If you’re a fan of American television, you’ve no doubt heard of “Nielsen ratings” or just “the Ratings” as they’re often called. They’re the lifeblood by which TV shows live and die. The previous president of the United States was obsessed with them (and continues to be to this day). Perhaps you’ve gotten mad that your favorite TV show was canceled for low ratings, or you’ve been excited to learn that it got higher ratings than you expected. But, for all of their importance have you ever considered how ratings actually work? What do they mean? Why do they exist? On today’s show, we delve into that. Mav is joined by returning guest, and former Nielsen household family member Marcel Walker as well as former Nielsen analyst and vice president Ronjan Sikdar to talk about the concept of ratings and how they work. Listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Citations and Links:
- This episode’s Call for Comments
- “Yes, the CW’s Average Viewer Is Actually 58 — Here’s How the Rest of Broadcast Stacks Up” by Selome Hailu & Jennifer Maas
- Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme
- Visit Ronjan’s website: https://fakeronjan.com
- Visit Marcel Walker’s website
- Order Chutz-Pow! from the Pittsburgh Holocaust Center
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