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Tribune
Statement on Nielsen Local People Meter Service
CHICAGO,
June 3, 2004 -- Tribune Broadcasting
President Patrick Mullen today released the following statement
regarding the implementation of Nielsen Media Research's
Local People Meter service: "Nielsen
Media Research's decision to move forward with implementation
of its Local People Meter service without first securing
the approval of The Media Rating Council (MRC) is unwise
and unsound.
As the only entity responsible for independently and objectively
monitoring Nielsen's ratings services, the MRC is uniquely
positioned to verify their accuracy and reliability. An MRC
audit of the Local People Meter service in New York City
turned up several problems that have yet to be corrected.
These issues should be resolved before implementation of
the Local People Meter service in New York City or any other
market.
We also believe Nielsen's decision to utilize two distinctly
different ratings systems simultaneously in New York City
will serve only to confuse viewers, advertisers and station
operators alike. This decision also seems a tacit admission
by Nielsen that it, too, remains unsure of the accuracy of
data generated by the Local People Meter service.
We urge Nielsen to reverse its decision
to implement the Local People Meter service in New York
City and other markets around the country."
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Tribune Broadcasting, a division of Tribune
Company (NYSE: TRB), owns and operates 26 television stations
concentrated in major markets and Superstation WGN on national
cable. The group's combined reach is more than 80 percent
of U.S. television households. Tribune Broadcasting also
includes Los Angeles-based Tribune Entertainment, a developer
and distributor of first-run television programming for the
Tribune station group and for national syndication; Chicago
's WGN-AM; and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Investments
include The WB Television Network (22% owned) and TV Food
Network (31%). |
