Media market

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A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media such as newspapers and internet content. [1] They can coincide with or overlap with one or more metropolitan areas, though rural regions with few significant population centers can also be designated as markets. Conversely, very large metropolitan areas can sometimes be subdivided into multiple segments. Market regions may overlap, meaning that people residing on the edge of one media market may be able to receive content from other nearby markets. They are widely used in audience measurements, which are compiled in the United States by Nielsen Media Research. Nielsen has measured both television and radio audiences since its acquisition of Arbitron, which was completed in September 2013. [2]

Contents

Markets are identified by the largest city, which is usually located in the center of the market region. However, geography and the fact that some metropolitan areas have large cities separated by some distance can make markets have unusual shapes and result in two, three, or more names being used to identify a single region (such as WichitaHutchinson, Kansas; ChicoRedding, California; AlbanySchenectadyTroy, New York; and HarrisburgLebanonLancasterYork, Pennsylvania).

In the United States, radio markets are generally a bit smaller than their television counterparts, as broadcast power restrictions are stricter for radio than TV, and TV reaches further via cable. AM band and FM band radio ratings are sometimes separated, as are broadcast and cable television ratings. Market researchers also subdivide ratings demographically between different age groups, genders, and ethnic backgrounds, as well as psychographically between income levels and other non-physical factors. This information is used by advertisers to determine how to reach a specific audience. In countries such as the United States, media regions are defined by a privately held institution without government status; in countries such as the United Kingdom, government-run television stations map their own regions. [3]

United States

Television

Media Markets of the United States United States Designated Market Areas 2013.svg
Media Markets of the United States

A Television Market Area (TMA) is a group of counties in the United States covered by a specific group of television stations. The term is used by the U.S. Government's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate broadcast, cable, and satellite transmissions, according to the Code of Federal Regulations, at 47 CFR § 76.51 and FCC.gov. The TMAs not only have full control over local broadcasts, but also delineate which channels will be received by satellite or cable subscribers ("must-carry" rules). These market areas can also be used to define restrictions on rebroadcasting of broadcast television signals. Generally speaking, only stations within the same market area can be rebroadcast. The only exception to this rule is the "significantly viewed" list. [4] Virtually all of the United States is located within the boundaries of exactly one TMA.

A similar term used by Nielsen Media Research is the Designated Market Area (DMA), and they control the trademark on it. DMAs are used by Nielsen Media Research to identify TV stations that best reach an area and attract the most viewers. There are 210 Nielsen DMAs in the United States, 70 of which are metered (in other words, viewership in these markets are estimated automatically instead of through the archaic diary system still in use in the smaller markets). [5] [6]

TMAs may cover a much larger area than the stations that serve it, especially since the digital television transition. This is particularly true in markets that have hilly or mountainous terrain that is ill-suited for digital broadcasting. In these cases, the outlying areas of a TMA may only be served by cable and satellite, or perhaps by small translators. (There are some cases, such as that of Olean, New York, where a sizable number of independent stations operate, but none carry any major network affiliation unless they operate as translators. Because of this, Olean is considered part of the Buffalo, New York market despite none of that city's major signals reaching the city from 70 miles away.) Conversely, a geographically small market such as Erie, Pennsylvania may have stations where their signal spills well over into neighboring TMAs (most of Chautauqua County, New York, is closer to Erie than Buffalo, but the county is also located within the Buffalo DMA).

Arbitron (now Nielsen Audio) also maintained similar areas for television ratings, each called an "area of dominant influence" (ADI), which were first created in 1966. [7] For the 1993–1994 television season, there were 209 ADIs in the continental United States. [8] Arbitron stopped offering a television ratings service in late 1993. [9]

Radio

Nielsen Audio (previously Arbitron) maintains smaller areas for radio stations; each is called an Arbitron Radio Metro. Whereas a typical TMA may cover ten counties, an Arbitron market generally covers two to four, and a TMA may contain two to four separate Radio Metros. There are 302 Radio Metros in the United States, but not all areas of the country are covered.

In 2009, Nielsen began offering radio ratings in competition with Arbitron, starting in those markets ranked 101st and smaller. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

Nielsen Audio is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with Los Angeles-based Coffin, Cooper, and Clay in the early 1950s. The company's initial business was the collection of broadcast television ratings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDBB</span> Television station in Alabama, United States

WDBB is a television station licensed to Bessemer, Alabama, United States, serving Tuscaloosa and west Alabama as a satellite of Birmingham-based CW affiliate WTTO. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, a partner company of the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns WTTO, MyNetworkTV affiliate WABM, and regional ABC affiliate WBMA-LD, which WDBB also rebroadcasts. Sinclair supplies all of WDBB's programming under a programming services agreement, a form of local marketing agreement. However, Sinclair effectively owns WDBB, as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The transmitter is located near Windham Springs, east of State Route 69.

Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites. Sometimes, the term is used as pertaining to practices which help broadcasters and advertisers determine who is listening rather than just how many people are listening. In some parts of the world, the resulting relative numbers are referred to as audience share, while in other places the broader term market share is used. This broader meaning is also called audience research.

This glossary of terms used in broadcasting is a list of definitions of terms and concepts related to both radio and television broadcasting, along with the industry in general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYMT-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Hazard, Kentucky

WYMT-TV is a television station licensed to Hazard, Kentucky, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield region. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on Black Gold Boulevard off the KY 15 bypass in Hazard, and its transmitter is located south of the city in the Perry County community of Viper.

