Niels*n TV rating opportunity

Subject: Niels*n TV rating opportunity
From: Barbara
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 12:32 PM

I just got a postcard from the Niels*n TV rating people telling me that we have been selected to be a Nielsen TV household for a week. They say they will call us soon to make the arrangements.
For those of you that don't know, they hook a box to your TV that determines what you watch, and these ratings the THE way a TV show's popularity is rated. Shows live and die by the Neils*ns.
Now, we have NO TV, and have had none for 20+ years. No antenna, no cable, no satellite dish, no hookup, nada, zip. We live in rural Oregon on a 60 acre farm, a good long ways from everything.
It seems to me there must be some way to use this opportunity for some order of major prank, and I am soliciting advice. What can we do?
We've thought of
1. renting a TV for the week and leaving it off.
2. renting a TV for the week and auctioning off rights set it to
a. local TV critics
b. our teen and her wild/creative friends
c. other local groups with axes to grind
3.Letting them deliver the whole shpiel before asking what kind of set they provide with the service, and if they provide the cable or dish hookup, too.
Other ideas, Mudcatters?
Blessings,
Barbara

Yrs, Barbara Millikan

Subject: RE: Niels*n TV rating opportunity
From: SINSULL
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 12:43 PM

Barbara,
Isn't that the ploy Tom Cruise used to try to get the Rainman into the farmhouse in time for Wapner? Maybe that's an angle...
Maybe you could let them go through the whole sales pitch and then show them in to the radio.

Subject: RE: Niels*n TV rating opportunity
From: Bert
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 03:10 PM

First, go to your nearest thrift store and buy one of those 5 inch black and white sets. This should cost you no more that $2.50.
Then photograph their faces when they go to hook up their box to 'your' TV.
Then, if they actually do hook up the box, leave it on one channel 24 hours a day for the first week.
Then do the same for each channel on the dial whether you get anything on that channel or not.

Subject: RE: Niels*n TV rating opportunity
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 03:23 PM

OR go to the town dump, get a tv shell without any works. When they come to hook it up look puzzled."Well, where did they go, it was OK yesterday"!
RtS