It has always bothered me that the shows I watch get cancelled because no one else watches them. Then, when said shows gets cancelled there is much angst and gnashing of teeth by the media and an outcry of injustice by more people than the statistics say ever tuned in. Then, the shows that are renewed (I’m looking at you According to Jim) seem to have no support.
So, I was a little jazzed when my wife recently fielded a call from the Nielsen Ratings organization, the group that accumulates the “ratings” that networks use in making programming decisions, requesting that we participate in their metered survey. For those of you who are curious, here is how it works. The Nielsen organization sends a technician who places a meter on your television/cable box/TiVo that tracks what shows are being viewed when your television is on. Using this information, the organization extrapolates our viewing habits as representing something like a million other TV watchers. (I’m not sure about that number because I haven’t really read the material they gave me.)
Despite protests from Steve Hunt who told me that it was a conspiracy by the government to steal my thoughts and sell them to big oil companies for use in covering up the contributions of Garret Morgan, we decided to participate. So, if future quality programs like Chuck, Scrubs, Friday Night Lights, and Pushing Daisies suddenly become highly rated hit shows while any reality-based crap starts tanking, you can thank me.
In addition to saving the shows I actually enjoy watching, I thought it might be fun to toy with the box and make it think I watch some local shows that probably have a viewer base of the hosts of the show and their immediate family. After the jump, I’ll tell you what they are. Continue reading ‘Meet the Nielsen’s’
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