Nielsen Media Research released the following interim report on the results of an ongoing MRC audit of Nielsen’s Local People Meter service in New York. While the MRC accreditation process is continuing, certain portions of the audit report have been leaked to the press, and opponents of the LPM service have launched an aggressive advertising campaign of disinformation.
Research
Los Angeles Times Discloses Details of ‘Secret Audit’ – Finds Widespread Undercounting of Minorities
For the past several weeks, the Don’t Count Us Out/Queremos Ser Contados coalition has called on Nielsen Media Research and the Media Rating Council (MRC) to release the content of an Ernst & Young audit of the New York City Local People Meter system, which led to the MRC’s decision to withhold accreditation. In today’s edition of the Los Angeles Times the first details have been made public and they confirm the coalition’s worst fears.
Employment Wages Among Hispanic Workers … FLAT.
While an increase in Latino employment is driving the revitalization of the U.S. labor market, the hiring surge has not translated into higher wages. The weekly earnings for Hispanics and most other workers remain stagnant.
Hispanic & Asian Americans Increasing Faster Than Overall Population.
The nation’s Hispanic and Asian populations continued to grow at much faster rates than the population as a whole, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
TNS/CMR Adjust 2004 Ad Spending… Spanish Down.
Advertising spending is expected to rise 9.3 percent to $140.3 billion, according to the mid-year forecast released TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.
Challenges In Money Transfer Industry.
The Pew Hispanic Center released a detailed evaluation of how much it costs for immigrants to send money back home to their families in Latin America. The study revealed that although the cost of transferring money has dropped since the late 1990s, the rate of decline has slowed markedly in the past three years. The slowing has come despite rapidly growing volume and increased competition in the marketplace. This suggests that further price reductions might be difficult to achieve under current market conditions.
The Language Bias Of Researchers & Pollsters.
Millions of American consumers’ views and opinions are typically either never counted or misunderstood.
Univision Files Lawsuit Against Nielsen LPM Implementation.
Univision Communications Inc. announced that it has filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, against Nielsen Media Research in connection with Nielsen’s planned implementation of its Local People Meter (LPM) television rating service in Los Angeles on July 8, 2004. Univision is seeking: 1) to enjoin Nielsen from engaging in unfair, unlawful and deceptive business practices by launching its LPM service in Los Angeles utilizing flawed sampling and weighting methodologies; 2) to enjoin Nielsen’s false and misleading advertising with respect to its LPM data; and 3) damages for trade libel.
