Nielsen Pulls Latino 104.1/87.7 From August DC Ratings

Radio Online reports that Nielsen has removed Latino 104.1/87.7 (WLNO/WDCN-LD) from the August 2026 Washington radio ratings after discovering that the household of a WLNO staff member had been participating in its Portable People Meter panel. Nielsen says the household had been part of the Washington PPM panel since January 2025 and that the individual intentionally misrepresented their background to get around safeguards barring people affiliated with media outlets from participating.

Following an investigation, Nielsen determined the situation violated its Rating Distortion policy and removed WLNO from the August Washington report. The delisting applies only to WLNO and not the rest of the Radio One Washington cluster. Nielsen cited the company’s cooperation, its previous compliance record and the fact that the employee joined the company through a recent acquisition.

The penalty will be limited to the August report, but the issue reaches further back. Because the household had been in the panel for an extended period, Nielsen is issuing revised Washington ratings for earlier survey periods beginning in February 2026, with revised reports being provided to subscribers starting with the July monthly. Latino 104.1 is expected to return to the Washington PPM report with the September ratings.