Nielsen, Critics to Meet Over Meters
By Steve McClellan -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/23/2004 5:17:00 PM
Nielsen Media Research president Susan Whiting has asked Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, to meet with her and other Nielsen executives to discuss concerns he has with the way Nielsen’s new "Local People Meter" system calculates ratings for minority TV viewers.
Though Nogales has not officially responded, he told B&C he wants to meet as well, saying it should be with Whiting, Nielsen spokesman Jack Loftus, chief researcher Paul Donato, and one other. No more than four or five on each side, he said, but enough for dialog and a lot of questions. Nogales said he would talk with other coalition leaders to make sure they had their full complement of heavy hitters. The invitation came a day after the Los Angles City Council passed a resolution requesting Nielsen to meet with its chief critic, the Don’t Count Us Out Coalition (with which Nogales is partnered), which believes that the LPM under-represents minorities in its household samples in New York and Los Angeles. A separate resolution, submitted by City Councilman Bernard Parks requesting Nielsen to delay implementation of the LPM service in Los Angeles was shelved. Parks could not be reached for comment.
