Glossary This list includes boldfaced terms in the text and other vocabulary but excludes phrases boldfaced in text for emphasis only. Acronyms appear under their spelled-out definitions. Italicized words in the definitions indicate other glossary entries. AC Adult contemporary, a soft rock music format targeting the 25 to 54 age category. access Public availability of broadcast time. In cable, one or more channels reserved for noncommercial use by the community, educators, or local government. See also access time, community access channels, and prime-time access rule. access time The hour preceding prime time (usually between 7 and 8 P.M. EST), during which the broadcast network affiliates once could not air off-network programs. See also prime-time access rule. ACE Awards sponsored by the National Cable Television Association for local and national original cable programs. actuality An on-the-spot news report or voice of a news maker (frequently taped over the telephone) used to create a sense of reality or to enliven news stories. adaptation A film or video treatment of a novel, short story, or play. addressability Remote equipment that permits the cable operator to activate, disconnect, or unscramble signals to each household from the cable headend. This technology provides maximum security and is usually associated with pay-per-view channels. ad hoc networks Temporary national or regional hookups among radio or television stations for the purpose of program distribution; this is especially common in radio sports. adjacencies A commercial spot next to a program that can be sold locally, especially spots for station sales appearing within (or next to) network prime-time programs.
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Glossary
This list includes boldfaced terms in the text and other vocabulary but excludes phrases boldfaced in text for emphasis
only. Acronyms appear under their spelled-out definitions. Italicized words in the definitions indicate other glossary entries.
AC Adult contemporary, a soft rock music format targeting the 25 to 54 age category.
access Public availability of broadcast time. In cable, one or more channels reserved for noncommercial use by the
community, educators, or local government. See also access time, community access channels, and prime-time access rule.
access time The hour preceding prime time (usually between 7 and 8 P.M. EST), during which the broadcast network
affiliates once could not air off-network programs. See also prime-time access rule.
ACE Awards sponsored by the National Cable Television Association for local and national original cable programs.
actuality An on-the-spot news report or voice of a news maker (frequently taped over the telephone) used to create a sense
of reality or to enliven news stories.
adaptation A film or video treatment of a novel, short story, or play.
addressability Remote equipment that permits the cable operator to activate, disconnect, or unscramble signals to each
household from the cable headend. This technology provides maximum security and is usually associated with pay-per-view
channels.
ad hoc networks Temporary national or regional hookups among radio or television stations for the purpose of program
distribution; this is especially common in radio sports.
adjacencies A commercial spot next to a program that can be sold locally, especially spots for station sales appearing
within (or next to) network prime-time programs.
affiliate A commercial radio or television station receiving more than ten hours per week of network programming, but not
owned by the network. This also applies to cable system operators contracting with pay or basic cable networks, or
occasionally to public stations airing noncommercial programming from the Public Broadcasting Service, National Public
Radio, or Public Radio International.
affiliation agreements Contracts between a network and its individual affiliates specifying the rights and responsibilities of
both parties.
aftermarket Syndicated sales of programs to a different industry than the one for which they were originally produced, as in
sales of broadcast programs to cable and original cable programs to U.S. or foreign broadcasters or video rental or sales.
agent A representative, either a person or software that acts for someone else.
aging an audience A strategy for targeting slightly older viewers in the early fringe daypart, starting with children in the
afterschool time period and moving toward adult male viewers for the early evening newscast. Colloquially called “aging your
demos.” Also used during prime time.
aided recall In survey research supplying respondents with a list of items to stimulate their memory.
air-lease rights Permission to broadcast a program.
a la carte Programs chosen separately by viewers, as items on a menu. See also video-on-demand.
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) An organization licensing musical performance
rights. See also Broadcast Music, Inc.
amplifier Electronic device that boosts the strength of a signal along cable wires between telephone poles.
amortization The allocation of syndicated program series costs over the period of use to spread out total tax or inventory
and to determine how much each program costs the purchaser per airing; a station may use straight-line or declining value
methods.
ancillary markets Secondary sales targets for a program that has completed its first run on its initial delivery medium. Also
called “backend” or aftermarkets.
ancillary services Revenue-producing services other than the main broadcast or cable programming, as in data.
anthology A weekly series consisting of discrete, unrelated programs under an umbrella title; these may be a playhouse
series consisting of dramas by different authors or a sports program consisting of varied sporting events (often in short
segments) and related sports talk. This technique is used by over-the-air networks for packaging unused program pilots.
AOR Album-oriented rock, a rock music format appealing to a strongly male audience, aged 18 to 34, consisting of less
well-known songs by avant garde rock artists and groups as well as their most popular works.
appeals Elements in program content that attract audiences, such as conflict, comedy, nostalgia, suspense, and so on.
Arbitron Information on Demand (AID) A computerized service that identifies the best times for airing station promotional
spots after factoring in program sequence, network promo content, target audience, and so on.
architecture In communications, the design of a channel or technical platform.
