Industry glossary
AAAA (American Associations of Advertising Agencies):
A trade association of U.S. advertising agencies.
AAAA (the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents):
The 4As is the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents, which found by prominent members of the advertising industry. The Association deals with industry issues and maintains high standards & integrity among member agencies. It liaises with Government and other bodies on matters affecting the work of advertising as a whole, in representing its members' interest as responsible, professional practitioners of advertising.
Advertising agency:
A company that prepares and places advertising for its clients Agencies typically have media departments that specialize in planning, buying, and evaluating advertising time.
AQH (Average Quarter Hour):
The standard unit of time for reporting average audience estimates(e.g.,AQH rating, AQH share)within specified dayparts.
Audience flow:
The extent to which audiences persist from one program or time period to the next. See audience duplication, inheritance effects.
Audience duplication:
A cumulative measure of the audience that describes the extent to which audience members for one program or station are also in the audience of another program or station.
Audience fragmentation:
A phenomenon in which the audience for a medium is distributed across a large number of program services. Cable is said to fragment the television audience, resulting in a decreased average audience share for each channel.
Audience polarization:
A phenomenon associated with audience fragmentation, in which the audiences for channels or stations use them more intensively than an average audience member.
Audience turnover:
A phenomenon of audience behavior usually expressed as the ratio of a station's cumulative audience to its average quarter hour audience.
Available audience:
The number of people who are, realistically, in a position to use a medium at any point in time. It is often operationally deaned as those actually using the medium (i.e., PUT or PUR levels).
Average audience rating:
The rating of a station or program at an average point in time within some specified period of time. Metered data, for example, allow reports of audience size in an average minute during a television program.
Away from home listening:
Estimate of radio listening that occurs outside the home. Such listening usually takes place in a car or workplace.
Basic cable:
The programming services provided by a cable system for the lowest of its monthly charges. These services typically include local television signals, advertiser-supported cable networks, and local access.
Block programming:
The practice of scheduling similar programs in sequence to promote audience flow.
Cable system:
A video distribution system that uses coaxial cable and optical fiber to deliver multichannel service to households within a geographically defined franchise area.
Cable penetration:
The extent to which households in a given market subscribe to cable service. Typically expressed as the percent of all TV households that subscribe to basic cable.
Callback:
The practice in attempting to interview someone in a survey sample who was not contacted or interviewed on an earlier try. The number of call back attempts is an important determinant of response rates and nonresponse error.
Census:
A Study in which every member of a population is interviewed or measured.
Channel loyalty:
A common phenomenon of aggregate audience behavior in which the audience for one program tends to be disproportionately represented in the audience for other programs on the same channel.
Circulation:
The total number of unduplicated audience members exposed to a media vehicle (e.g. newspaper station) over some specified period.
Cluster sample:
A type of probability sample in which aggregations of sampling units, called clusters, are sampled at some stage in the process.
Codes:
The numbers or letters used to represent responses in a survey instrument like a diary. Coding the responses allows computers to manipulate the data.
Coincidental:
A type of telephone survey in which interviewers ask respondents what they are watching or listening to at the time of the call. Coincidentals, based on probability samples, often set the standard against which other ratings methods are judged.
Confidence level:
In probability sampling, a statement of the likelihood that a range of values (i.e. confidence interval) will include the true population value
Convenience sample:
A nonprobability sample, sometimes called an accidental sample, used because respondents are readily available or convenient.
Correlation:
A statistic that measures the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. It may range in value from +1.O to-1.0, with O indicating no relationship.
CPP (Cost Per Point):
A measure of how much it costs to buy the audience represented by one rating point. The size of that audience, and therefore its cost, varies with the size of the market population on which the rating is based.
CPM (Cost Per Thousand):
A measure of how much it costs to buy 1OOO audience members delivered by an ad. CPMs are commonly used to compare the cost efficiency of different advertising vehicles.
Counterprogramming:
A programming strategy in which a station or network schedules material appealing to an audience other than the competition. Independents often counterprogram local news with entertainment.
Coverage:
The potential audience for a given station or network, defined by the size of the population reached, or covered, by the signal.
Cross-sectional:
A type of survey design in which one sample is drawn from the population at a point in time.
Cross-tabs:
A technique of data analysis in which the responses to one item are paired with those of another item. Cross, tabs are useful in determining the audience duplication between two programs.
Cume:
Short for cumulative audience, it is the size of the unduplicated audience for a station over a specified period. When the cume is expressed as percent of the market population it is referred to as cume rating.
Cume duplication:
The percentage of a station's cume audience that also listened to another station, within some specified period.
Daypart:
A period of time, usually defined by certain hours of the day and days of the week (e.g., weekdays vs. weekends), used to estimate audience size for the purpose of buying and selling advertising time. Dayparts can also be defined by program content (e.g., news, sports).
Demographics:
A category of variables often used to describe the composition of audiences. Common demographics include age, gender, education, occupation and income.
