# I'm a Nielsen "family" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 16, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925 "2003-01-16T05:18:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/1 "2003-01-16T05:18:38Z")
I hate the Nielsens. I hate them, I hate Arbitron, and I hate Scarborough. I worked in radio for two years and I can tell you that everyone in the industry hated them because they were inaccurate, complete pieces of fiction whose data could be twisted any which way to show to buyers. Advertise with us, we’re the #1 station in town! [sub]with women 64+ who have gone on a cruise through a landlocked country and bought a pit bull in the last year[/sub]. No one likes these rating systems…but they all tolerate them because it’s the best data available. They tolerate them, but try their damndest to influence them. Ever notice how many radio station ads play on TV on a Thursday night? That’s because people fill out their diaries on Friday and reminding people about their station helps. Did the diary writers actually listen? Who cares? They wrote in that they did, that’s good enough, right? Fiction promotes fiction promotes fiction and that seems to make or break shows. Make or break stations. The charade is nothing short of disgusting. So when they called tonight and asked if I wanted to be a Nielsen family, I of course said yes. I, all by my lonesome, have the awesome responsibility of keeping a show on the air. I estimate there are around 10,000 other diary writers across the country for this upcoming non-sweeps week. That means I’ll be .001 of that number you see in USA Today on Wednesdays. My one vote is the voice of 30,000 Americans. My whim be their scheduling next Fall. So let it be written, so let it be done. I think I’m going to write Firefly into Friday’s slot just to spite them. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/2 "2003-01-16T07:39:31Z")
May I make a request? PLEEZE? Say you watched Buffy on Tuesday. Please. Please. Please. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/3 "2003-01-16T07:54:23Z")
Zim is gone. There is nothing left to watch. ☹ BTW, I was once a Neilson “Family” and what I wrote in that book was almost complete fiction. I just wrote down shows that I wanted to support, even if I did not really watch them. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/4 "2003-01-16T08:03:45Z")
How much are they paying ya? They paid us $4.00 U.S. back in '96… ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/5 "2003-01-16T08:28:08Z")
You got paid? Jeeminy on a hominy biscuit, they done promised me nothin! Stoid, I’ve never actually seen even one episode of Buffy. But I’ve heard it’s a good show so yeah, I think Buffy’s getting a rating’s boost next week. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/6 "2003-01-16T08:50:06Z")
Oh yeah, I was paid also. I think that it was around $50+ dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Hellestal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hellestal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hellestal)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/7 "2003-01-16T13:11:11Z")
Bless you, **Enderw24**. If more Nielson “families” were like you, the world of television would be a better place. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/8 "2003-01-16T13:21:26Z")
Are you feeling any strange impulses to watch crappy shows yet, enderw24? ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/9 "2003-01-16T14:35:16Z")
I say screw’m all and tell them you watch C-Span and The Weather Channel all day long. If you must diversify throw in The Cartoon Network and some Public Access shows as well. Does Nielson allow for any reading time? If so make sure you always read during prime time. ---
**Author:** ![GrandfatherTrout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@GrandfatherTrout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandfatherTrout)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/10 "2003-01-16T15:36:47Z")
**Enderw24,** if you don’t already do so, would you consider saying you watch Farscape on Friday nights? If bribery is necessary, let me know. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/11 "2003-01-16T15:44:01Z")
Question - Can you apply? Or is it just some random phonecall, and they ask you? ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/12 "2003-01-16T15:51:12Z")
I thought that there was some kind of Recordo-Box involved that monitored what you watch. Huh. Shows what I know! My family was an Arbitron Family a couple of years back when we lived in a community with exactly two radio stations: an AM and an FM. That was an exciting diary I mailed back, I tell you what! (And they paid us a buck each.) ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/13 "2003-01-16T15:53:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*Question - > > Can you apply? Or is it just some random phonecall, and they ask you? \*\* About a dozen years or so Nielsen called my work number to ask me if I wanted to be Nielsen “family”. I explained that they’d contacted me at my work number, but otherwise I’d be glad to and they said (I paraphrase): “Nope. Sorry. It don’t work that way.” Apparently they only want _exactly_ who some random-phone-number generator says they want. ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/14 "2003-01-16T15:56:17Z")
So can I put partial blame on you for fox ending Family guy???you bastard!!! ---
**Author:** ![CuriousCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@CuriousCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousCanuck)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/15 "2003-01-16T15:59:36Z")
Don’t forget to write in the MacGuyver reruns that play throughout the week. 🙂 If I may though, write in that you watch Whose Line is it Anyway? every week, and their reruns. Let’s keep it on the air! ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/16 "2003-01-16T16:03:57Z")
We’ll I have 2 phone lines in my house, so maybe I’m doubling my chances. I’d love to be a Neilsen family. You would all be watching Twilight Zone reruns, Simpsons, and the Real World. ---
**Author:** ![Pablito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@Pablito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pablito)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/17 "2003-01-16T16:07:21Z")
We’re all glad to know that you (and the 30 other people living in your commune and for whom you’ll be speaking) enjoy watching West Wing, 24, Jim Lehrer news (or some other ‘real’ news) and strictly avoid all tabloid tv. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/18 "2003-01-16T16:12:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by merge \* > \*\*So can I put partial blame on you for fox ending Family guy???you bastard!!! \*\* Nope that was done awhile ago. You get to blame him for ending Joe Millionaire. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/19 "2003-01-16T16:13:11Z")
Hey can you bring back **Freaks ‘n’ Geeks** for your old pal Auntie EM? I could come over and watch it with you (I’ll bring the burgers) . . . 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925/20 "2003-01-16T16:41:56Z")
Since you seem to be taking requests… 🙂 How about: Andy Richter (if it’s even still on) and Who’s line. If you happen to hop back in a time machine: Quantum Leap, Freaks & Geeks, & Alien Nation, please… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-nielsen-family/148925.md?page=2)