Area of Dominant Influence (ADI) One of more than 200 geographical market designations defining each radio market
exclusive of all others. It indicates the area in which a single station can effectively deliver an advertiser’s message to the
majority of homes. ADI is Arbitron’s term; Nielsen’s comparable term is Designated Market Area (DMA).
ascertainment Determining a community’s needs, interests, and problems to file a report with the FCC showing how a
station responded to these needs with programming. The method of collecting information is determined by the station.
ASI Market Research Los Angeles–based company specializing in program and commercial testing using invited theater
audiences.
Association of Local Television Stations (ALTV) Professional trade association of stations not affiliated with ABC, CBS,
or NBC, formerly the Association of Independent Television Stations (INTV).
audience flow The movement of audiences from one program or time period to another, either on the same station or from
one station to another; this includes turning sets on and off. Applied to positive flow encouraged by similarity between
contiguous programs.
audimeter Nielsen’s in-home television rating meter, used until 1987. See also peoplemeter.
audition tape A demonstration of an anchor, host, disc jockey, or other personality’s on-air abilities and appearance or
sound; in radio, this may include short clips of interviewing or song announcing. Also called a demo tape.
auditorium research In radio, mass testing of song hooks to measure their popularity.
automation Use of equipment, usually computerized, that reproduces material in a predesignated sequence, including both
music and commercials. This produces a log of airings acceptable to advertising agencies. Also used for traffic and billing
and in some television production processes.
avail Short for a sales availability.
availability Commercial spot advertising position (avail) offered for sale by a station or a network; also, syndicated television
show or movie ready for station licensing. See also inventory and program availabilities.
avatar In computers, a virtual self in humanlike form who carries out its person’s wishes.
average quarter hour (AQH) Rating showing the average percentage of an audience that tuned in a radio or television
station.
backfeed line A line from the production site or studios to the cable headend for the purpose of delivering programs.
backsell On radio, telling the audience what songs just played.
backstory The previous history of characters in a series.
bannertracking Tracking the amount of viewing and clicking of banner ads.
barker channel A cable television channel devoted to program listings; this may include video as well as text listings.
barter Licensing syndicated programs in exchange for commercial time (inventory) to eliminate the exchange of cash.
barter spot Time in a syndicated program sold by the distributor.
barter syndication The method of program distribution in which the syndicator retains and sells a portion of a syndicated
program’s advertising time. In cash-plus-barter deals, the syndicator also receives fees from the station licensing the
program.
basic cable Those cable program channels supplied for the minimum subscriber rate, including most local broadcast
stations, some noncommercial channels, and assorted advertiser-supported cable networks. See also basic cable networks.
basic cable households The number or percentage of total television homes subscribing to cable service.
basic cable networks Those cable program services for which subscribers do not pay extra on their monthly bills; they are
usually supported by advertising and small per-subscriber fees paid by the cable operator. Contrast with pay-cable networks.
beautiful music (BM) A radio format emphasizing low-key, mellow, popular music, generally with extensive orchestration
and many classic popular songs (not rock or jazz).
Big Seven studios The major Hollywood studios: Columbia-TriStar, Walt Disney Studios, MGM-UA, Paramount, 20th
Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Brothers.
billboard In radio promotion, either an outdoor sign or an on-air list of advertisers; in television promotion, either an outdoor
sign or an on-screen list of upcoming programs in text-only form.
bird A satellite.
blackout A ban on airing an event, program, or station’s signal; this is often used for football games that have not sold out
all stadium seats. Also FCC rules for blocking imported signals on cable that duplicate local stations’ programs for which
syndicated exclusivity has been purchased.
blanket licenses Unlimited rights to plays of all music in a company’s catalog by contract; this applies especially to music
used by radio and television stations.
block booking Licensing several programs or movies as a package deal.
blockbusters Special programs or big-name films that attract a lot of attention and interrupt normal scheduling; these
programs are used especially during sweeps weeks to draw unusually large audiences. They normally exceed 60 minutes in
length.
blocking Placing several similar programs together to create a unit with audience flow.
block programming Several hours of similar programming placed together in the same daypart to create audience flow.
See also stacking.
blunting The strategy of airing a program of the same type that another source carries in order to share the audience.
bookmarking A process for saving URLs.
branding Marketing a program channel as a targeted product separate from the changing shows carried; also defining and
reinforcing a network or service’s identity so that it becomes widely recognized as synonymous with a product or service.
break averages Ratings for the breaks between programs, usually calculated by averaging the ratings for the programs
before and after the break.
breaks Brief interruptions within or between programs to permit station identification and other messages; usually two or two
and a half minutes long.
bridging Beginning a program a half hour earlier than competing programs to draw off their potential audiences and hold
them past the start time of competing programs.
broadband Having a wide bandwidth capable of carrying several simultaneous television signals; used for coaxial cable and
optical fiber delivery.
broadcasting Fundamentally, spreading a modulated electromagnetic signal over a large area by means of a transmitting
antenna; more precisely, the industry consisting of unlicensed networks and licensed radio and television stations regulated
by the Federal Communications Commission. These are over-the-air stations and networks, which distinguishes them from
wired, cable-only or online networks, and from direct-to-home satellite transmissions.