Diary:
A paper booklet, distributed by ratings companies, in which audience members are asked to record their television or radio use, usually for one week. The diary can be for an entire household (television) or for an individual (radio).
Early fringe:
In television, a daypart in late afternoon immediately prior to the airing of local news programs.
Effective exposure:
A concept in media planning stipulating that a certain amount of exposure to an advertising message is necessary before it is effective. Often used interchangeably with the term effective frequency.
ESS (Effective Sample Size):
The size of a simple random sample needed to produce the same result as the sample actually used by the rating company. ESS is a convenience used for calculating confidence intervals. Also called effective sample base, or ESB.
Exclusive cume audience:
The size of the unduplicated audience that listens exclusively to one station within some specified period.
Frequency:
In advertising, the average number of times that an individual is exposed to a particular advertising message.
Fringe:
In television, dayparts just before prime time (early fringe) and after the late news (late fringe).
Grazing:
The term describing the tendency of viewers to frequently change channels, a behavior that is presumably facilitated by remote control.
Gross impressions:
The number of times an advertising schedule is seen over time. The number of gross impressions may exceed the size of the population since audience members may be duplicated.
GRP (Gross Rating Point):
The gross impressions of an advertising schedule expressed as a percentage of the population. GRPs are commonly used to describe the size or media weight of an advertising campaign. GRPs=Reach ¡ÁFrequency.
Group quarters:
Dormitories, barracks, nursing homes, prisons, and other living arrangements that do not qualify as households, and are, therefore, not measured by ratings companies.
Hammocking:
A television programming strategy in which an unproven or weak show is scheduled between two popular programs in hopes that viewers will stay tuned, thereby enhancing the rating of the middle program.
Household:
An identifiable housing unit, such as an apartment or house, occupied by one or more persons.
HUT (Households Using Television):
A term describing the total size of the audience, in households, at anyone time. Expressed as either the projected audience size, or as a percent of the total number of households.
Inertia:
A description of audience behavior that implies viewers are unlikely to change channels unless Provoked by very unappealing programming.
Inheritance effect:
A common phenomenon of television audience behavior in which the audience for one program is disproportionately represented in the audience of the following program. Sometimes called lead-in effects, audience inheritance can be thought of as a special case of channel loyalty.
Interview:
A method of collecting data through oral questioning of a respondent, either in person, or over the telephone.
Late fringe:
In television, a daypart just after the late local news(11pm EST).
Lead-in:
The program that immediately precedes another on the same channel. The size and composition of a lead, in audience is an important determinant of a program's rating.
LOP (least objectionable program):
A popular theory of television audience behavior attributed to Paul Klein, that argues people primarily watch TV for reasons unrelated to content, and they choose the least objectionable programs.
Measurement error:
Systematic bias or inaccuracy attributable to measurement procedures
Meter:
A measure of central tendency defined as that point in a distribution where half the cases have higher values and half have lower values.
Minimum reporting standard:
The number of listening or viewing mentions necessary for a station or program to be included in a ratings report
Multiset household:
A television household with more than one working television set.
Narrowcasting:
A programming strategy in which a station or network schedules content of the same type or appealing to the same subset of the audience.
Net weekly circulation:
The cume or unduplicated audience using a station or network in a week
Network:
An organization that acquires or produces programming and distributes that programming, usually with national or regional advertising, to affiliated stations or cable systems.
Nonprobability sample:
A kind of sample in which every member of the population does not have a known probability of selection into the sample.
Off-network Programs:
Programs originally produced to air on a major broadcast network, now being sold in syndication.
Overnights:
The label given to ratings, based on meters, that are available to clients the day after broadcast.
Passive audience:
A term given to viewers who are unselective about the content they watch. Passive audiences are thought to watch TV out of habit tuning to almost anything if a preferred show is unavailable.
Paycable:
The programming services provided by a cable system for a monthly fee above and beyond that required for basic cable. Paycable may include anyone of several premium services like HB0, showtime, or The Disney Channel.
Peoplemeter:
A device that electronically records the on-off and channel tuning condition of a TV set and is capable of identifying viewers. If viewers must enter that information by button pressing, the meter is caned active; if the meter requires no effort from viewers, it is called passive.
Placement interview:
An initial interview to secure the willingness of the respondent to keep a diary or receive a meter.
Population:
The total number of persons or households from which a sample is drawn. Membership in a population must be clearly defined, often by the geographic area in which a person lives.
Preempt:
An action, taken by an affiliate, in which programming fed by a network is replaced with programming scheduled by the station. Certain types of commercial time can also be preempted by advertisers willing to pay a premium for the spot.
Prime time.
A television daypart from 7p.m. to 11p.m.EST. Due to FCCeregulations, broadcast networks typically feed programming only from 8p.m.to llp.m.EST.
Probability sample:
A kind of sample in which every member of the population has an equal or known chance of being selected into the sample. Sometimes called random samples, probability samples allow statistical inferences about the accuracy of sample estimates.
Program type:
A category of programming usually based on similarities in program content.
