I work at an NBC affiliate station that has an LMA with a FOX affiliate (meaning we run the station, but technically don't own it, thus skirting some FCC ownership regs).
I can confidently assure you that people do NOT know what they're watching. The logos (known in the biz commonly as "bugs") are there to let people know who the hell they're watching.
Making sure people know who they're watching is important because of the archaic system used to determine ratings - diaries. That's right, in the year 2001, we still ask people to write down what channel they're watching, when, and who was in the room. Many of the larger markets are indeed metered with set-top boxes, but diaries are still used to determine those all important demographics.
I've been to Nielsen's headquarters to audit those diaries, and the fact that these people are determining anything terrifies me. The fact that most of them are probably behind the wheel of a car daily is beyond comprehension.
Remember, viewers determine ratings, and ratings determine the future of a show - so consider how long that freakin' Urkel show was on the air, and you'll get an indication of just how smart the average viewer is.
That said, I HATE those freakin' bugs, but fortunately, the network feeds are clean - the bug is inserted by a device at the local stations, triggered remotely by the network. If you can tape your favorite show direct from the network satellite, you'll avoid them.
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I work at an NBC affiliate station that has an LMA with a FOX affiliate (meaning we run the station, but technically don't own it, thus skirting some FCC ownership regs). I can confidently assure you that people do NOT know what they're watching. The logos (known in the biz commonly as "bugs") are there to let people know who the hell they're watching. Making sure people know who they're watching is important because of the archaic system used to determine ratings - diaries. That's right, in the year 2001, we still ask people to write down what channel they're watching, when, and who was in the room. Many of the larger markets are indeed metered with set-top boxes, but diaries are still used to determine those all important demographics. I've been to Nielsen's headquarters to audit those diaries, and the fact that these people are determining anything terrifies me. The fact that most of them are probably behind the wheel of a car daily is beyond comprehension. Remember, viewers determine ratings, and ratings determine the future of a show - so consider how long that freakin' Urkel show was on the air, and you'll get an indication of just how smart the average viewer is. That said, I HATE those freakin' bugs, but fortunately, the network feeds are clean - the bug is inserted by a device at the local stations, triggered remotely by the network. If you can tape your favorite show direct from the network satellite, you'll avoid them.