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) A music-licensing organization created by the broadcast music industry to collect and pay
fees for musical performance rights; it competes with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
(ASCAP).
broadcast window The length of time in which a program, generally a feature film that was made-for-pay cable, is made
available to broadcast stations in syndication. See also pay window and window.
broken network series Canceled network series revived for syndication, mixing off-network and first-run episodes of the
series; usually a situation comedy.
buffering A time-delay technique, using temporary local digital storage, that prevents interruptions in the flow of a streamed
program.
bumping Canceling a showing.
bundling Grouping several cable services on a pay tier for a single lump monthly fee; also, grouping radio programs on a
network for a single fee. See unbundling.
buying Renting programs from syndicators. See also license fee and prebuying.
buy rate Sales per show, or the rate at which subscribers purchase pay-per-view programs, calculated by dividing the total
number of available pay-per-view homes by purchases. For example, if 50 of 100 pay-per-view households ordered one
movie, the buy rate would be 50 percent; if 50 of 100 pay-per-view households ordered two movies, the buy rate would be
100 percent.
cable audio FM radio signals delivered to homes along with cable television, usually for a separate monthly fee; same as
cable radio or cable FM.
cablecasting Distributing programming by coaxial cable as opposed to broadcast or satellite microwave distribution; also,
cablecast refers to all programming a cable system delivers, including local cable, access, and cable networks, except over-
the-air signals.
cable franchises Agreements between local franchising authorities (city or county government) and cable operators to
install cable wires and supply programs to a specific geographic area; usually involves payment of a franchise fee to the
local government.
cable network National service distributing a channel of programming to satellite and cable systems.
cable-only Programming or services available only to cable subscribers; also, basic cable and pay cable networks that
supply programming to cable systems but not to noncable households.
cable penetration The percentage of households subscribing to basic cable service.
cable service Same as cable network or cable system or both; also including local offerings such as an access or local
origination channel and alarm or security signals.
cable subscriber A household hooked up to a cable system and paying the monthly fee for basic cable service.
cable system One of nearly 12,000 franchised, nonbroadcast distributors of both broadcast and cablecast programming to
groups of 50 or more subscribers not living in dwellings under common ownership. See contrasting SMATV and DTH.
cable operator The person or company managing and owning cable facilities under a franchise. See MSO.
cachetrack Measurement system for tracking page views stored by browser programs.
caching The storing of digital program information.
call-ins People telephoning the station.
call letters FCC-assigned three or four letters beginning with W or K, uniquely identifying all U.S. broadcast stations.
(Stations in other countries are assigned calls beginning with a different letter, such as X for Mexico and C for Canada.)
call-out research Telephone surveying of audiences initiated by a station or research consultant; used extensively in radio
research, especially to determine song preferences in rock music. Contrast with call-ins referring to questioning listeners who
telephone the station.
call screener Person sorting and selecting incoming calls on telephone call-in shows and performing other minor production
functions as assistant to a program host.
camcorder A portable video camera and videotape recorder in one unit.
captive audience Television programming for viewers who have few options other than viewing, such as standing in
supermarket checkout lines, waiting in airports, or viewing in classrooms as part of school lessons.
carriage charges Fees paid to a cable network or, hypothetically, to a television station for the right to carry specific
programming.
carryovers Programs repeated from the preceding month.
cart machine Automated radio station equipment that plays cartridges of music, commercials, promos, jingles, and
sweepers.
cash call Radio giveaways requiring listeners merely to answer the phone or call in.
cash flow Operating revenues minus expenses and taxes, or cash in minus cash out.
cash-plus-barter A syndication deal in which the station pays the distributor a fee for program rights and gives the
syndicator one or two minutes per half hour for national advertising sale; the station retains the remaining advertising time.
casting tape A videotape showing prospective actors in various roles; used especially for proposed soap operas and live-
action children’s programs.
CATV The original name for the cable industry, standing for “community antenna television” and referring to retransmission
of broadcast television signals to homes without adequate quantity or quality of reception.
C-band The frequencies used by some communications satellites, specifically from 4 to 6 gigaHertz (billions of cycles per
second). See also Ku-band.
channel balance Carrying several cable services having varied appeals.
channel capacity The maximum number of channels a cable system can deliver.
channel matching Locating over-the-air stations on the same cable channel number as their broadcast channel.
channel piggybacking Two cable networks time-sharing a single channel.
channel repertoire The array of television channels a viewer usually watches, on average thirteen.
charts Music rankings as listed in trade publications.
checkerboarding Scheduling five daily programs alternately, one each day in the same time period; that is, rotating two,
three, or five different shows five days of the week in the same time period.
cherrypicking In cable, selecting individual programs from several cable networks to assemble into a single channel (as
opposed to carrying a full schedule from one cable network).
