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Our Ratings, Ourselves

Posted by Zonk on from the deep-thought dept.

Ant writes "This long New York Times article (10 pages; no registration required) reports on the mismeasure of television (TV)." From the article: "One of the great contradictions of modern American life is that almost everyone watches TV while almost no one agrees anymore about what it really means to watch television....when it comes to figuring out how many of us are watching these shows, and whether we're paying attention while we're watching and even whether we're actually noticing the advertisements among the shows we may or may not be watching -- well, this is where things get tricky..."

18 of 475 comments (clear)

  1. The Dumbing-Down of America by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    From the article:

    For the past decade or so, watching television in America has been defined by the families recruited by Nielsen Media Research who have agreed to have an electronic meter attached to their televisions...


    Obviously, these 'Nielsen' boxes are emitting some sort of toxic radiation that slowly poisons the brains of all in the area.

    No? Well, then, YOU explain reality TV shows!
    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    1. Re:The Dumbing-Down of America by solios · · Score: 4, Funny

      The problem isn't cable, the problem is having a Nielsen or other ratings-relvant "family" in an area where reception is limited. For example- due to several factors, the ONLY channel you could get in via antenna in the area I grew up in (northcentral PA) was the CBS affiliate out of Binghampton, NY. The only game in town, as it were - if you wanted to tube out, you watched WBNG TV12 or you watched Off.

      It being CBS, they're broadcasting bullshit like Survivor to what's more or less a captive audience.

      I did learn about demographics indirectly through growing up with that station - their target market was apparently over sixty. Golden Girls in syndication, and shitloads of commercials for preparation H, Depends, and Cadillacs.

      Made my stint through a college filled with kids who'd been able to watch stuff that hit their demographic head-on fairly... weird.

    2. Re:The Dumbing-Down of America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Congratulations! You've managed to rationalize sitting on your ass and staring and something completely worthless for a large portion of your day.

      (Yes, I realize the irony in posting this to Slashdot.)

    3. Re:The Dumbing-Down of America by myowntrueself · · Score: 3, Funny

      "No? Well, then, YOU explain reality TV shows!"

      I'm just waiting for the next logical step in reality TV shows;

      Networks start offering *free* cable and/or satellite, as much as you can 'eat', all you have to do is get a 'webcam' installed in your lounge.

      Of course, all that will be on TV will more reality TV; the view through everyone elses 'webcam'...

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    4. Re:The Dumbing-Down of America by dswartze · · Score: 2, Funny

      If Jay Leno ever decided to do a show on Saturday nights, the 30 year reign of Saturday Night Live would quickly grind to a halt.

      well yeah... they're on the same network

  2. Come to think of it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    it has been awhile since I last saw those TV ads with one housewife explaining to another how she avoids "ring around the collar" on her family's clothes.

    Gee, has anything changed in the meantime?

  3. Did you hear? by Senjutsu · · Score: 4, Funny

    You made the news!

  4. I am not a Nielsen! by iminplaya · · Score: 3, Funny

    I am a free man!

    --
    What?
  5. Re:Americans love punishment by jericho4.0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    But it's so much more rewarding to mod them down.....

    --
    "A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
  6. Slashdot ratings for TV? by nxtr · · Score: 4, Funny

    FOX News Channel
    Score: -1 Flamebait

    Family Guy
    Score: +5 Funny

    Golf Channel
    Score: 0 (who the hell watches it?)

  7. Thanks for that by dimator · · Score: 3, Funny

    "This long New York Times article (10 pages; no registration required) reports on the mismeasure of television (TV)."

    Thanks for letting us know that "TV" refers, in fact, to "television" in the article synopsis. I was ready to pull up Webster's, had you not interceded.

    --
    python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
  8. You forgot to close your grrr tag by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You forgot to close your grrr tag. Now the whole rest of this page is going to be grrred. =(

  9. Re:Kill your Television! by back_pages · · Score: 3, Funny
    I did, in 1989, and haven't looked back since.

    I don't recall asking...

    I've seen some shows at friend's houses.

    So you're saying you've got a friend? I can't help but notice your use of the singular possessive...

    It's crap, tripe, purile and pointless.

    HOLY COW TV IS CRAP?! Someone get this guy on Dateline! Jesus man, thanks for TELLING me!

    In place of a TV, I have a library of over 2000 books.

    You either had a gigantic TV or you buy some tiny ass books.

    History, sciences, arts (H.R. Giger rules!), fiction, biographies, the list goes on.

    I've heard of the Dewey Decimal system too. Quit being a showoff.

    I've taken up writing (short stories written already, novel due soon) playing the guitar, building models, doing SCCA Solo II, and find the time not wasted by watching the boob tube to be so much more.....valuable, productive, enjoyable, you name it.

    Ok, thanks for the invitation. Pretentious, pseudo-intellectual, and a plea for attention.

    There was a video link on ebaumsworld recently which was a compliation of the crap that's currently on TV. I was appalled and it only reinforced my view that killing my TV in 1989 was a good thing.

    This one time, in 1987, I saw a magazine catch on fire. That's all the proof I know that owning magazines will burn your house down.

    I think you and I should get together sometime and put together model airplanes or something.

    (I guess this is a flame or whatever but only if you have to take yourself so seriously that you can't laugh at yourself. Hm, gloating that you threw away your TV and bought 2000 books... Taking yourself too seriously to laugh at yourself... Screw it, I'll just take a hit on this one.)

  10. Re:Battlestar Galactica by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You suck at TV.

  11. TLC by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 4, Funny
    Even friggin' TLC has reality shows now. It's insane. And sad (anyone remember when TLC was shown in schools because it always ran educational content?).

    TLC has gone from The Learning Channel to The Ladies Channel.

  12. Re:Kill your Television! by clambake · · Score: 3, Funny

    I did, in 1989, and haven't looked back since.

    If you happen to read a newspaper by chance, the war in Iraq is the SECOND one, and George Bush is actually the SON of the guy you're thinking about. Yeah, I know.

  13. Re:Battlestar Galactica by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Which great show did they cut to shreds, the one where the last remnants of humanity pause their desperate flight for survival when they are distracted by a casino?

  14. Re:P.S. Just saw your sig by wild_berry · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't worry, I'm in the process of patenting it. The methods detailed include the specification of a "(1),(2),'(3) ???','(4) Profit!'" system, the registry of computer-directed users, the use of computer-directed users to post contextually appropriate messages and the inclusion of advertising taglines in the signatures.

    I'm at the ??? stage with respect to guaranteeing succesful sales from this method: I can't find a way to ensure that the materials advocated by my system will be attractive and high-enough quality to get sales. Perhaps that's Someone Else's Problem.

    I call it: the slashbot. Comes with Free iPod.