Title: A. C. Nielsen Company Reports
Inclusive Dates: 1943-1957

Creator:

• A.C. Nielsen Company

Call Number: U.S. Mss 173AF

Quantity: 12.8 c.f. (25 archives boxes, 6 volumes)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Reports of a prominent market research firm (1923- ) best known for its ratings of network radio and television programs. The collection consists primarily of Nielsen Radio Indexes, 1943-1957, and Nielsen Television Indexes, 1951-1953, which summarize and analyze Nielsen's biweekly reports and include several types of audience measurements. In addition, there are miscellaneous reports on CBS sustaining programs, 1943; D-Day listening, 1944; and the purchasing habits of television viewers, 1957.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0173af

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The A. C. Nielsen Co. is the world's largest market research firm. Founded in 1923, this Chicago-based firm now has operations in twenty-two countries. Though most of its activities involve the checking of drugstore and supermarket shelves to report on how certain products, brands, and sizes are selling, the Nielsen Company is best known for its ratings of network television programs. The Nielsen ratings, first in radio and then in television, have had a significant impact on commercial broadcasting in the United States.”

Development plans for radio ratings date from 1936. Manufacturers who were impressed by Nielsen's abilities in identifying the flow of retail goods requested evaluations of radio advertising. First Nielsen purchased the rights to an audience counting device, called an Audimeter, and then bought out the methodology of an existing ratings company. Unlike other audience measurement techniques which employed diaries, phone calls, or personal interviews, the Nielsen company relied on information supplied by the Audimeter, a black box attached to the radios of selected set owners. A slow crawl film within the Audimeter indicated station listening habits throughout the day. For their cooperation, participating set owners received a nominal fee and a contribution toward set repairs. The actual ratings began in 1942. The data obtained was sold to networks, program suppliers, sponsors, and advertising agencies.

The A. C. Nielsen Co. had stopped radio ratings by 1963; it had encountered too many complications arising from an increase in the number of independent stations. However, in 1950 Nielsen had begun television ratings by adapting the Audimeter to the new medium. Today the Nielsen ratings are the main index used by networks and advertisers in determining the popularity of television programming.

Much of the above information is from Les Brown, ed., The New York Times Encylopedia of Television (New York: Times Books, 1977).

The collection consists entirely of reports, 1943-1957, produced by the A. C. Nielsen Co., on radio and television audiences. The reports are divided into three sections: Nielsen Radio Indexes, Nielsen Television Indexes, and other reports. The radio audiences are better covered, 1943-1957, than are those of television, 1951-1953. Most of the reports contained here have extensive introductory information on the nature of the data presented and comments on the manner in which it was gathered. For more detail on these points the researcher is urged to consult the reports.

The RADIO INDEXES are summaries and further analyses of Nielsen biweekly reports. Issued at varying intervals and sometimes with different titles, these reports cover the period from 1943 to 1957. For 1943 and 1944 the reports are annual; from 1945 to 1948 they cover six month periods; and from 1950 to 1957 they are one and then two month cumulations. There are some gaps in coverage. Although there is variation in format and amount and type of information supplied, these reports consistently detail a great number of radio audience measurements. Most notable are program ratings. Other data include program cost analyses; audience flow from one program to another; minute by minute program audiences; breakdowns of listeners by region, city size, and income group; and indication of sales effectiveness of advertised products. Some reports measure network and station competition in selected major cities. There are several reports with other special features, e.g. a 1944 analysis of sustaining programs, data on the audience attracted by the 1956 national political conventions, and figures on television ownership and viewing by radio listeners for 1950 to 1957.

Each of the TELEVISION INDEXES covers two month periods, 1951-1953, and summarizes and further analyzes data gathered in biweekly Nielsen reports. Much of the same type of information contained in the radio indexes is found here for television viewing. The reports also contain comparisons of television and radio audiences for each two month period. The reports for 1952 have special sections on that year's political campaign and election audiences. The OTHER REPORTS are miscellaneous and cover a variety of subjects: CBS sustaining programs, 1943; D-Day listening, 1944; ownership of radio and television sets, 1952; television Popularity Ratings, 1952-1953; and television multi-network ratings, 1953. Also included here are special reports to the Television Advertising Bureau, 1957, linking television viewing habits to the purchase of such items as automobiles, facial tissues, toilet soap, coffee, and prepared puddings.

