Kimball Union Magazine Spring/Summer 2022

Don Lowery ’73 Nielsen’s senior VP shapes the future of media.

Don Lowery ’73 is captivated by the evolving landscape of media consumption. For almost two decades he has tracked the transition from network and cable television to streaming, which now rivals traditional viewing, at rating giant Nielsen. “I have been right in the middle of the digital revolution,” he says. “It has been exciting and challenging to be part of this massive change.”

Much of Lowery’s early work with Nielsen involved introducing electronic technologies to more effectively track what audiences tuned in to watch. “When I joined, a significant part of our measurement was done asking viewers to complete handwritten diaries,” he says. “That seems almost unbelievable today.”

Now senior vice president of community engagement, Lowery uses information gathered at Nielsen to connect communities with creators. “I establish relationships with a variety of stakeholders—including public officials, business and community leaders, advocacy and industry organizations—to keep them informed so they can feel confident that our reports are accurate and inclusive.” Efforts to confirm what audiences want prompted Lowery to engage with leaders in communities of color. This outreach has provided more reliable data to companies developing content for viewers traditionally underrepresented in media measurement.

His push to expand access and equality goes beyond the numbers. “At Nielsen we have a robust program to encourage diversity in media measurement, and I am in regular contact to promote these efforts,” he says. Lowery also serves as an executive sponsor of Nielsen’s employee affinity group, Sustaining Active Black Leadership and Engagement, and is a fellow with CEO Action for Racial Equity, which advocates for public policies that improve healthcare, education, economic empowerment, and public safety.

His impact on the future of media stems from his interest in history. “I have always been grateful that Steve Bishop taught me that history was much more than dates and places,” says Lowery of a favorite KUA teacher. “History requires thinking much more broadly about all of the circumstances that preceded particular events and the long-term consequences.”

History requires thinking much more broadly about all of the circumstances that preceded particular events and the long-term consequences.

He applied this circumspect approach as a reporter and editor at the KUA student newspaper, then as a reporter at the student newspaper and radio station at Wesleyan, where he earned a degree in economics. Lowery honed his reporting chops at The Arizona Republic and The Boston Globe, earning a Pulitzer as part of a team covering desegregation of Boston public schools. He moved on to WHDH-TV (CBS) in Boston to write and present editorials—and develop partnerships with local businesses and community organizations for a series of public affairs campaigns. “I worked for almost 10 years in local television in Boston, and I loved its incredible ability to inform, educate, and entertain,” he says. “I have great respect for all of the professionals and the work they do, so it’s very important to me that we provide the industry with a high-quality product.”