In another sign of local media economic woes, WKBW in Buffalo is dropping Nielsen TV ratings. WKBW-TV President Bill Ransom says the station will use The Media Audit from Houston based International Demographics instead of the NSI (Nielsen Station Index) service. “The metrics are similar to Nielsen’s, but where it’s different from Nielsen is (International) provides both qualitative and quantitative data,” he says.
Ad agencies and stations use Nielsen as the “currency” for buying and selling spot TV time. According to The Media Audit’s Web page, the service does not provide quantitative measurement, but a “multimedia, qualitative audience survey that covers over 450 target items for each rated media’s audience.”
Buffalo is the 51st largest DMA television market in the country with 631,000 TV households. It has been falling in DMA rank over the past several years.
Wikipedia notes that WKBW’s slogan “We Know Buffalo’s Watching” was modified from the original WKBW-AM slogan, “Well Known Bible Witness.”
Sources: Wikipedia, Buffalo.BizJournals.com, The Media Audit