Acquisition Information

Presented by the National Broadcasting Company, New York City, November, 1970. Accession Number: MCHC 70-119

Processing Information

Processed by R. H. Tryon, 1979.

	Series: Radio Indexes
Volume   1-2	1943
Volume   3-4	1944
	1945
Volume   5-6	January-June
	July-December
Box   1 Folder   1	Introductory and summary data
	Programs
Box   1 Folder   2-7	A-S
Box   2 Folder   1	T-Y, and Average audience by network
	1946
	January-June
Box   2 Folder   2	Introductory and summary data
	Programs
Box   2 Folder   3-7	A-S
Box   3 Folder   1	T-Y, and Average audience by network
	July-December
Box   3 Folder   2	Introductory and summary data
	Programs
Box   3 Folder   3-7	A-T
Box   4 Folder   1	U-Y, and Average audience by network
	1947
	January-June
Box   4 Folder   2	Introductory and summary data
	Programs
Box   4 Folder   3-7	A-S
Box   5 Folder   1-2	T-Z, and Average audience by network
	July-December
Box   5 Folder   3	Introductory and summary data
	Programs
Box   5 Folder   4-8	A-S
Box   6 Folder   1	T-Y, and Average audience by network
	1948
	January-June
Box   6 Folder   2	Introductory and summary data
	Programs
Box   6 Folder   3-7	A-O
Box   7 Folder   1-2	P-Y, and Average audience by network
	July-December
Box   7 Folder   3	Introductory and summary data
	Programs
Box   7 Folder   4-8	A-R
Box   8 Folder   1	S-Y, and Average audience by network
	1950
Box   8 Folder   2-10	, January-March (A-F)
Box   9 Folder   1-8	, March (G-Y)-, May
Box   10 Folder   1-9	June-August
Box   11 Folder   1-8	September-November
Box   12 Folder   1-3	December
	1951
Box   12 Folder   4-8	, January-February (A-J)
Box   13 Folder   1-9	, February (L-Y)-, May (A-K)
Box   14 Folder   1-10	, May (L-Y)-, August
Box   15 Folder   1-10	, September-December (A-G)
Box   16 Folder   1	, December (H-Y)
	1952
Box   16 Folder   2-7	January-August
Box   17 Folder   1-4	September-December
	1953
Box   17 Folder   5-6	January-February
Box   18 Folder   1-6	May-December
	1954
Box   19 Folder   1-5	January, May-December
	1955
Box   19 Folder   6	January-February
Box   20 Folder   1-4	May-December
	1956
Box   20 Folder   5-6	January-February, May-June
Box   21 Folder   1-6	July-December
	1957
Box   21 Folder   7-8	January-February
Box   22 Folder   1-2	May-June
	Series: Television Indexes	⇧
	1951
Box   22 Folder   3-6	January-February, May-October
Box   23 Folder   1	November-December
	1952
Box   23 Folder   2-6	January-February, May-December
	1953
Box   24 Folder   1-3	January-February, May-August
	Series: Other Reports	⇧
Box   24 Folder   4	CBS Sustaining Programs, 1943
Box   24 Folder   5	D-Day listening, 1944
Box   24 Folder   6-7	U.S. Radio and TV Ownership, May, 1952
Box   24 Folder   8	TV Popularity Ratings, July, 1952-August, 1953
Box   24 Folder   9	TV Multi-Network Ratings, September-December, 1953
	Special reports to the Television Advertising Bureau, 1957
Box   25 Folder   1	Autos
Box   25 Folder   2	Coffee
Box   25 Folder   3	Facial tissues, margarine
Box   25 Folder   4	Prepared puddings and desserts
Box   25 Folder   5	Toilet soap