Nielsen TV Ratings

About a month or two ago we received a postcard in the mail from Nielsen TV Ratings saying that we had been chosen to be apart of their tv surveys for a week. As a former Broadcasting student (focusing on tv production), I was excited. I had learned about the Nielsen rating while in school and often wondered how they came up with the sampling homes.

They called, explained what they wanted us to do, sent us the information and away we went. In the mail a week later was 4 tv watching diaries, instructions and $30 in cash (why would a big company sent CASH??).

So, we were supposed to keep track of everything that was watched during the week. "Watch" was defined as when the tv was on and you were either watching or listening to the program. The kids playing while Dora is on is considering "watching", me doing dishes while the tv is on is considered "watching." We had to keep track for each individual person and also for any guests. It was a bit tedious. Here is what the diary looks like (there is one for each tv):



Here's what I learned through the week:

1. It's harder than you think to write down everything you watch.
2. Tivo & DVR adds another challenge.
3. I watch entirely TOO much tv.
4. Worse, my kids watch entirely too much tv.

I'm glad the survey is over but I'm also glad that we had a chance to participate.