The Nielsen Co. on Thursday rolled out a new device to better monitor what Qcity families are watching on television.

The Local People Meter is an electronic device that replaces the old diary method of television measurement. A Nielsen spokeswoman said the LPM device is far more accurate and will yield better data.

The company also has launched a nationwide push to get African Americans and other people of color more familiar with the Nielsen process. Because blacks often are less familiar with what Nielsen does, said Courtney Jones, the company’s director of public affairs, they sometimes are more reluctant to accept the monitoring boxes.

Participating in the monitoring process yields at least two benefits to the black community, she said.

First, television executives who decide what shows to put on, or remove, from a network will have a better picture of what black families want to see on TV.

Second, she said, data gained from household surveys help advertisers better target products to the shows popular with black families.

“This research is so important because it really speaks to what consumes are watching on television,” Jones said.

The Charlotte market includes 18 counties in North Carolina and four in upstate South Carolina and is the nation’s 24th-largest television market. Nielsen began rolling out the LPM devices in larger markets last fall.

LPM viewing data is collected every 2.7 seconds by the device, which automatically captures audience viewership habits, including channel surfing, DVR and TiVo viewing, and other television viewing behavior. Families that receive the boxes are selected randomly based on a region’s demographics.

For the last several months Nielsen has had an extensive public awareness campaign in Charlotte’s African American community. During the 2010 CIAA tournament in February, the company will sponsor the Ladies Leaving a Legacy Luncheon, benefiting the United Negro College Fund, and will award three students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools with scholarships.
 

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