For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a Nielsen family. You know what I'm talking about-- one of those families that are picked to keep a log of their television viewing habits. I often wonder how television ratings are accurately tracked-- just because the "Nielsen's" down the street watch "Two and a Half Men" doesn't mean my family does (and we don't).
My family would be a perfect Nielsen family because, between me, my husband and our children we watch a lot of television-- and quite a variety of programs, to boot. In fact, I'd like to volunteer to be a Nielsen but they don't accept volunteers. Your family has to be randomly selected. So I wait, patiently, for a postcard in the mail asking me to participate.
If I were a Nielsen, I think I would find that the viewing habits in our household are more indicative of "real" viewing habits than the usual Nielsen 10 is. Most people I know watch the same shows my family does, yet many of those shows never make the Nielsen top 10.
A typical TV viewing day in our household goes something like this:
6:00 AM: The local news. We flip back and forth between two channels because we like the news anchors on one channel and the weather personality and traffic guy on another channel.
6:30 AM: ESPN or some other sports network. This is my husband's doing-- while he gets ready for work he has to have the sports news on.
Meanwhile, downstairs on our other TV set:
6:30 AM until 8:00 AM: While I make breakfast my kids start to emerge from upstairs at varying times. So this is when we have the "Noggin" network on. My daughter likes to watch "Max and Ruby' and "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast' while she eats her Cheerios. My kids also like "Sesame Street" and "Caillou".
Later, while I'm getting dressed ...
9:00 AM: "Live with Regis and Kelly". I usually have this while I take my shower and getting dressed. Mid-way through "Live" is when we usually turn off the TV for a few hours and go do some other things. The exception, of course, is if the weather is bad or if someone is sick. If we stay in, we will usually have "Noggin" or "Nick Jr" on. If "Blue's Clues" is on we always watch that. Sometimes I will switch to "The Tony Danza Show" or "The View" if they have good guests on. No matter what the day, we always turn off the TV around lunch time.
1:00 PM: After lunch is nap time for my kids, so sometimes I'll sneak a peak at "All My Children" while I'm doing something mundane like folding laundry.
3:00 PM: Mid-afternoon (after naptime) my kids like to play in their playroom. I sometimes hop on the treadmill and watch "The Ellen DeGeneres Show".
4:00 PM: I watch "The Oprah Winfrey Show" every day, no exceptions. After "Oprah" we eat dinner and the TV is off until 7:00 PM. The only exception is on Monday, when the Food Network usually broadcasts back to back episodes of my favorite cooking show, "The Barefoot Contessa" at 5:00.
7:00 PM: My husband and I watch the syndicated "The King of Queens". It's our favorite comedy.
7:30: I sometimes watch "The Insider" if I'm looking for some good celebrity gossip. My husband hates that stuff so he will usually play with the kids until it is time to get them ready for bed.
8:00 PM: Bath time, tucking kids into bed, reading stories. My husband usually watches "Nancy Grace" once the kids are in bed.
9:00 PM: "Larry King Live" or "The Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch" if the guests are good. If it's a Sunday night it's "Desperate Housewives" followed by "Grey's Anatomy". Other nights it might be whatever is on "E" or "VH1".
10:00 PM: I confess that most nights I watch MTV at this time. I like most of their "10 Spot" shows. Sorry. On Wednesday nights it's "Sex and the City" reruns on TBS (I miss that show).
11:00 PM: The local news and then Letterman or Leno.
Late night: If I am up really late, I usually watch classic late night TV on "TV Land" or "Nick at Nite" (shows like "All in the Family", "Three's Company" and "Roseanne"). If my husband controls the remote, he tries to put or CNN or news shows, but I don't like hearing bad news right before I go to sleep. It makes me worry and it keeps me awake.
Of course this list is subject to change. As new reality shows come and go we watch them. When the new fall lineup starts up, we watch other things as well. But, as you can see, with the exception of "Desperate Housewives", most of the shows we watch in our household don't make the Nielsen top 10. So who is watching all of those other shows?
Oh, if only I were a Nielsen ....
