The Power Of Local TV, Especially In Disasters
The power of local TV is in its localness — its ability to connect and unite communities. The best example of this is the reaction of TV viewers to traumatic events. Local TV news is still the dominant place to which the public turns in times of crisis.
Bruce Goerlich joined Rentrak two years ago after a quarter century poring over Nielsen data and spinning it into advice about what shows to buy and demographics to target. Now, as the chief research officer at Rentrak, the upstart TV measurement entity, he prefers to go with vague references about the giant, entrenched competitor. Last week, he used terms such as the “other folks,” “other guys” and “another company.” Other times, he used the euphemism “sample currency,” referring to Nielsen and its process of gathering a panel of viewers and making ratings projections.
