Cox Media's Paul Douglas Blogs About Nielsen 'Estimates'

Paul Douglas

COX MEDIA GROUP Mgr,/Radio & Ratings Research PAUL DOUGLAS is a guest on JACOBS MEDIA's "JacoBLOG, writing, "NIELSEN estimates are just that -- 'estimates' -- a snapshot in time,  They should never be looked at as perfect or absolute. One just has to look back to the election as an example where the majority of polls both nationally and in many battleground states predicted HILLARY CLINTON would be the 45th President.

"NIELSEN estimates are one tool programmers depend on to help determine whether the audience is engaged with a station’s content, but it is not the be-all and end-all factor. Along with perceptual research and music tests, the ratings are the science used to help make us the best we can be.

"But the art is critically important as well. What’s in your 'gut,' does it feel right, are you willing to step out of your comfort zone, be bold and unafraid to take risks? The combination of science and art -- really listening to your audience -- has never been more important as programmers struggle to understand and deal with ratings wobbles and the pressures of competing not only with market compression and other stations, but all the other choices now available to Millennials and everybody else."

DOUGLAS notes five things to look for in NIELSEN PPM data to help put it all in perspective:

1. Look beyond “share.”
2. Weight it out.
3. P1’s are not created equal.
4. Cume insulates.
5. Aggregate, aggregate, aggregate.

Read the details here.

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