Extreme Australian weather delays Nielsen radio ratings

AUSTRALIA-- An increased workload and extreme heat and flooding in parts of Australia have been blamed by Nielsen for delaying the release of 2009's first set of radio ratings.

The firm found itself with extra work to do after it switched from the household flooding method, where one person is interviewed on behalf of the whole house, to questioning everyone living there individually.

This has led to an increase in data collection time according to Peter Cornelius, managing director of media for Nielsen in Australia. He said: “We need to knock on a lot more doors to get the same number of people.”

Cornelius said that the extreme weather conditions in the country had also slowed the process as it was not safe to send interviewers out into the field.

As a result of the extra work and adverse weather, the results will be published in early March.

Author: James Verrinder