• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, June 10, 2005

Nielsen Media Research executives can wipe some sweat of their brows after releasing some May 2005 Local People Meters data in four major markets. But not everyone is dabbing their respective foreheads.

Viewer information this past May showed improvements in all four markets - San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles -- with the largest demographic gain coming in men 18 to 49, arguably one of the most desired target audience for advertisers. Men always like holding the remote control far better than a pencil - pencils fill out those paper diaries that have been a local TV measuring staple for decades.

Critics will no doubt dispute these results. Surely, someone could complain there should be more women 25 to 54 represented in these local results.

The bigger issue is that nothing so far has been revealed about whether May witnessed a drop in minority viewing - one of the political lightning rods over the last year that Nielsen has had to contend with.

Overall, the largest total viewer spike was in San Francisco - almost a 20 percent improvement in May versus a year ago. One can assume that depressed male viewers needed some easy TV distractions due to Barry Bonds being unable to play baseball for a while. Maybe the Starbucks lattes aren't cutting it.

Weirdly, Los Angeles - another West Coast market - barely showed any difference, just a 0.5 percent improvement. All of which means Nielsen viewers in the angel city aren't that laid-back. When it comes to the seriousness of TV measurement, they seemingly write down an accurate account of their viewing habits, be it CBS's "Joan of Arcadia" or Outdoor Life Network's "Elk Country Journal." Chicago showed also a small gain, just 1.5 percent. Kudos to those Nielsen families' record-taking abilities.

New York showed a significant jump -- but not as big as San Francisco -- a 9 percent hike. Here more viewers, possibly men again, were probably unhappy with the slumping start of the New York Yankees and took solace in "Pimp My Ride" and "American Chopper" cable shows.

Nielsen isn't really cheering gains - or loses, for that matter -- in these TV viewership results. Like good researchers, they look to produce the best data. Of course, its TV clients are happiest when more people are using their product -- meaning high ratings.

For advertisers, high ratings typically mean high prices, and I hear they buy Nielsen data as well. Unlike Nielsen, their brows aren't wiped -- and could be raised.