CHR Contemporary hit radio, a format that plays the top songs but uses a larger playlist than the top 40.
churn Turnover; in cable, the addition and subtraction of subscribers or the substitution of one pay-cable service for another.
In broadcast network television, shifting of the prime-time schedule. In public broadcasting, changes in membership.
churn rate A cable industry formula that accounts for when a subscriber connects, disconnects, upgrades, and downgrades.
classic rock Radio music format consisting of older (’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, even ’90s) songs.
clearance Acceptance of a network program by affiliates for airing; the total number of clearances governs a network
program’s potential audience size.
clear channel An AM radio station the FCC allows to dominate its frequency with up to 50 kilowatts of power; usually
protected for up to 750 miles at night.
click-through An e-commerce measurement of the use of a link to assist another web site.
clipping Illegally cutting off the beginning or end of programs or commercials, often for the purpose of substituting
additional commercials.
clipping file A collection of newspaper and magazine articles saved for some purpose, such as background and fill-in
material for talk-show hosts.
clocks Hourly program schedules, visually realized as parts of a circular clock. See also wheel.
clone A close copy of a prime-time show, usually on another network. Compare with spinoff.
closed captioning Textual information for the hearing impaired—transmitted in the vertical blanking interval—that appears
superimposed over television pictures.
clustering Grouping channels on a cable system for marketing and pricing purposes; operating multiple cable systems in
adjacent geographic areas to achieve economies of scale.
clutter Excessive amounts of nonprogram material during commercial breaks; includes credits, IDs, promos, audio tags,
and commercial spots.
coding In radio, classifying songs by type or age of music and play frequency.
commentary Background and event interpretation by radio or television on-air analysts.
commercial load The number of commercial minutes aired per hour.
common carriage Airing prime-time PBS programs simultaneously on many public stations.
common carriers Organizations that lease transmission facilities to all applicants; in cable, firms that provide superstation
signal distribution by microwave and satellite. They are federally regulated.
common channel lineup Identical service arrays on cable channel dials/tuners/converters on most cable systems within a
market.
community access channels Local cable television channels programmed by community members, required by some
franchise agreements.
community service grants Financial grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to public television and radio
stations for operating costs and the purchase of programs.
compact disc (CD) A small digital recording read optically by a laser; it may be used for computer data, visuals, or sound.
compensation A broadcast network payment to an affiliate for carrying network commercials, usually within programs (but
sometimes radio affiliates carry only the commercials embedded in a local program).
compensation incentive Usually a cash payment by a network or syndicator to encourage program clearance.
composite week An arbitrarily designated seven days of program logs from different weeks, reviewed by the FCC in
checking on licensee program performance versus promise (until 1982 for radio).
compression Technical process for reducing the necessary bandwidth of a television signal so that two, four, or more
signals can fit in the same width of frequencies. Used on satellites and cable.
compulsory licensing Federal requirement that cable operators pay mandatory fees for the right to retransmit copyrighted
material (such as broadcast station and superstation signals); the amounts are set by government rather than through
private negotiations. See also copyright.
concept testing Research practices asking audiences whether they like the ideas for a proposed program.
consideration Payment of some kind (usually money or extraordinary effort) to be allowed to participate in a contest. The
combination of consideration, chance, and prize is considered to be a lottery by the Federal Communications Commission.
contemporary FCC radio format term covering popular music, generally referring to rock and broken out into the
subcategories of adult contemporary (AC), contemporary hit radio (CHR), and urban contemporary (UC).
content providers Term commonly used for companies and individuals supplying programming for the Internet.
continuity acceptance Station, network, or system policies regarding the technical quality and content claims in broadcast
advertising messages.
continuous season Network television scheduling pattern spreading new program starts across the September to May year
rather than concentrating them in September/October and January/February. In other words, having program starts
scattered from September to April, and perhaps even year-round.
Conus A nationwide news service for licensing television stations using satellite delivery of timely news stories from all over
the country.
convergence Technological melding of separate communication devices (TVs, computers, telephones) into one system.
converter An electronic device that shifts channels transmitted by a cable system to other channels on a subscriber’s
television set.
cookie Software that attaches to the user’s hard drive and provides evidence of web sites accessed.
co-op Shared costs for advertising.
cooperation rate In ratings, the percentage of contacted individuals or households agreeing to participate in program or
station/network audience evaluation, such as by filling out a diary or agreeing to have an electronic peoplemeter installed in
the home and attached to TV sets.
coproduction An agreement to produce a program in which costs are shared between two or more companies (studios),
stations, or networks.
copyright Registration of television or radio programs or movies (or other media) with the federal Copyright Office,
restricting permission for use.
copyright fee In general, a fee paid for permission to use or reproduce copyrighted material; in cable, a mandatory fee paid
by cable operators for reuse of broadcast programs; in online, fees paid for reuse of any printed and video content.
copyright royalty fee Money paid for permission to use copyrighted material.
core schedule In the early 1980s, two hours of programs fed to PBS member stations for simultaneous airing four nights a
week, ending in 1986. The term now loosely refers to prime-time programs tagged for same-night showing on public
television stations. See same-night carriage.
