Nielsen concedes error, reprocessing news ratings

AP via Breitbart ^ | David Bauder

[CutePuppy]

Nielsen Media Research has conceded making an error and is performing a recount after the company's ratings on Tuesday initially indicated that ABC's "World News" most likely had its smallest audience ever. The dispute with Nielsen was a downer for the network after the entertainment division—keyed by the National Basketball Association finals—won in the prime-time ratings for the first week since September. It was ABC's most-watched week in the summer in five years, according to Nielsen.

ABC asked Nielsen for an investigation after its ratings showed "World News" averaged 6.2 million viewers last week (4.3 rating, 9 share), its worst showing since at least 1987, when Nielsen's "People Meters" technology was introduced, and probably for many years before that. The previous week, the "CBS Evening News" hit a similar low point. ABC's average did not include Tuesday and Thursday's newscast, because "World News" was pre-empted in the West those nights for the NBA finals.

The network questioned the Friday night ratings, when Nielsen said "World News" was watched by 4.1 million people, well below its Friday average of 7.3 million this year. Friday marked TV's digital transition, when analog signals were cut off and an estimated 2.5 percent of the nation's TV homes lost their TV transmissions.

.....

"The numbers don't make any sense," said Jon Banner, executive producer of "World News."

Nielsen indicated that some of the ABC affiliates that had made the digital switch early were inadvertently left out of the news ratings. The company plans to issue new ratings on Wednesday, said Gary Holmes, a Nielsen spokesman. It's not immediately clear how much the error will affect ABC's ratings.

NBC's "Nightly News" averaged 8.3 million viewers last week (5.5 rating, 12 share), while the CBS "Evening News" had 5.4 million (3.7, 8).

.....

[CutePuppy]

Now that ABC News is officially "embedded" with the WH, I'd like to see how it will be reflected in the ratings.

While propaganda is a very effective tool, there is only so much "news" that the average viewer should be able to take on a "dead horse" subject that's been in the news for so long.

[WayneS]

We can’t have the Obamessiah taking copntrol of the lowest-rated news network, now, CAN we?

[ExTexasRedhead]

Joseph Goebbel’s News Network

[meandog]

NBC = Der Stuermer
ABC = Pravda
CBS = Weekly World News
CNN = Daily Worker

[KoRn]

"Now that ABC News is officially "embedded" with the WH, I'd like to see how it will be reflected in the ratings."

I'd wager that there's no one watching that network that is informed enough to know, or care. Most anyone that wouldn't approve of such bias likely isn't a viewer anyway. I'm sure they know this, and that's why they are so blatantly doing such a thing.

[CutePuppy]

Yes, the only people still watching the major networks “evening news” are not really interested in the news and being well informed.

They may be watching out of habit, loyalty to anchor news reader, glossy and colorful production / the look and feel, and the spin... but hardly for the news.

[KoRn]

Very true. These people likely only know what they read above the fold on newspapers they see on sale in newspaper racks/machines, what they are fed on the evening news, and what their idiot friends/co-workers/email gossip(the worst sources for information) tell them.

Negligent citizens all...

[Friendofgeorge]

Hey, Gallup can no longer be trusted since George Gallup sold the business to the current fellow (bed fellows to USA Today).

Maybe Neilson`s is in the tank for liberals as well?

How do we know if the Obama labor dept is putting out honest numbers?

[Stentor]

Channel 6 ABC in Philadelphia has disappeared for a lot of people.

[TheBattman]

Wow! The liberal media now gets recounts too when the numbers don’t add up like they want them too... amazing.

[CutePuppy]

I wonder though, if the ABC ratings will not increase would that be considered a failure? And will ABC be [accused of] getting information from WH not available to or before other alphabets? Would the info be available to them earlier than to other networks, just in time for them to include it in the "evening news report" before others can?

Otherwise, what's the point of being "embedded" if it doesn't bring any advantage to ratings but may become a real liability later on, if / when Obama's numbers drop even lower and ABC News is simply dismissed as a propaganda tool of administration, not a real independent news source which they are trying to claim now with at least a minimum of credibility. Doesn't sound like a smart strategy.

Just to get even cozier to Obama or because they are worried about becoming "next GM"? In other words, as Machiavelli would pose the question, is this move on part of ABC motivated by love or by fear?

I wonder if Obama made an offer to the three networks, and ABC thought it was the offer they could not refuse?

[FatherofFive]

the only people still watching the major networks “evening news” are not really interested in the news and being well informed.

Unfortunately, they feel the BS they see IS real news.

Anyone who uses the MSM as their primary news source should not be allowed to vote.

[CutePuppy]

How do we know if the Obama labor dept is putting out honest numbers?

Assume that they don't. Especially Obama's claims of "saving" jobs part:
The Media Fall for Phony 'Jobs' Claims. The Obama Numbers Are Pure Fiction. - William McGurn, WSJ Opinion Journal, June 10, 2009

It's well known that Clinton's Labor Dept. routinely inflated the number of jobs by 100-200 thousand a month, which would account for most of 23 million jobs he claimed were "created" while he was President.

[CutePuppy]

Channel 6 ABC in Philadelphia has disappeared for a lot of people.

Reception problems linger after DTV transition - AP, June 16, 2009

The shutdown of U.S. analog TV service on Friday appears to have gone relatively smoothly, but as expected, a lot of viewers are having problems getting the stations they want.

The problems have ensnared even the technologically sophisticated.

Wally Grotophorst in Hamilton, Va., got a "digital" antenna for his digital TV last year. But on Friday, he lost the Washington-based ABC and CBS stations, channels 7 and 9, which he could pick up digitally before the transition.

That's because those stations, like dozens of others, switched their digital signals from the UHF frequency band to the VHF band as they cut their analog signals Friday. But Grotophorst's antenna, like many others branded as "digital" and sold over the past few years, was designed only for UHF stations. Nearly all TV stations were using the UHF band for the digital broadcasts until Friday.

"This moving down to the VHF spectrum was news. The stations didn't advertise the fact," Grotophorst said.

.....

Brett Whitten, a technology consultant in Philadelphia, lost the ABC-affiliated Channel 6 for the same reason. He was unsuccessful in attempts to improvise a VHF antenna out of wire, helped by instructions he found online.

[Lancey Howard]

Sounds like one of Ubama’s thugs had a little chat with the Nielson folks.
Anybody ever heard of Nielson admitting an error and “reprocessing” their numbers before?

[longtermmemmory]

ABC’s bias has forced intelligent people to other news sources.

Because those who are left behind watching abc are just reinforcing the bias, ABC is able to get even MORE biased.

ABC can’t go back because the bias is like a drug. The shock would kill off the few viewers they have left. Advertisers have no clue and so just continue to buy the NYC cool aid. (probably because they support the bias)

ABC is a publicly traded company. A division that is DESPERATE for dollars from advertising. ABC is REFUSING TO MAKE A PROFIT?!!!!! How is this standing up for shareholdrs? When they refuse money for opposition ads, they are breaching their fiduciary duty to shareholders.