• by Joe Mandese , June 9, 2004

In a series of new developments in the pitched battle over Nielsen's local people meter system, an influential industry group sought to silence the TV advertising efforts of Nielsen's chief critic - News Corp.-backed Don't Count Us Out - while another high-level group was formed to resolve the dispute once and for all.

On Tuesday, the Media Rating Council issued a cryptic, but declarative statement calling on the "organizations involved" in the anti-Nielsen TV ads to stop all forms of advertising directed at consumers that could influence their participation in Nielsen's TV ratings samples.

"Public policy debate is always welcome," said the MRC statement, "but media organizations whose businesses are directly affected by audience ratings should not sponsor or carry advertising, regardless of medium."

Without naming names, the MRC said it would "communicate its positions directly to the organizations involved." The statement, a tepid rebuke of MRC member News Corp.'s support of the Don't Count Us Out campaign, stopped short of any formal sanctions against News Corp., which many members feel have violated MRC bylaws and possibly even Nielsen contracts by supporting advertising that could influence Nielsen's TV ratings.

The MRC also called on Nielsen to "take immediate action" to address the findings of a recent MRC audit of the New York people meter system, which failed to win a crucial accreditation from the council.

Also on Tuesday, Nielsen unveiled an important step toward that process, naming 11 prominent community leaders and TV industry executives to serve on an independent task force on TV measurement issues. The task force, which was selected in consultation with New York Congressman Charles Rangel, tapped Illinois Congresswoman Cardiss Collins as its chairperson, and also includes: Bob Barocci, president-CEO of The Advertising Research Foundation; Melody Spann-Cooper, president and general manager of WVON-AM, Chicago; Rev. James L. Deemus III, executive director of the NAACP Chicago (Southside); Ray Durazo, chair of the Latin Business Association in Los Angeles; Mary Gonzales Koenig, president of the Spanish Coalition for Jobs; Scott McDonald, senior vice president for market research at Condé Nast Publications; Byron E. Lewis, chair and CEO of UniWorld Group; Guillermo Linares, former member of the New York City Council; Manuel Mirabal, president of the National Puerto-Rican Coalition; Elinor Tatum, publisher of The Amsterdam News.

Nielsen said several experts on demographic research would also be added to review Nielsen's methods and data.

The move comes none to soon for Nielsen, which as rapidly been losing support from key stakeholders in its bid to deploy the local people meters. Viacom's CBS unit, Tribune Co., Univision and even the ARF have called on Nielsen to discontinue its local people meter service until the issues can be resolved, and on Tuesday, the Illinois state legislature passed a resolution calling on Nielsen to delay the new meters, which are scheduled to roll out in Chicago in August.