corporate underwriters National or local companies that pay all or part of the cost of producing, purchasing, or distributing
a noncommercial television or radio program; they may fund programs on PBS, NPR, or local public broadcast stations. See
also underwriter.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) A government-funded financial and administrative unit of national public
broadcasting since 1968.
cost per episode The price of licensing each individual program in a syndicated series.
cost per point The amount an advertising agency will pay for each ratings point.
cost per thousand (CPM) How much it costs an advertiser to reach a thousand viewers, listeners, users, or subscribers.
counterprogramming Scheduling programs with contrasting appeal to target unserved or underserved demographic
groups.
coventure Shared program financing and production among two or more stations, networks, cable systems, or other
programming entities.
CPB-qualified stations Public radio stations receiving community service grants from the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting (CPB). The prerequisites for qualification include a large budget, paid staff, strong signal, and so on.
crawl Electronically generated words that move horizontally across the television screen.
crime dramas Hour-long television series with main characters who are detectives, police, district attorneys, lawyers, and
so on; these series are usually aired first in prime time.
critical information pile A quantity of important news breaking simultaneously that causes massive alterations in planned
news coverage.
crossmedia ownership Owning two or more broadcast stations, cable systems, newspapers, or other media in the same
market. This was prohibited by the FCC unless an exception was granted (temporary or grandfathered) until ownership rules
loosened somewhat in 1992 and again in 1996.
crossover Temporarily using characters from one program series in episodes of another series. Compare with spinoff and
clone.
crossover points Times when one network’s programs end and another’s begin, usually on the hour and half hour,
permitting viewers to change channels easily (although a long program such as a movie may bridge some hour and half-
hour points).
crossover songs Music (or performers) that fits within two or more radio formats (for example, songs played by country
and AC disc jockeys).
crossownership rules FCC rules limiting control of broadcast, newspaper, or cable interests in the same market.
cume A cumulative rating; the total number of different households that tune to a station at different times, generally over a
one-week period; used especially in commercial and public radio, public television, and commercial sales.
cybercasting Using the Internet and other online services to transmit live audio and video.
cycle Span of news flow between repeat points in all-news radio.
daypart A period of two or more hours, considered to be a strategic unit in program schedules (for example, morning
drivetime in radio, 6 to 10 A.M., and prime time in television, 8 to 11 P.M.).
dayparting Altering programming to fit with the audience’s changing activities during different times of the day (such as
shifting from music to news during drivetime).
daytimer An AM radio station licensed to broadcast only from dawn to dusk.
deficit financing Licensing television programs to the broadcast networks at an initial loss, counting on later profits from
syndication rights to cover production costs. This practice is employed by the major Hollywood studios.
delayed carriage Airing a network program later on tape.
demographics Descriptive information on an audience, usually the vital statistics of age and sex, possibly including
education and income.
demo tape Demonstration tape of a program, used for preview without the expense of producing a pilot.
Designated Market Area (DMA) Nielsen’s term for a local viewing area. See also Arbitron’s Area of Dominant Influence
(ADI).
diary An instrument for recording hours of listening or viewing of a station or cable service. Used by Arbitron, Nielsen, and
other research firms, it is filled out by audience members.
differentiation The perceived separation between networks, stations, or services by the audience and advertisers, generally
based on programming differences and promotional images.
digital Technology that utilizes the binary code (on/off) of computers as opposed to continuous signals (analog).
digital audio broadcasting (DAB) A proposed system for over-the-air broadcasting utilizing digital encoding and decoding.
digital audio radio service (DARS) Satellite-delivered multichannel digital radio.
digital compression A technology that eliminates redundant information in a television picture or radio sound to reduce the
bandwidth needed for transmission; missing information is recreated at the receiving end.
digital delay unit An electronic device to delay programs for a few seconds between studio and transmitter to permit
dumping of profanity, personal attacks, and other unairable material. This is commonly used on call-in programs.
Digital Media Report (DMR) A web-tracking service.
digital subscriber line (DSL) Telephone lines capable of handling the high-speed digital signals needed for video
streaming.
digital versatile (video) disc (DVD) Rented and purchased discs carrying video of whole movies or other programs to be
replayed on special DVD players.
digital video recorder (DVR) Playback or recording machine for a DVD.
direct broadcast satellites (DBS) Special satellites intended for redistribution of high-powered television signals to
individual subscribers’ receiving dishes, requiring only small home or office receiving dishes; recently called direct-to-home
transmission.
direct-to-home (DTH) Television signals distributed by satellite to receivers on individual homes and office buildings,
bypassing over-the-air stations and cable systems.
disc jockey (DJ) A radio announcer who introduces music.
disconnects Cable subscribers who have canceled their service.
dish Receiving or sending antenna with a bowl shape, intended for transmitting satellite signals; also called earth station.
distant signals Broadcast station signals imported from another market and retransmitted to cabled homes; usually
independents. See also superstations.
