Agency Returns to Nielsen Fold for Local TV Ratings

In the battle for local TV measurement business, Nielsen said it signed a new long-term agreement with a former long-time client, ad agency Lockard & Wechsler.

An Irvington, N.Y.-bsed full-service direct-response agency, Lockard & Wechsler most recently had been getting viewership data from Nielsen’s rival Comscore.

Rene Munoz, executive VP of Lockard & Wechsler, affirms his decision to re-engage the company’s relationship with Nielsen, saying “we are pleased to be working exclusively with Nielsen on Local TV Measurement.”

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"Nielsen’s local TV audience measurement is the most comprehensive, fully representative data available and is the only currency that accounts for changes in the evolving TV landscape. As an agency precision is paramount in our planning and we are excited about the value that this data will provide for our campaigns and our advertisers to accelerate ROI,” Munoz said.

On Tuesday, Comscore announced that it was launching a strategic review of its business after reporting lower revenues and a wider loss in the second quarter.

Comscore has been pointing to local TV as an area where it has been picking up business.

But Nielsen recently announced that broadcasters SagamoreHill and Block Communications had returned, signing new deals for local measurement service.

“We are delighted to continue to expand our relationship with Lockard & Wechsler,” said David Hohman, executive VP and managing director of Nielsen Media Demand Side. “As a nationally acclaimed agency, we are excited to empower Lockard & Wechsler to maximize their campaigns by providing their clients with increased ROI, using currency data measuring persons and eliminating waste from campaign spend.”

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.