Abstract:

The original contracts between AGB McNair and the broadcaster subscribers, TVNZ and TV3, called for the New Zealand PeopleMeter Panel to be replaced after two years of operation (i.e. in May 1992). The rationale for this clause in the contracts was the concern which emerged in 1988 and 1989 over the method of operation of the Nielsen peoplemeter service in the US. This concern was heightened by the publication of the CONTAM -1989 report, which was critical of many aspects of the operation of the US service. In respect of the issue of the "age" of panel members (i.e. the length of time they had been on the panel) the report produced evidence to show that as the "age" of panel members increased there is a slight tendency towards lower recorded levels of viewing. The effects were most marked amongst guests and women 18-34. The release of this report gave rise to a great deal of debate in the USA, especially as the report was followed, in early 1990 with major reductions in reported levels of viewing to the three national networks in the USA. This debate included calls for the Nielsen panel to be rotated slowly over a two year period, rather than one year (Cook 1989). In placing the clause in the New Zealand contract which stipulated a complete and forced turnover of the panel after two years of operation, little thought was given to the practicalities of that provision or the impact such a policy may have on the audience data delivered by the service. This paper reviews the evidence for the 'purposive' or forced rotation of PeopleMeter Panelists and presents recommendations on rotation strategies that are based on a series of simulations of the future composition of the panel.