distribution window A period of time in which a movie or television program is available to another medium. See also
window, pay window, and broadcast window.
docudrama A fictionalized drama of real events and people.
documentary A program that records actual events and real people.
double jeopardy When shows with small audiences attract less committed viewers, which in turn lowers the chance of
improving the ratings.
double running The practice of showing additional episodes of a successful show on the same day.
downgrading Reducing the number or value of pay services by a subscriber (reverse of upgrading).
downlink Satellite-to-ground transmission path, the reverse of uplink; refers also to the receiving antenna (dish).
download Transmission and decoding signals at the receiving end; used for satellite program (and computer) signals.
downscale Audience or subscribers with lower than average socioeconomic demographics, especially low income. See also
upscale.
downtrending A pattern of declining ratings/shares over time (reverse of uptrending).
drama A prime-time series program format, usually one hour long, contrasting with situation comedy. It includes action-
adventure, crime, doctor, adult soap, and other dramatic forms.
drivetime In radio, 6 to 10 A.M. (morning drive) and 4 to 7 P.M. (afternoon drive).
drops Individual household hookups to cable wires, running from the street to the house or apartment.
dual format A public radio format consisting of two unrelated formats, usually news and jazz or news and classical,
attracting different audiences.
duopoly rule An obsolete FCC rule that limited ownership of stations with overlapping coverage areas.
duplicator dilemma The problem of having the same NPR programs on more than one public station in a market because
affiliations and program rights are not exclusive.
early fringe In television, the locally programmed period preceding the early news, usually 4 to 6 P.M. See also fringe.
earth station Ground receiver/transmitter of satellite signals; when transmitting it’s called an uplink; when receiving it is a
downlink. In television or radio, its purpose is to redirect satellite signals to a broadcast station or to cable headend
equipment. It is also used to receive signals directly at homes or offices without a broadcast or cable intermediary via
receive-only stations, also called antennas or dishes.
eclectic A mixed radio format applied to varied programming in radio incorporating several types of programs; a recognized
format in public radio.
e-commerce Online sales of products and services.
editorials In broadcasting, statements of management’s point of view on issues.
educational programs Television programs for schools, at home children, or at-home adults that have instructional value.
See also telecourses.
effective radiated power (ERP) Watts of power measured at receiving antennas on average; it is used to measure the
strength of signals.
electromagnetic spectrum The airwaves, including AM, FM, UHF, VHF, and microwave used by radio and television, as
well as ultraviolet, X rays, gamma rays, and so on.
electronic newsgathering (ENG) This refers to portable television equipment used to shoot and tape news stories on
location.
electronic program guide On-screen program listings to promote more viewing and aid subscribers in choosing programs.
encore In pay-cable, repeat scheduling of a movie or special in a month subsequent to the month of its first cable network
appearance.
enhanced viewing Logos and other on-screen methods of linking web sites to broadcast programs.
endbreaks Commercial breaks following a program’s closing credits.
end-to-end Refers to the entire commercial digital communication process from source to receiver, including hardware,
software, programming, and billing.
episode One show out of a series.
episode testing Studies of audience reactions to plot changes, characters, settings, and so on while the show is in
production.
equal employment opportunity (EEO) Federal law prohibiting discrimination in employment on the basis of age, race, or
sex.
equal time An FCC rule incorporated in the Communications Act of 1934 requiring equivalent airtime for candidates running
for public office.
equity holdings A financial interest from part ownership of a business; it is the same as “equity interest” or equity shares.
equity shares Ownership shares offered as compensation or incentive to cable operators for making shelf space for a cable
network, especially newly introduced networks such as shopping services.
ethnic Programming by or for minority groups (for example, Spanish-speaking, Native Americans, or African Americans).
exclusive cume Total audience of individuals listening only to a certain radio station.
exclusive rights The sole contractual right to exhibit a program within a given period of time in a given market. See also
syndicated exclusivity rule.
expanded basic tier A level of cable service beyond the most basic tier, offered for an additional charge and comprising a
package (or bundle) of several cable networks—usually advertiser-supported services.
expanded sample frame (ESF) The base unit for a sampling technique that includes new and unlisted telephone numbers.
extraneous wraps Reusable closings for radio news, prerecorded by an announcer or reporter for later on-air use; often
used around wire service stories.
Fairness Doctrine A former FCC policy requiring that stations provide airtime for opposing views on controversial issues of
public importance. This requirement ended in 1987.
feature Radio program material other than hard news, sports, weather, stock market reports, or music; also called short-
form programs. In television and cable, this is generally short for theatrical feature films.
feature film A theatrical motion picture, usually made for theater distribution, followed by home video sales, pay-per-view,
and pay-cable play; some are aired by the over-the-air networks. Feature films occupy about one-fifth of the total syndication
market.
feature syndicator Distributor of short, stand-alone programs or series, as contrasted with long-form (continuous)
programming; used mostly in radio, less in television and cable.
Federal Communications Commission Government agency that regulates communications.
fiber optics Very thin and pliable glass cylinders capable of carrying wide bands of frequencies. See also optical fiber.
