Nortel Bay Networks' network routers form the backbone of an extensive nationwide network which connects 30,000 set-top boxes to the company's central computers, transmitting survey data up until 7:00 AM. It is processed, loaded into databases, and accessible through Internet browsers for customers by noon.

A typical project runs for 18 months, but the average varies between four months and four years, with 5 to 20 people on a team. One long-term project involved development of multi-media image handling, using pattern matching and digital signal processing (DSP) technology to determine which commercials have run, tagging them, and recording them so customers can review competitors' advertising. Video databasing, distribution, and tagging algorithms were developed in C++. Another sample project involved preparing an historical analysis of five years of summarized national viewing data, a 60gigabyte database in Sybase. This project initially took 18 months to complete and has had three major version releases since its first release. It was developed in PowerBuilder and has been delivered to customers on a private TCP/IP network. A third project incorporated an application server between the database and browser and involved building a national TV ratings database with daily ratings data held in a two-terabyte Red Brick data warehouse. It took two years to complete.

The newest technology Nielsen Media Research is investigating is extraction, loading, and transformation (ELT) for decision analysis, in which data is extracted from a database and loaded directly into a data warehouse. As Ross says, "Because we are in the electronic media business, a highly volatile industry which now spans TV and satellite distribution and the convergence of cable and the Internet, we are early adopters of solid technology."

Benefits include medical, dental, and long-term disability insurance. Vacation starts with two weeks and increases to four weeks after 15 years. Nielsen Media Research observes 12 holidays and offers 10 sick days. They offer tuition reimbursement, an optional vision insurance program, and pension and 401(k) retirement programs. The company matches employees' charitable donations. They offer free coffee and a subsidized cafeteria, and sponsor golf, bowling, running, and softball teams. The engineering department has ping-pong and pool tables. There have been occasional spot job eliminations; no large-scale layoffs, and none of these has affected technical positions. Employees are given an overview of severance benefits as part of their initiation package. Turnover is 4.27 percent.

Dress in Florida is very casual; shorts are fine. In New York, dress is business formal during the week and business casual on Fridays. Standard hours are from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Flexible work hours, including a 9-day alternate work schedule, are available to technical staff members. Typically, technical staff members work just over 40 hours a week, but occasional 50-hour weeks may be expected when a new system is going live or there is a production crisis that requires immediate resolution. There is little need for travel. And, as Betsy Williams, Vice President of Human Resources says, "Most employees in Florida live within 15 or 20 minutes of the company's offices."

Nielsen Media Research provides an objective audience measurement service that allows advertisers and media to negotiate their rates. By delivering independent research on viewers' habits, advertisers and television broadcasters can determine a fair market value for a minute of airtime. In addition, which shows remain on the air, where they are scheduled, and when tune-in promotions appear are all partially determined by Nielsen Media Research data.

Corporate headquarters for Nielsen Media Research is on Park Avenue, in New York City, near the advertising agencies and networks that make up the company's primary customer base. Operations, however, moved to Florida, just north of Clearwater, in 1972. Approximately 300 employees work at corporate headquarters and more than 2,000 at the Florida site. In 1996, Dun & Bradstreet, then the parent of Nielsen Media Research, spun off the unit, and separated Nielsen Media Research from ACNielsen, a separate company that does consumer product market research. In 1999, VNU, a Dutch publisher of consumer and business magazines, textbooks, and directories, bought Nielsen Media Research. Also in 1999, the company started a joint venture with Net Ratings called Nielsen/Net Ratings, to focus on advertising on the Internet.

Candidates should have the specific skills that match the company's technical environment. Ross explains, "We are not big on degrees, but we look for skills proven by experience, like Java or Sybase, not just experience with a related technology." Nielsen Media Research has dual management and technology tracks. "On the technical track," says Ross, "we look for creative, innovative people who are also willing to sit down and complete the job." For managers and lead developers, continues Ross, "Communication is vitally important. This is a fast-paced environment where our employees need to work in close coordination and learn from each other." Further, managers are expected to mentor team members and coordinate with marketing and senior management on project requirements.

Nielsen Media Research finds candidates primarily through online listings (monster.com) and employment agencies.