • Jun 10, 2003
    • 3963

    The Nielson Family

    As a kid,whenever a new show I really liked was canceled, I blamed the Nielson Family. I mean, who were they? One family gets to pick which shows stay and which ones go?!?Out of all the families in the world, what made them so special??

    Funny how perceptions change in adulthood.

    Here's the reality:

    Nielsen television ratings are gathered in one of two ways:

    1. Viewer "diaries", in which a target audience self-records its viewing or listening habits. By targeting various demographics, the assembled statistical models provide a rendering of the audiences of any given show, network, and programming hour.
    2. A more technologically sophisticated system uses Set Meters, which are small devices connected to televisions in selected homes. These devices gather the viewing habits of the home and transmit the information nightly to Nielsen through a "Home Unit" connected to a phone line. The technology-based home unit system is meant to allow market researchers to study television viewing habits on a minute to minute basis, seeing the exact moment viewers change channels or turn off their TV. In addition to set meters, individual viewer reporting devices, such as people meters, have allowed the company to separate household viewing information into various demographic groups, but so far Nielsen has refused to change its distribution of data of ethnic groups into subgroups, which could give more targeted information to networks and advertisers
    WorldMEGO: Where MEGOs Go! 24 Hours a Day
  • Mikey
    Verbose Member
    • Aug 9, 2001
    • 47258

    #2
    I never trusted Nielson ratings because I can't image one minority or low income household being a "selected home"

    It's basically the upper middle class deciding what everyone should watch (which isn't fair)

    Comment

    • highquality
      #1 Super Guy
      • Jun 10, 2003
      • 3963

      #3
      I wonder sometimes which Nielson cousin keeps "Jersey Shore" going.
      WorldMEGO: Where MEGOs Go! 24 Hours a Day

      Comment

      • Mikey
        Verbose Member
        • Aug 9, 2001
        • 47258

        #4
        Originally posted by highquality
        I wonder sometimes which Nielson cousin keeps "Jersey Shore" going.
        Guessing mostly kids

        That's about the only people that watch broadcast TV anymore (new shows)

        Comment

        • SlipperyLilSuckers
          MeGoing
          • May 14, 2003
          • 9031

          #5
          That is so cute Heath

          Comment

          • Mr.Krusher
            Banned
            • Oct 25, 2010
            • 569

            #6
            The 'Nielson Family':

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH6OUmsPA0I


            Comment

            • ctc
              Fear the monkeybat!
              • Aug 16, 2001
              • 11183

              #7
              >It's basically the upper middle class deciding what everyone should watch

              Actually; it was discovered in the late 80's that no matter your demographic, you probably watch crap. Race, religion, wealth.... none of it made any real difference. 'Course, with the advent of so many channels in the late 90's you've got a lot of networks/producers/stations/media TRYING to break up the masses. Makes it easier to sell stuff to them. ("Target Marketing" I think is the term.)

              The biggest problem with the rating system is that it doesn't work. You've got a small (but statisticly significant) number of subjects. It's too easy for there to be bottlenecks in the process. On top of that, the formula also gives an unreasonable amount of strength to small numbers of collateral input. That is; one letter is considered to be the opinion of 10,000 viewers. (Which is why a dedicated team of little old churchladies can so readily have shows I like taken off the air.)

              Don C.

              Comment

              • Hulk
                Mayor of Megoville
                • May 10, 2003
                • 16007

                #8
                Jersey Shore explanation. Jersey is the 11th most populated state in the nation. Add in the NY and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, and the Jersey Shore is an iconic vacation getaway for countless millions of people. NJ has better beaches than anywhere north of Florida. 2/3 of the NJ coastline is beachfront property. Growing up in NJ, I went to school with people who didn't need spray on tans and cans of Aquanet to look like these kids desperately try to look weekly. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. For some of us, it's not reality tv, it's a sitcom, a show that mocks the stereotypes we grew up with. It's like the Simpsons for my generation. For the younger generation, its just scary that people would want to emulate these wannabe Guidos (said with affection for real ones). Either way, its like a fatal car wreck on the Garden State Parkway, you don't want to slow down and look, but you just have to.


                Comment

                • ctc
                  Fear the monkeybat!
                  • Aug 16, 2001
                  • 11183

                  #9
                  Hmmmm....

                  6 Studies That Prove Reality TV Is Causing the Apocalypse | Cracked.com

                  DoN C.

                  Comment

                  • torgospizza
                    Theocrat of Pan Tang
                    • Aug 19, 2010
                    • 2747

                    #10
                    I've participated in Nielsen ratings, and I'm anything but upper class. They pay you like $3 and have you fill out everything you watch. I don't have cable, so I wrote down what DVDs I watched during that week. I told them up-front I didn't watch anything but DVDs, and they said they didn't care--it was valid info, regardless.

                    Comment

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