An Inside Look at the Nielsen Ratings
Click on the following website to answer the questions given:
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/menuitem.3437240b94cacebc3a81e810d8a062a0/?vgnextoi
d=130547f8b5264010VgnVCM100000880a260aRCRD
To answer the questions click on the text-box below each question and type in
your answer. Be sure to save your document to BOTH your own account and the
required folder located in our stream’s MASS MEDIA folder. Use the file naming
rules given on the board.
Your Name: ANSWER KEY TOR:
“Collecting a nd Pr ocessing the Data”
1. What is tuning data?
What programs are being viewed
2. What is demographic data?
Who is watching / the composition of the audience
3. Where is the Nielsen operating center located?
Oldsmar, FL
4. To whom does Nielsen report their data?
The television industry: television networks, advertisers
5. How is information collected during the “sweeps” period?
Paper diaries or logs
6. According to this section, how else is viewer information collected?
Through an in-home metering system (box)
“Pro ducing and Deli vering the Rati ngs”
1. Give the three reasons why the Nielsen clients (not the families being surveyed) want
to know as much information about viewing behavior as possible.
1. Some clients are advertisers and they want to be sure they are placing the best ads they
can in the best places
2. Networks want to be sure they have placed programs properly in the week
3. Networks analyze this information to see if they need to adjust how they line up their
programs
“Top TV Rati ngs
1. Which network has the most television shows in the Top Nine according to the
Nielsen Ratings (Jan. 22, 2007)?
CBS
2. Why would it cost more to advertise during American Idol or Grey’s Anatomy than
Shark?
Simple: You get what you pay for…the bigger the audience, the more you are going to have
to pay to get your message across
“Sa mpling the Population”
1. What kind of people does Nielsen Media Research sample?
A little bit of everyone…they need to get a general sampling in order to do the statistics
correctly: all 50 states, cities, suburbs, rural areas, homeowners, people who rent/live in
apartments, all ages, every income group, ethnicities, and educational levels
2. Why can’t you volunteer to be a “Nielsen Family”?
That would skew the random sampling (would not be random then) and could not calculate the
stats. correctly
3. According to “Selecting Households,” what two methods are used by Nielsen to
select households?
1. Geographic Sampling (area probability)
2. Randomly-generated telephone numbers (total telephone frame)
“Our Mea sureme nt Tec hniques”
1. A typical home can have about how many TV channels? 109
2. What are the two types of electronic meters used by Nielsen called and what does
each do?
1. Set Meters: capture what channel (program) is being viewed
2. People Meters: collect information about who is watching
3. What other way does Nielsen collect data – especially during “sweeps”?
Through paper “diaries” or logs certain households have (they are mailed out by Nielsen
and then returned to Nielsen)
4. List any month that can be considered a “sweeps” month?
October, November, January, February, March , May, July
5. Briefly summarize the “People Meter” and how it is used?
The meters collect data on what is being watched on a TV and who in the family is watching it:
• Size of a book, a device that hooks into each TV set in the house (1 per TV)
• Has a remote control that has buttons designated for each person in the house
• Unit flashes a light to remind the viewer to push their button and supply their info. as soon
as that TV is turned on
6. According to the website, what cities are considered the largest local markets?
New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago
7. According to the website, what cities are considered large to mid-size local markets?
Seattle, San Antonio, Memphis
8. According to the website, what cities are considered small local markets?
Honolulu, Tallahassee, Fargo / Valley City
9. How would you classify Pensacola, Fl in local market terms?
Small market city
EXTRA: Whe re i s Oldsmar , F L loc ated?
(answers may vary slightly) just north of Tampa Bay (close to the city of Tampa, FL)
How did you figure this o ut?
(answers may vary slightly here too)
I typed “Oldsmar, FL” into Google and clicked on the first listing. It was the official website
for the city of Oldsmar. Finally, I clicked on a link called “Map of Oldsmar” which showed
me where the city is located around Tampa Bay. I’ve also spent some time in the Tampa area.