"It's been a long time coming," said Joan Erle, director of market research for local network affiliate WCAU-TV (Channel 10) in Bala Cynwyd, who is "much more comfortable with" the results provided by the new method.
The boxes beam household viewing data via telephone to Nielsen, providing daily reports of television shows' popularity both nationwide and in particular markets.
Erle and her counterparts at competing stations pore over the Nielsen data, looking for viewing patterns that can help their TV stations sell advertising.
Controversy has followed the newer meters, though, with some saying they misrepresent the viewing habits of minority households and thus threaten minority-focused programming with cancellation.
The group Don't Count Us Out began protesting the system after a 2003 rollout in New York. It complained that minority families were not trained properly in the use of the system, which led to undercounting of the programs they watched.
"Everyone agrees that advances in technology are good things," said Josh Lahey, campaign manager for the Don't Count Us Out coalition. But, he added, "there's clearly a problem with the way the technology has been implemented."
An oft-cited example: UPN Network experienced sharp ratings declines of African American-focused shows such as The Parkers, Girlfriends and Half & Half immediately after People Meters were installed in New York.
The People Meters and Nielsen's methods also were criticized in an independent task force's report this spring, and Don't Count Us Out has had the support of minority-focused interest groups such as some NAACP chapters.
Nielsen, however, has since launched a public relations counteroffensive, saying it does care about accurately capturing minority viewership.
