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By David Galewsky

By David Galewsky
The Battalion ( Texas A&M )

(U-WIRE) COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Starting in 2007, college students may notice a difference in the commercials played on some of their favorite television stations. The Nielsen Media Research Company, a company that analyzes television ratings, will be making a few changes to the audiences that they monitor, said Laura James, vice president of client communications for Nielsen. "We are going to the dorms, fraternity houses, sorority houses and apartments of certain college students to monitor what shows they watch and how often they watch them," James said. The company evaluates viewing patterns by either asking participants to fill out a viewing journal or by attaching a meter to the television that takes in information about the specific programs, according to the Nielsen Web site. The data retrieved through these methods are then transmitted to client companies, according to the Web site. The companies use this information to determine the prime locations for advertisements and how much to charge for ad space. The college students that will be monitored are ones that already take part in Nielsen surveys, James said. "These are students whose homes are already Nielsen homes," James said. "If you are already a Nielsen family and you have a student in college, we will now be monitoring the students in their dorms or apartments." James said the new method will make data collected by the company more accurate. "As it stands right now, college students are only counted in the data when they come home to their families and watch TV," James said. "With the change we will be monitoring them at school, as well as their families at home." The company has changed their focus due mainly to client requests, she said. "It has always been our goal to constantly improve the way we gather our data, and it has been a frequent request of our clients to somehow incorporate this younger audience in our surveys," James said. This new formula could equate to better ratings for certain shows and networks, James said. "Advertising agencies have estimated that, when the change occurs, networks that cater to younger audiences could see ratings increase from .2 to an entire rating percent, which can be a big deal," she said. While ratings can equal more money for television networks, it could mean more commercials on college student's favorite shows. Mona Srivistava, a marketing professor and graduate student at the Texas A&M University Mays Business School said the companies that advertise through these television networks stand to gain a lot. "It is a huge market; people at this age have a lot of brand loyalty," Srivistava said. "They wear specific types of shoes, drink specific types of drinks. They are much more influenced by their social peers."

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