| Nielsen had postponed the change, to measure viewership
with electronic meters rather than the current combination of meters
and paper diaries, from 8 April after critics complained it would
result in undercounting of black and Hispanic viewers.
The ratings service has used the electronic boxes since 1987 to
gauge daily viewing patterns on a national basis according to age,
gender and ethnicity. But Nielsen only recently decided to apply
the system to local ratings, starting with Boston in 2002, said
another media report.
The MRC panel represents nearly 50 broadcasters, cable organisations,
advertising agencies, and trade groups that are Nielsen clients.
Its refusal to recommend accreditation to the MRC board of directors
marked a victory for media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Ltd.
and a coalition of civil rights activists and politicians who are
seeking to block the roll-out of people meters in New York, Los
Angeles and Chicago, according to one media report.
Critics opined in some media reports that the local "people
meters" undercount minority audiences compared with the old
system of measuring local viewer habits through pen-and-paper diaries
recorded four times a year for the "sweeps" and have urged
Nielsen to delay expansion of the system until an independent review
can verify its accuracy.
However, Nielsen insists the new system is sound and that News
Corp. is encouraging minority opposition because its Fox television
stations in cities like New York and Los Angeles stand to lose local
ratings through the more accurate people meters.
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