Nielsen's Arthur Nielsen dies

Arthur C. Nielsen Jr., who led the company that grew into an international market research firm known for producing the TV ratings known as "the Nielsens," died Monday in Winnetka, Ill. He was 92 and had suffered from Parkinson's disease. Nielsen joined his father's company, A.C. Nielsen Co., in 1945 after serving in WWII. The company was founded in 1923 and began a radio ratings service in 1942, followed by a TV ratings service in 1950. He became the company's president in 1957 and took over as chairman in 1975 before stepping down in 1983 to become chairman emeritus. In that role, he engineered the company's sale to Dun & Bradstreet Corp. for $1.3 billion in stock in 1984. The company was later acquired by Dutch publishing company VNU. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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