• by Joe Mandese , April 12, 2004

Nielsen Media Research, which last week yielded to acute public and political pressure to postpone the roll out of people meters in the New York market, is preparing to do exactly what a Fox-led advocacy effort did: run a series of paid ads extolling its position on the controversial audience measurement system. The ads, which Nielsen executives reviewed last week, are aimed at Hispanic and African American consumers and will run in minority newspapers in the New York region.

The ads are part of a massive public information campaign Nielsen is preparing to educate consumers, minority group leaders and politicians on the benefits of using people meters to measure TV ratings and on the importance of having minorities participate in the sample in order to make it truly representative.

The effort will include many of the advertising, public relations, public affairs and lobbying initiatives employed by the Fox-backed Don't Count Us Out advocacy group that successfully exerted pressure on Nielsen, except one: direct mail advertising. Nielsen executives maintain that some direct mail pieces used by the advocacy group aimed at specific minority households may have unduly influenced Nielsen's ability to recruit consumers - especially minorities - to join its New York people meter sample, which ironically could impair its ability to make the sample truly representative. Nielsen executives have been building a case to support their contention and are considering several actions, including possible legal steps, or possibly even a "de-listing" of Fox stations from the local ratings reports.

Nielsen has a long-standing policy of de-listing, or removing rogue broadcasters who conduct marketing campaigns - particularly direct mail - efforts designed to influence the outcome of Nielsen ratings reports. The practice, known as "hypoing," usually is associated with promotions or contests run by stations during the so-called diary sweep periods.

Nielsen is not alone in its outrage. Comcast, the largest operator of cable TV systems, which has been aggressively trying to develop a local cable TV marketplace largely by developing more accurate research for local cable TV ratings, has been closely monitoring the New York people meter situation, especially Fox's advocacy tactics.

"We are definitely monitoring the situation and if we find out that there are more delays to a sample that should not be delayed due to public appeal campaigns, we will take whatever steps necessary, because we have significant business interests in this," says Jonathan Sims, vice president of research at Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Communications. "Quite frankly, I think the people of New York should be outraged by this, because local TV stations in the area depend on accurate ratings to determine what shows they program for the community."

Sims says he is particularly concerned by PR and direct mail efforts that were aimed at dissuading minorities from participating in the people meter sample, a move that ironically would diminish their representation and, as a result, the validity of local people meter ratings.

On Friday, two influential broadcast industry committees joined the fray, issuing a joint statement related to "publicity about ratings services." The committees on local TV and radio audience measurement, which operate under the auspices of the National Association Broadcasters, urged "all parties" to refrain from actions that would serve to discourage members of the public from participating in legitimate audience research surveys. Full and representative participation by all segments of the population is critical to high quality audience research, and actions that have the direct or indirect consequence of hindering the pursuit of this goal can undermine audience measurement systems."