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We wanted to be a Nielsen Family because we know accurate ratings are important for the survival of quality programming. We are avid consumers of media and grieve the closure of stations and outlets and publications. We wanted to do our bit to help.
This is the sort of blog post you just never see coming. Strange, but true.
Back in July, I received a mailer inviting me to become a Nielsen Family. I said “Why not?” and promptly forgot about it after I clicked yes. A few weeks later, a woman came to our house on a Saturday afternoon with paperwork and a bag of free stuff. If we completed the paperwork with her, we received a $50 Visa gift card. And the goodies.
She sat in her car and called me. I put her on speakerphone and we both answer many, many questions. So many questions. After that, she told us to expect the equipment in the mail — they use a little electronic device to pick up your tv/radio/streaming service signals. She also explained this incredibly complicated thing about points and money and gifts and such.
What she didn’t know is that none of that mattered to us. We wanted to be a Nielsen Family because we know accurate ratings are important for the survival of quality programming. We are avid consumers of media and grieve the closure of stations and outlets and publications. We wanted to do our bit to help.
We also grew up hearing about the Nielsen ratings. They were mysterious. Why were some months…
