[Ciexyz]

I had the interesting experience of being a Nielsen family for one week back in the late 90's. The Nielsen company left a message on my answering machine: You've been chosen so look for our packet in the mail. They also followed up with a phone call where they ask how many TV's you have and your race, among other things. The packet was a diary that you fill out for one week, each day is broken down into 15-minute increments and you fill in what you're watching in each bloc and how many people in your household are watching at that time. Also a page where you can fill in comments (I wrote, they never allow enuf time for a good show to find an audience.)

My big thrill was listing "La Femme Nikita" and "America's Most Wanted", my favorite shows at the time. I hope it helped keep them both on the air - AMW at one time faced cancellation.

I asked the Nielsen rep, during our phone interview, why they had chosen me, and they said it was completely random. I assumed they got my name from the phone book since they first contacted me by phone, but they wouldn't confirm that.

Later I asked someone in the TV business who said, the Nielsens contact approx. a thousand people a week in each major metro area during Sweeps periods, which last approx. four weeks, and about half of them respond back. So approx. 500 families in my area (Pittsburgh) served as the barometer of taste for several hundred thousand people in our metro area for that particular Sweeps week.

[mewzilla]

So approx. 500 families in my area (Pittsburgh) served as the barometer of taste for several hundred thousand people in our metro area for that particular Sweeps week.

Well, no offense, but note to Nielsen: Folks in metro areas don't really represent my tastes in TV any more than they do my politics. And I don't think I'm alone in that respect.