Nielsen agrees to data audit

A Los Angeles protest by the Don’t Count Us Out Coalition has apparently prompted a senior Nielsen Media Research spokesman to agree to an independent audit of its data.

Minority advocacy groups have criticized Nielsen Media Research’s electronic “people meter,” planned to begin in July, arguing the new methodology will undercount minority television viewers. As a result, they say, there will likely be fewer programs serving those viewers.

According to Broadcasting & Cable, Nielsen Senior Vice President Jack Loftus has no problem with such an audit, sought by the coalition, but said the company is already audited by the Media Rating Council, whose members include TV and radio networks, cable companies, ad agencies and others. “An audit is an audit,” he said.

The council was formed back in the ‘60s, with permission from the Justice Department, so that various ratings company clients could ensure the accuracy of the results.

Loftus has claimed Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. and its Fox stations are behind the protests, a charge the group has denied.