I just received a postcard from Nielsen Media Research Inc.
My “household had been chosen to be a ‘Nielsen Family’ for a one-week TV survey!”
My new friends at Nielsen will contact me via “a long-distance phone call” to explain the survey. (Long distance? This is big time!)
I’ve heard of Nielsen Families before and how their television watching is monitored to rank popular shows. I’ve always wondered, if I were a Nielsen Family, would my TV watching help keep my favorite shows on the air? And would crap shows be more likely to get canceled if I ignored them during my Nielsen tenure?
As a Nielsen Family for a week, my boyfriend and I would have to fill out and mail a survey about our TV watching. Although it sounds like a lot of work for nothing, the Nielsen Web site does assure me that not every household gets picked to be a super-special Nielsen family.
There are more than 100 million U.S. households, and Nielsen collects only 1.6 million TV diaries each year.
After doing the math, I realized I’m a Nielsen 1 percenter!
If I go with this “exciting opportunity” and keep a weeklong journal, I’m wondering how honest I should be. And how honest do they expect me to be?
I’m sure many people would like to improve their image if they know someone will be checking up. It’s like filling out the health history form at the doctor’s office and creatively altering your eating habits and exercise regimen.
So I seriously considered excluding a few shows from my journal; I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of the Nielsen researchers. So while I increased my PBS viewing, my journal would exclude …
More Top Picks Furniture
-The daytime reality drama “Starting Over.” First, I’d like to say I’m not a regular viewer. But I work from home and like to eat my lunch around noon in front of the television. This so-so show features women living in a Chicago home who are trying to make quick fixes in their lives–such as Brenda, who lists her goal on the Web site as “New Career/New Man.”
– Small-claims court shows such as “Judge Mathis” or “The People’s Court.” Again, I work from home and just like a little lunchtime company. If I eat early, it’s “Judge Mathis.” A little later and it’s “People’s Court.” Either way, I’ve learned a tremendous amount on the importance of documenting personal loan transactions and property damage.
With the privilege of becoming a Nielsen household comes responsibility. And since I’m hoping to knock the following shows off the air, my journal would not mention …
– Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey’s reality show “Newlyweds.” I saw the episode where Jessica’s creepy dad talked about her losing her virginity to Nick and felt grossed out. This is not Dad-talk.
– Any sort of show like “It’s Good to Be …” or “The Fabulous Life of …” that spends an hour boasting of a celebrity’s wealth, home and jewelry. Or their $30,000 pajamas.
– MTV’s reality show “Rich Girls,” following two wealthy Manhattan teens. I’ve seen parts of a few episodes, including the time when the amorous pet bull dog took an affectionate liking to the mom of a Rich Girl. She allowed the leg-loving, and I can’t eat my lunch in front of that.
For all my trouble of filling out the survey, the Nielsen people say they’ll send me a “small token of appreciation under ten dollars.” I wasn’t expecting any money to begin with, it was just the honor of being chosen!
But I have to admit the honor wore off pretty quickly. It’s just a bit of media research, and I wonder if my vote would count anyway.
And while I hate to throw away my 1 percenter status, I’d like to save my odds for something good.
Like the Lotto.
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