WZBJ is a television station licensed to Danville, Virginia, United States, serving the Roanoke–Lynchburg market as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Roanoke-licensed CBS affiliate WDBJ. WZBJ and WDBJ share studios on Hershberger Road in northwest Roanoke; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WDBJ's spectrum from an antenna on Poor Mountain in Roanoke County.

The media in New York's Capital District is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy media market, which is the 59th largest in the United States, includes all of the 11 counties of the Capital District, along with Hamilton County, New York, as well as Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and Bennington County, Vermont. In total, there are 16 AM/MW stations, 30 full-power FM stations, 14 low-power FM translators, 8 full power analog TV stations, 5 low-power TV translators, and 8 full power digital TV (DTV) stations licensed to communities within 30 miles (48 km) of downtown Albany. In terms of broadcast media, Albany is part of Arbitron market #63 (radio), and Nielsen DMA #57 (television), and is a broadcast market with historical relevance. The pioneering influence of General Electric in Schenectady directly contributed to the area emerging as the birthplace of station-based television (WRGB) and one of the earliest FM broadcast stations, in addition to the first federally licensed radio station in upstate New York, WGY.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The CW Plus</span> Secondary syndication feed of The CW

The CW Plus is a secondary national broadcast television syndication service feed of The CW. It is intended primarily for American television markets ranked #100 and above by Nielsen Media Research estimates. The service is primarily carried on digital subchannels and multichannel subscription television providers, although it maintains primary affiliations on full-power and low-power stations in certain markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVTT-CD</span> Television station in New York, United States

WVTT-CD, virtual channel 34, is a low-power, Class A television station serving the Twin Tiers that is licensed to Olean, New York. The station is owned by HC2 Holdings. The station's transmitter is located on Warner Hill Rd. in South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDZZ-FM</span> Radio station in Flint, Michigan

WDZZ-FM is a radio station broadcasting an urban adult contemporary format, licensed to Flint, Michigan, and under ownership of Cumulus Media. Its studios are located south of the Flint city limits and its transmitter is north of downtown Flint.

WJMX is an AM radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Darlington, South Carolina, United States, it serves the Florence area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC, and features programming from Premiere Networks, the Salem Radio Network, Townhall, and Westwood One. Its studios are located in Florence, and its transmitter is located in Darlington.

The Tampa Bay media market is Florida's second-largest metropolitan area with a variety of print, online and broadcast media outlets serving the region. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population for the Tampa-St. Petersburg Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) at 3,194,831 according to the 2019 est. The Tampa Bay media market also includes Citrus, Manatee, Sarasota and Polk counties which is over 5,000,000 when combined with the Tampa Bay (MSA). Polk County is also served by media from Orlando.

The digital transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of terrestrial television programming. According to David Rehr, then president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, this transition represented "the most significant advancement of television technology since color TV was introduced." For full-power TV stations, the transition went into effect on June 12, 2009, with stations ending regular programming on their analog signals no later than 11:59 p.m. local time that day.

A duopoly is a situation in television and radio broadcasting in which two or more stations in the same city or community share common ownership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLIR</span> Radio station in Columbus, Nebraska

KLIR is a radio station licensed to serve Columbus, Nebraska, United States. The station is owned by Alpha Media, through licensee Digity 3E License, LLC. Digity owns and operates radio station throughout Nebraska and the Midwestern United States.

Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films, and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen ratings, an audience measurement system of television viewership that for years has been the deciding factor in canceling or renewing television shows by television networks. As of May 2012, it is part of Nielsen Holdings.

Significantly viewed signals permitted to be carried 47 U.S.C. § 340 or the Significantly Viewed list (SV) is a federal law which allows television stations as determined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to be carried by cable and other multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) providers outside their assigned Nielsen designated market area (DMA). This legislation was passed to protect viewers living near market boundaries from losing local television stations with significant viewership outside their market. It also allows for the carriage of local foreign stations in markets along international borders.

Jacksonville, Florida is served by local media, as well as regional and national media. As of 2017, Jacksonville is ranked as the 42nd largest television media market in the United States, with 700,890 homes. Radio and television broadcasts are governed by the FCC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTOP-FM</span> All-news radio station in Washington, D.C.

WTOP-FM – branded "WTOP Radio" and "WTOP News" – is a commercial all-news radio station licensed to serve Washington, D.C. Owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, the station serves the Washington metropolitan area, extending its reach through two repeater stations: WTLP in Braddock Heights, Maryland, and WWWT-FM (107.7) in Manassas, Virginia. The WTOP-FM studios, referred to on-air as the "WTOP Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center", are located on Wisconsin Avenue in the Washington D.C. suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland, while the station transmitter is located on the American University campus. Besides a standard analog transmission, WTOP-FM broadcasts over three HD Radio channels, and is available online.

References

  1. "What Is a Media Market? (with pictures)". Smart Capital Mind. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  2. "Nielsen Acquires Arbitron". nielsen.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  3. Medhurst, Jamie. "The Nations" . Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  4. FCC.gov
  5. See the PDF's at "Television Measurement". nielsen.com. Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  6. See the 2017 map of Nielsen Designated Market Areas at "Nielsen 2017 Map" (PDF). Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  7. "ARB to be target" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 6, 1966. p. 65. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  8. "Arbitron ADI Market Atlas" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. 1994. p. C-123. Retrieved February 8, 2021 via World Radio History.
  9. "Nielsen monopoly threatened in TV ratings field". UPI. February 4, 1994. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  10. "Radio Measurement | Radio Audience". Nielsen. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2013.