In the United States, the validity, reliability and effectiveness of media research is subject to self-regulation and monitoring through the functions of the Media Rating Council, Inc. (the Council or MRC). The Council was formed in 1964 as a result of hearings by the U.S. Congress reviewing the practices of media research. At that time and partially as a result of the hearings, broadcasters concluded that if audience measurements of their programming were to be dependable and accepted, the ratings process would not only have to be more accurate, but also accredited (i.e., verified) as accurate. This became the Council’s first job—to provide assurance that rating services were doing what they said they were doing. An integral part of the verification process was an examination function, executed once a year on all regulated services, to prove disclosures and practices were equivalent.
Symposium: 1999: Florence, Session 4 - The Response Rate Challenge
Authors: Ivie, George, W, Julevich, Daniel, Terlizzi, Nick
Organisations: Ernst & Young