NEW YORK: The Media Ratings Council said it pulled its accreditation for 154 Nielsen markets measured solely with the use of diaries. The action was taken based on an audit completed last year, the MRC said.
“After careful consideration of the available information, the audit committee voted to recommend revoking MRC accreditation of the NSI Diary-Only markets,” the MRC said. “Both the MRC Television Committee and the MRC Board of Directors subsequently ratified this conclusion.”
The MRC, which has accredited the service since 1965, did not indicate why its approval was withdrawn. A recent appeal of the decision by Nielsen to the MRC board was denied. The audience measurement service resubmitted the NSI program for a new MRC audit this year. Nielsen’s People Meter and Diary/Meter markets were not affected.
Most diary-only markets are small to mid-sized, such as Boise, Idaho; Bowling Green, Ky.; Bozeman, Mont.; Palm Springs, Calif.,; and Omaha, Nebr., to name a few. The MRC said it “looks forward to continuing to work with Nielsen to be able to reinstate accreditation of the NSI Diary-Only markets in the future.”
-- Deborah D. McAdams