Projectable:
A quality describing a sample designed in such a way that audience projections may be made.
Projected audience:
The size of an audience estimated to exist in the population, based on sample information.
PUR (Persons Using Radio):
A term describing the total size of the radio audience at any point.
PUT (Person Using Television):
A term describing the total size of the television audience, in persons, at any time.
Qualitative ratings:
Numerical summaries of the audience that not only describe how many watched or listened, but their reactions including enjoyment interest, attentiveness, and information gained.
Qualitative research:
Any systematic investigation of the audience that does not depend on measurement and quantification. Examples include focus groups and participant observation. Sometimes used to describe any nonratings research, even if quantification is involved, as in "qualitative ratings."
Quota sample:
A type of nonprobability sample in which categories of respondents called quotas (e.g., males), are filled by interviewing respondents who are convenient.
Random Digit Dialing (RDD):
In telephone surveys, a technique for creating a probability sample by randomly generating telephone numbers. By using this method, all numbers (including unlisted) have an equal chance of being called.
Rating:
In its simplest form, the percentage of persons or households tuned to a station, program, or daypart out of the total market population.
Reach:
The number of unduplicated persons or households included in the audience of a station or a commercial campaign over some specified period. Sometimes expressed as a percentage of the market population.
Repeat viewing:
The extent to which the audience for one program is represented in the audience of other episodes of the series.
Replication:
A study repeating the procedures of an early study to assess the stability of results. In audience measurement, replications involve drawing subsamples from a parent sample to assess sampling error
Respondent:
A sample member who provides information in response to questions
Response error:
Inaccuracies in survey data attributable to the quality of responses, including lying, forgetting, or misinterpreting question.
Sample:
A subset of some population.
Simple frame:
A list of some population from which a probability sample is actually drawn.
Sample weighting:
The practice of assigning different mathematical weights to various subsets of the in-tab sample in an effort to correct for different response rates among those subsets. Each weight is the ratio of the subset's size in the population to its size in the sample.
Sampling error:
Inaccuracies in survey data attributable to ¡°the luck of the draw" in creating a probability sample.
Sampling rate:
The ratio of sample size to population size.
Sets-in-use:
The number of sets turned on at a given point. As a measure of audience size, it has become outdated since most households now have multiple sets
Share:
In its simplest form, the percentage of persons or households tuned to a station or program out of all those using the medium at that time.
Simple random sample:
A one-stage probability sample in which every member of the population has an equal chance of selection.
Spill:
The extent to which nonmarket stations are viewed by local audiences, or local stations are viewed by audiences outside the market.
Standard error:
The standard deviation of a sampling distribution. It is the statistic used to make statements about the accuracy of estimates based on sample information.
Stratified sample:
A type of probability sample in which the population is organized into homogeneous subsets or strata, after which a predetermined number of respondents is randomly selected for each strata. Stratified sampling can reduce the sampling error associated with simple random samples.
Stripped programming:
A programming practice in which television shows am scheduled at the same time on 5 consecutive weekdays. Stations often strip syndicated programs.
Sweep:
In television, a 4-week period during which ratings companies are collecting the audience information necessary to produce local market reports.
Systematic sample:
A kind of probability sample in which a set interval is applied to a list often population to identity elements included in the sample (e.g., picking every 10th name).
Target audience:
Any well-defined subset of the total audience that an advertiser wants to reach with a commercial campaign or a station wants to reach with a particular kind of programming.
Telephone recal:
A type of survey in which a telephone interviewer asks the respondent what they listened to or watched in the recent past, often the preceding day.
Television household (TVHH):
A common unit of analysis in ratings research, it is any household equipped with a working television set, excluding group quarters.
Time period averages:
The size of a broadcast audience at an average point in time, within some specified period.
Total audience:
All those who tune to a program for at least 5 minutes. Essentially, it is the cumulative audience for a long program or miniseries.
Trend analysis:
A type of longitudinal survey design in which results from repeated independent samplings are compared over time.
TSL (Time Spent Listening):
A cumulative measure of the average amount of time an audience spends listening to a station within a daypart.
Unduplicated audience:
The number of different persons or households in an audience over a specified period.
Unit of analysis:
The element or entity about which a researcher collects information. In ratings, the unit of analysis is usually a person or household.
Unweighted in-tab:
The actual number of individuals in different demographic groups who have returned usable information to the ratings company.
Unwired networks:
Organizations that acquire commercial time (usually in similar types of programming) from stations around the country and package that time for sale to advertisers.
VCR (Video-Cassette Recorder):
An appliance used for recording and playing videocassette tapes, now in a majority of U.S. households.
VPVH (Viewers Per Viewing Household):
The estimated number of people, usually by demographic category, in each household tuned to a particular source.
Weighted in-tab:
The number of individuals in different demographic groups who would have provided usable information if response rates were equivalent. See sample weighting.
Weighting:
The process of assigning mathematical weights in an attempt to correct over or underrepresentation of some groups in the unweighted in-tab sample. See sample weighting.
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