Fox, which screens 24, is also against the "people meters"

Nielsen Media Research wants to electronically measure LA ratings after trialling a local system in Boston.

Opponents said the National Latino Media Council had found serious problems with "people meter" use.

Nielsen said opposition had been stirred up by Fox affiliates afraid of falling ratings, which Fox denies.

The ratings company said it had solved early problems with the meters.

Meters, electronic devices people could use to fill in their viewing information, have been used since 1987 in national ratings for shows, but only recently have they been considered for local ratings.

Nationally, they replaced pen and paper diaries which had been used to gauge audience figures.

It also said it had commissioned an independent review of the National Latino Media Council's research.

'Civil rights'

There are calls for Nielsen to delay implementing the technology until an independent review had been carried out.

"This is not just about television. This is about civil rights," Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, said. "The undercounting of minorities has got to stop."

"Fox came to us and said, 'If you roll out people meters in local markets, we'll destroy you," Nielsen spokesman Jack Loftus said.

"And then they went out and hired a whole bunch of organisers to agitate."