# Well, isn't that special! My dear husband has volunteered us... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 3, 2001, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-isnt-that-special-my-dear-husband-has-volunteered-us/71140 "2001-07-03T23:08:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Many\_Crows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Many\_Crows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Many_Crows)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-isnt-that-special-my-dear-husband-has-volunteered-us/71140/21 "2001-07-04T15:41:40Z")
We’ve been a Neilson family for a year. They have asked us to do five. It’s a box that was hooked directly to our system and Neilson downloads the info every night. All we have to do is log in and make sure we press.o.k. when we change the channel. A slight pain in the wazoo but worth it since we each represent 5,000 of our gender. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-isnt-that-special-my-dear-husband-has-volunteered-us/71140/22 "2001-07-04T15:55:21Z")
**JUNK YARD WARS AND IRON CHEF!!!** please ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-isnt-that-special-my-dear-husband-has-volunteered-us/71140/23 "2001-07-04T16:47:54Z")
I guess I stand corrected on the methods of data collection. From > **[Audience Is Everything® - Nielsen](https://global.nielsen.com/global/en/)** > > Nielsen shapes the world’s media and content for all people by connecting across devices to understand the audience and their perspectives. "What techniques do you use to collect viewing information? Nielsen Media Research uses People Meters, set-tuning meters, paper diaries, and telephone interviews (called telephone coincidentals). People Meter The People Meter is an electronic metering system placed in randomly selected households – 5,000 households for nationwide audience measurement. The meter measures three things – the tuning station of the TV set (on, off, time), what channel/station is being tuned, and who is watching. The People Meter is used to produce household and persons audience estimates for broadcast and cable networks and nationally distributed barter-syndicated programs. Who is watching television is measured by the “People” part of the meter. A fixed box is placed on or near the television, and each member of the household is assigned a personal viewing button (often, a remote clicker is also personalized). These personal buttons, allow Nielsen Media Research to determine “who” is watching which program. Set-Tuning Meter In 49 of the nation’s largest markets, an electronic metering system is used by Nielsen Media Research to provide set-tuning information on a daily basis. The TV-set-tuning information is collected from a sample of homes in these 49 markets (separate than the People Meter), and overnight household tuning ratings are reported on a daily basis for these local areas. This meter is placed onto the back of each television set in the home and monitors the tuning status of each TV set in the household. Diary Diary measurement is used to collect viewing information from sample homes in every television market in the United States. Each year we process approximately 1.6 million paper diaries from households across the country for the “sweeps” ratings periods. The standard report months – the “sweep” months – include November, February, May and July of each year. The paper-viewing diaries are mailed out to randomly selected households in all 210 local markets in the U.S. Each household’s member in the diary sample is asked to write down what programs and channels they watch over the course of that one week. " ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2001, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-isnt-that-special-my-dear-husband-has-volunteered-us/71140/24 "2001-07-04T23:26:41Z")
PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLKEASEsub[/sub] 😕 Ahem. How 'bout _Futurama_? ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-isnt-that-special-my-dear-husband-has-volunteered-us/71140/25 "2001-07-05T01:08:53Z")
Yeah! Futurama! AND YOU BETTER BE WATCHING JUNKYARD WARS RIGHT NOW. ---
**Author:** ![Hanofer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c37758/32.png) [@Hanofer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanofer)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-isnt-that-special-my-dear-husband-has-volunteered-us/71140/26 "2001-07-05T04:27:54Z")
Ok, **Futurama** , **Seven Days** (too bad it’s been cancelled). Sorry, **Junkyard Wars** and **Iron Chef** aren’t my cup of tea, though **Emergency: Life in the ER** sounds interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-isnt-that-special-my-dear-husband-has-volunteered-us/71140/27 "2001-07-05T08:23:09Z")
**Mystery Science Theater 3000.** (Saturday mornings on Sci-fi) Please. Please. Oh, Please. **Titus** on Fox, **Toonami** on Cartoon Network, **Babyon 5** reruns on Scifi, the **Daily Show** on Comedy Central, **the PJs** if its even still on, and **Futurama** (also fox) would all be nice, but MST3K is most important. I beg you. For the good of all mankind . . . – Though it IS just a show. I really should relax . . . ---
**Author:** ![Hanofer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c37758/32.png) [@Hanofer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanofer)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-isnt-that-special-my-dear-husband-has-volunteered-us/71140/28 "2001-07-05T14:12:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ura-Maru \* > **the PJs if its even still on…** Sorry, **The PJs** are history. And somebody’s gonna have to get me a cloning machine and a few dozen more TVs, cause there’s no way I’m gonna be able to watch all these shows. Maybe I can recruit my sprout, though he usually just watches Nick. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-isnt-that-special-my-dear-husband-has-volunteered-us/71140.md?page=1)