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| This pic has nothing to do with this article. I am male. -- Property of WB |
I see so many people on different sites talking about what can be done to save the show from cancellation. I haven't really wanted to get too involved in it since I already spend way too much time on this fandom (poor widdle me), and was heavily involved in the season 2 into season 3 "save CHUCK" movement. Not to mention the whole Chuckfest charity stuff (which still has me feeling shell shocked).
But there is so much misinformation and disinformation around, mostly from well meaning people, about how we can keep the show going that I felt I needed to once and for all point out what WILL make a difference. So, put away your flash mob signs and your plans to march on NBC and start doing these things:
1. This first one is the MOST IMPORTANT but can only be accomplished by about 1% of US dwellers and likely 1% of people reading this right now. WATCH CHUCK LIVE... especially if you are a NIELSEN FAMILY MEMBER. If you are not one, or don't understand what that means, don't worry about it. You are not one of them. You don't need to know what it means.
But if you are a Nielsen family member, here is what you have to do to make sure your viewing of the show counts, and counts for as much as possible:
- DO tune into NBC early (at least a minute before the episode begins).
- DO have your button nearby... and click it when it blinks. Click it every time it blinks. Have friends and family over and have them click their buttons. Give guests their buttons and teach them how to use them. Remember, the ratings Nielsen wants is from people 18-49 (18-34 is even better), so if you have to lie, then your guests are males between the ages of 18 to 34. Not that I recommend lying... but hey, SAVE CHUCK!
- If you don't have a button, then you are wearing your device. So, ignore the button pushing part.
- DO record the episode onto your DVR (if you have one) while you watch the episode live. I will explain why this is important to do in a few steps.
- DO NOT switch channels during commercials. This is extremely important. If you do, then your view will not be counted.
- DO NOT pause your live viewing (for those with DVRs) and then fast forward through the commercials. If you do, then your view will not be counted.
- DO leave the damn remote alone while you are watching CHUCK on NBC LIVE!
- DO, I say this again, click your damn buttons when they blink, every damn time!
- DO, and this is really important, watch CHUCK again, once the live viewing is over, on your DVR.
- DO NOT, and this is really really importanter (I am just making up words now), fast forward through commercials while watching it on your DVR. Treat it like you are watching LIVE.
- DO watch the episode on your DVR before 3am if you missed a live viewing, while not fast forwarding, since viewings before 3am WILL count toward the overnight ratings.
- DO watch several more times within three days WITHOUT SKIPPING COMMERCIALS. In fact, if you only watch the commercials and you watch them several times, you will count towards the C3 every time (thanks dkd).
Let me just explain that third to last point a bit more. It used to be that if you watched the show twice (live and then on your DVR) that it was only counted once. But Nielsen is now counting multiple viewings, provided that those viewings include all commercials without fast forwarding through them (called time shifting). So, if you are a very dedicated Nielsen viewer, please do that. You will make a big difference.
2. Go to WeGiveAChuck.com and follow through with the letter writing campaign. Sure, executives at NBC might not read every letter, and they might not even receive all of them, but they do get some of these and someone reads them, and that still means something to the network. It means a lot more than online petitions and most other fan efforts. Hand write your letter if you can. It means a lot more to them if you do.
3. Watch CHUCK episodes on NBC.com and not on Hulu (if you can). When Comcast acquired majority holdings in NBC, they had to give up controlling interest in Hulu. That means NBC makes their online viewing ad money from NBC.com. It may not be a lot of money, but when you watch it there, you do help offset some of the cost. This helps whether you are a Nielsen member or not.
4. Go to RewardTV.com and create an account. Then, on Tuesdays, following a new episode of CHUCK, play the game(s) related to the episode. Make sure to PAY ATTENTION to things in each episode and to the commercials. This site is owned by Nielsen and is used to qualify audience engagement with ad related events throughout the show. So, try to answer every question correctly. Anyone can get involved. You do not need to be a member of Nielsen.
5. Follow @ChuckMeMondays on Twitter and do everything you are told to do without question! If you don't, then the show is cancelled. So do it! (update: at least one brilliant mind didn't get that this was said humorously, so check out the comments section for that one and giggle mockingly)
6. Buy CHUCK gear from the official NBC Store. And while you are at it, follow @NBCStore on Twitter.
7. Watch CHUCK On-Demand on your cable system. It should be a free viewing with commercials (you usually can't fast forward through them). You don't need to be a Nielsen member to have this matter. Don't know how to do this? Call your cable company and ask. That is why you pay the big bucks, so make them teach you.
If I think of something else, I will add it to this list. If it doesn't end up on this list, then it is a waste of your time. Now, go spread the word. If this article doesn't get 200,000 hits by the end of this month, then we are all doomed.
