Nielsen, A. C.

Nielsen, A. C. (Arthur Charles, Sr.) (1897–1980) product and radio/television audience analyst; born in Chicago. He was trained as an electrical engineer at the University of Wisconsin. He founded the A. C. Nielsen Company (1923) to evaluate the performance of industrial equipment for manufacturers. During the Depression he began the Nielsen Food and Drug Index, which tracked retail sales of national food and drug brands; this remained his largest operation. Using mechanical "audimeters" attached to radio sets, he began measuring radio audiences' listening behavior in the late 1930s, launching in 1942 his National Radio Index for broadcasters and advertisers. He became the dominant force in his field in 1950 by absorbing C. E. Hooper, Inc., and adding a television rating service. "Nielsen ratings," produced by international affiliates, helped the company grow into the largest market research company in the world.