Object Details
- Description
- 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.
- Credit Line
- A. C. Nielsen Company
- ID Number
- 1986.0664.03
- catalog number
- 1986.0664.03
- accession number
- 1986.0664
- Object Name
- Audimeter
- Physical Description
- metal (overall material)
- black (overall color)
- Measurements
- 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
- See more items in
- Political History: Political History, General History Collection
- Government, Politics, and Reform
- American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith
- Exhibition
- American Democracy
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- National Museum of American History
- general subject association
- Political Campaigns
- used
- Television broadcasts
- Record ID
- nmah_1072675
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a9-41cd-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