Financial Interest and Network Syndication Rules FCC regulations prohibiting broadcast networks from owning an
interest in the domestic syndication rights of most television and radio programs they carry; modified to increase the number
of hours a network can produce for its own schedule in 1991; eliminated in 1995.
Fin-Syn Industry shorthand for Financial Interest and Network Syndication Rules.
first refusal rights The legal right to consider a program proposal until deciding whether to produce it; this can stymie a
program idea for years.
first-run The first airing of a television program (not counting the theatrical exhibit of feature films).
first-run syndication Distribution of programs produced for initial release on stations, as opposed to the broadcast
networks. Compare with off-network syndication.
flash animation A low frame-rate technique for compressed video using slow speeds.
flat fee A method of payment involving a fixed lump price; contrasts with a sliding scale (usually based on number of
viewers).
flip card A filing system for record rotation at radio stations.
flipping Changing channels frequently during programs. See grazing.
focus group A research method in which people participate in a joint interview on a predetermined topic.
foremarket The migration of a cable-originated program to a broadcast network. See aftermarket.
format The overall programming design of a station, cable service, or specific program, especially used for radio and cable
program packages.
format-exclusive In radio, syndicating of programming to only one station with each format in a market.
format programming Program ideas sold to other countries to be implemented in local languages with local actors.
formula The set of elements that define a format.
foundation cable networks In cable, the earliest established and most widely carried cable networks; those most cable
operators think essential to carry.
franchise area A license granted by local government to provide cable service, based on the local government’s right to
regulate public rights of way. The franchise agreement delineates a geographic area to be wired.
franchising authority The local governmental body awarding a franchise to build and operate a cable system involving
wires that cross city streets and rights of way. A fee is charged to cable operators, based on the principle that the public
should be reimbursed for use of its property in a commercial business.
free-form A talk radio format in which callers’ interests set the program’s agenda; also called “open-line” talk.
free-form community stations A public access radio format, begun in the 1960s most notably by Lorenzo Milam.
frequency In advertising, the number of times the audience was exposed to a message. Also, the portions of the
electromagnetic spectrum used for AM, FM, and television broadcasting, cable distribution, and satellite uplinks and
downlinks; a channel number is shorthand for an assigned frequency. See C-band and Ku-band.
fringe The television time periods adjacent to prime time—from 4 to 7 P.M. and 11 P.M. to midnight or later (EST). Early fringe
means the time preceding the early local newscast; late fringe starts after the end of late local news, usually at 11:30 P.M.
front- and backend deal A program licensing agreement in which the station pays a portion of the fees at the time of the
contract and the remainder when the program becomes available; see futures.
frontload In pay television, to schedule all main attractions at the beginning of the month.
futures Projected episodes in a series that have not yet been produced; typically, network series programming intended for
syndication that may be purchased while the series is still on the network for a negotiated price that accounts for the
purchaser’s risk.
genre Type of program, as in sitcom, drama, news, and reality.
geodemographic A segment of the population identified by lifestyle.
global brands Brand names recognized around the world, such as Disney, Coca Cola, and Microsoft.
gold A hit song or record generally with lasting appeal; in sales, a song selling a million copies, an album selling 500,000
copies.
Gold Book A list of gold (classic) records for use in radio programming.
grandfathering Exempting situations already in effect at the time a new law is passed.
graphics Titles and other artwork used in programs, newscasts, promos, or commercial spots.
grazing Checking out many television channels using a remote control.
gross rating points In advertising and promotion, a system for calculating the size of the delivered or anticipated audience
by summing the rating points for all airings of a spot.
group The parent corporation, owners of several broadcast stations or cable systems.
group-owned station A radio or television station licensed to a corporation owning two or more stations; a cable system
owned in common with many other cable systems. See also MSO.
group owner An individual or company having the license for more than two broadcast facilities. Compare with MSO.
guides Program listings, presented in printed or electronic form.
hammocking Positioning a weak program between two successful programs to support a new or less successful program
by lending their audiences to it.
hard news Daily factual reporting of national, international, or local events, especially focused on fast-breaking events.
Compare with soft news.
headend Technical headquarters for receiving and transmitting equipment for a cable system where signals are placed on
outgoing channels.
heterogeneity Audiences consisting of demographically or psychographically mixed viewers or listeners. Compare with
homogeneity.
hiatus A period of weeks or months in which a program is pulled off the air, usually for revamping to improve its ratings
when it returns to the air, although many series never return.
high-definition television (HDTV) Various technical systems for distributing video with higher quality and a wider aspect
ratio than standard television broadcasting, generally using a greater bandwidth in the spectrum and more scanning lines.
