Nielsen Audimeter and Cartridge
notes: label: Description
content: This device—the “black box” of the television ratings system—gathered information from households about media listening and viewing habits from 1949 until the early 1970s. Connected to a radio or television, it registered set use and station tuning by exposing 16-mm film to a pinpoint of light. When changed by the homeowner weekly, the film cartridge ejected a quarter to ensure timely mailings to the Nielsen Company for analysis. The data gleaned from sample homes enabled campaign pollsters to track viewing patterns during candidates’ television appearances and to refine schedules of paid political advertising.
topic: label: general subject association
content: Political Campaigns
label: used
content: Television broadcasts
setName: label: See more items in
content: Political History: Political History, General History Collection
label: See more items in
content: Government, Politics, and Reform
label: See more items in
content: American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith
label: Exhibition
content: American Democracy
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: A. C. Nielsen Company
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1986.0664.03
label: catalog number
content: 1986.0664.03
label: accession number
content: 1986.0664
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Audimeter
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: black (overall color)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 3/4 in x 8 3/4 in x 11 3/4 in; 22.225 cm x 22.225 cm x 29.845 cm