Re: "Jake 2.0" might be in trouble--how fans can help

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (John Schilling) wrote in
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]: 
>...
> No.  If the folks who watch the *commercials* stand up to be
> counted, it might help.  The bit where the Nielsens, etc, fail
> to count TiVo, VCR, and filesharing users, that's a feature, not
> a bug.

The networks' reaction to TiVo, and that of many new TiVo users, 
suggests that while VCRs can be used to skip commercials (I did so 
for many years before getting a TiVo), it's not done much.  
However, this may reflect people not time-shifting much in general, 
so omitting time-shifted programs would still make sense.  (I get 
the impression that for much (most?) of the population, the VCR was 
primarily used to watch rental movies rather than to tape TV 
shows.)

A few years back, I got a Nielsen booklet.  They did want to know 
about recorded programs watched, but in a separate section from the 
main diary.
 
> For that matter, it's only folks with real money who watch the
> commericals who really matter, so not counting college students
> is probably also a feature.

College students are very significant consumers of some products, 
as witness the existence of entire networks marketing to their 
approximate age range.  (At least, I assume MTV isn't aimed at 
thirty-somethings.)  Omitting them, if they're omitted, it probably 
a bug.

(Though are they?  It makes sense not to count them as part of a 
household that they're not living in most of the year, but it 
wouldn't be all that tough to include dorm rooms or college 
apartments in the Nielsen count.  I don't know if they do this.)

Mike

-- 
Michael S. Schiffer, LHN, FCS
[EMAIL PROTECTED]