See also aspect ratio.
hit list Names of controversial programs avoided by an advertiser.
homemade programming Amateur video.
homes passed (HP) The total number of buildings cable wires pass, irrespective of whether the occupants are or are not
cable subscribers.
home satellite dishes (HSD) Low-power C-band dish antennas serving a house or apartment building.
home video The movie and television program sales and rental business.
homogeneity Audiences composed of demographically or psychographically similar viewers or listeners.
hook A plot or character element at the start of a program that grabs audience attention; also, in radio research, a brief song
segment characterizing a whole song.
horizontal documentaries A multipart treatment of a news subject spread over several successive days or weeks.
Compare with vertical documentaries.
horizontal scheduling Stripping programs or episodes across the week. Compare with vertical stacking.
host A personality who moderates a program or conducts interviews on radio, television, or cable.
hot clock See wheel or clocks.
households having sets (HHs) A ratings industry term for the total number of homes with receiving sets (AM or FM radio,
UHF or VHF television, or cable hookups); that is, the total potential audience.
households using television (HUTs) A ratings industry term for the total number of sets turned on during an average
quarter hour; that is, the actual viewing audience to be divided among all stations and cable services in a market.
hyping or hypoing Extended promotion of a program; stunting or airing of special programs to increase audience size
during a ratings period.
ideal demographics The theory that a particular age and sex group should be the target of prime-time network television
programs.
impulse ordering Technology that permits a cable viewer to punch up and purchase a pay-per-view program or
merchandise using a hand-held remote control.
incentive An enticement to make a deal or sign a contract. Examples include additional local avails offered to stations or
cable systems by a syndicator or network or payments for clearing a program; also, discounts and prizes offered to lure
potential cable subscribers.
incubation strategy Launching a new network by sheltering the new service under an existing network (a.k.a., sheltered
launch).
indecency A subcategory of the legal definition of obscenity, enforced by the FCC. Generally it refers to prohibited sexual
and excretory language and depictions of such behavior.
independent A commercial television broadcast station not affiliated with one of the national networks (by one FCC
definition, carries fewer than 15 hours of network programming per week in prime time).
independent producers Makers of television series, movies, or specials who are legally separate entities from the
Hollywood movie studios.
infomercial A long sales pitch disguised as a program, called a “program-length commercial,” usually lasting from 15 to 30
minutes or more and presented on cable channels or stations in less popular time periods.
infotainment A mix of information and entertainment.
inheritance effect A research term for an audience carried over into a subsequent program’s audience. See also lead-in.
in-house Programs produced in the station’s own facilities as opposed to network or syndicated shows; also shows such as
soap operas, newscasts, and public affairs that the broadcast networks produce themselves. Also called house shows.
insertion news In local cable, short commercial newscasts provided by broadcasters for inclusion on local cable channels.
instant messaging Live e-mail.
instructional television (ITV) Programs transmitted to schools for classroom use by public television or radio stations.
instructional television fixed service (ITFS) A television distribution system delivering programs by line-of-sight
microwave to specific noncommercial and commercial users within a fixed geographic area; the usual means for delivering
instructional programming to schools by public television stations.
in-tab Diaries actually returned to the ratings service in usable form and counted in the sample.
intelligent boxes Television converters that give access to multiple media activities at one time on a shared channel, as in
watching television, accessing the web, and telephoning simultaneously.
interactive Media that permit users to send signals to the program source as well as receive signals from that source.
interactive cable Two-way cable that permits each household to receive one stream of programming and also to
communicate with the cable headend computer.
interconnection grants Funds from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for public television stations to cover satellite
transmission costs.
interconnects Transmission links among nearby cable systems permitting shared sales and carriage of advertising spots.
interdiction In cable, a recently developed technology for interrupting unwanted (not paid for) television signals outside the
household, such as on a pole or the side of a building.
interoperability The ability for two-way video, voice, and data to operate through the same home equipment.
interstitial programming Short programs intended to fill the time after an odd-length program is completed. Also called
shorts.
inventory The amount of time a station has for sale (or the commercials, records, or programs that fill that time).
Iris Awards for outstanding local programming given by NATPE.
jock See disc jockey and video jockey.
joint venture A cooperative effort to produce, distribute, or market programs.
kiddult Television programs appealing to both children and adults.
kidvid Television programs for children.
Ku-band Frequencies used for transmitting some high-powered satellite signals, the band between 11 and 14 gigaHertz
(billions of cycles per second), which require smaller receiving dishes than C-band. Compare with C-band.
large-market stations Broadcast stations in markets 1 to 25, as defined by the ratings companies. Compare with mid-
market stations, small-market stations, and major market.
late night Television daypart from 11:30 P.M. to 1 A.M.
lead-in A program preceding others, usually intended to increase audience flow to the later programs. Called lead-off at the
start of prime time.
lead-off See lead-in.
leased access Channels available for commercial lease, occasionally required by a cable franchise agreement, sometimes
voluntarily offered by large-capacity cable systems.
least objectionable program (LOP) A theory holding that viewers select not the most appealing program among those
available at one time but the one that offends fewest viewers watching together; it presumes that channel switching requires
an active effort occurring only when the channel currently being viewed presents something new and objectionable.
legs Trade slang meaning a program will provide dependably high ratings, as with blockbuster off-network television series.