We put new batteries in a Nikon EM and the light does not come on when battery is check...they are in correctly. Does anyone know how a light meter can get broken?

The battery check is by pressing a very small silver button on the top plate by the shutter release and the little red light come on right? there is only two small button batteries in the EM but without them it's a brick. So look inside the battery compartment and at the bottom you will see a spring piece of metal which the batter makes contact with. If it is corroded then you will have to clean that off to make contact again. Take a new pencil with a new unused red rubber eraser and form a piece of sand paper over the end of the pencil and tape it securely. Lightly twist the pencil back and forth between your fingers to sand off the corrosion, make it shinny. Blow out the dusty dirty stuff with a puffer make sure the batteries are installed correctly. Yes I know you said the batteries were in the right way install the batteries check wiht the battery test button. Also don't forget the EM is a totally battery dependent camera for the meter AND the meter will not work until you have the frame counter at frame # 1 and beyond. My Nikon EM has been slightly modified yours might not be the same but I can close the back and advance the lever trip the shutter and again until it reaches frame one and then the light meter works. Cheers great little camera hope you get it working

The camera manual says that the thing can run without batteries in m90 mode.