Huracán Wilma affects advertising

Hurricane Wilma swept across South Florida and now threatens November "sweeps" -- which starts tomorrow -- primarily because Nielsen Media Research can not obtain data from households who are still without power, it was reported in a story in the Miami Herald.

During November sweeps important demographic data about the viewers as well as raw numbers of how many people tuned in are recorded (particularly for the new Fall season). TV stations use that information to adjust their advertising rates (or boost the ratings of particular shows) and media buyers use details from the data to decide what types of commercials should air at particular times or in particular shows.

To accurately reflect the region's viewership habits and demographics, Neilson needs at least 435 households ... as of Tuesday they had more than 200, the story reports.

One item of interest is how many people watch the Latin Grammys, which was moved to tomorrow night from its usual September air date to take advantage of the start of November sweeps. Stay tuned!

Disclaimer -- both my brother and father work for Nielson. My brother installs the equipment and my father recruits households (particularly Spanish speaking) to participate in the sample.