A media market, broadcast market, 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 including newspapers or Internet content. They can coincide with 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. While it is human nature to try to classify things strictly, these regions overlap, meaning that people residing on the edge of one media market may be able to receive content from other nearby markets as well. They are widely used in ratings, which are compiled in the United States by Nielsen Media Research (television) and Arbitron (radio). A radio station is a site configured for broadcasting sound. ... A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large city and its adjacent zone of influence, or of several neighboring cities or towns and adjoining areas, with one or more large cities serving as its hub or hubs. ... Rating is a means of classifying things in different categories. ... Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is a U.S. firm, headquartered in New York City, and operating primarily from Oldsmar, FL, which measures media audiences, including television, radio and newspapers. ... Arbitron is a radio audience research company in the United States. ...

Markets are identified by the largest city, which is usually located in the center. 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. In North America, 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. 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. World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is the third largest continent in area and in population after Eurasia and Africa. ... Mediumwave radio transmissions (sometimes called Medium frequency or MF) are those between the frequencies of 300 kHz and 3000 kHz. ... In most of the world, the FM broadcast band, used for broadcasting FM radio stations, goes from 87. ... Terrestrial television (also known as over-the-air or OTA) is the traditional method of television broadcast signal delivery, by radio waves. ... Cable television or Community Antenna Television (CATV) (and often shortened to cable) is a system of providing television, FM radio programming and other services to consumers via radio waves transmitted directly to people’s televisions through fixed coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional... Research is an active, diligent and systematic process of inquiry in order to discover, interpret or revise facts, events, behaviours, or theories, or to make practical applications with the help of such facts, laws or theories. ... A demographic or demographic profile is a term used in marketing and broadcasting, to describe a demographic grouping or a market segment. ... Description An air embolism, or more generally gas embolism, is a medical condition caused by gas bubbles in the bloodstream. ... Gender, for the purposes of this article, is the perceived or projected (self-identified) masculinity or femininity of a person or characteristic. ... This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ... Income, generally defined, is the money that is received as a result of the normal business activities of an individual or a business. ... Generally speaking, advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. ... An audience is the/a group of people who participate in and experience or encounter a work of art, literature, theatre, music or academics in any medium. ...

United States

Television

A Designated Market Area® (DMA) is a group of counties in the United States that are covered by a specific group of television stations. The term was coined by Nielsen Media Research. There are 210 DMAs in the United States. A television station is a type of broadcast station that broadcasts both audio and video to television receivers in a particular area. ... Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is a U.S. firm, headquartered in New York City, and operating primarily from Oldsmar, FL, which measures media audiences, including television, radio and newspapers. ...

The size of a DMA is determined by the number of television households (homes with a TV) contained within that area, and the percentage of the area's population in relation to the entire U.S.. These figures are then used to determine Nielsen ratings for specific television shows and stations. A household refers to those who live in the same house, who may or may not make up a family. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are generally referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by the New York City-based firm Nielsen Media Research to determine which shows television viewers watch at what times. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ...

Radio

Arbitron also maintains similar areas for radio stations, each is called an area of dominant influence (ADI). There are 286 ADI's in the United States. Arbitron is a radio audience research company in the United States. ... A radio station is a site configured for broadcasting sound. ...

Canada

Canada also has a similar system, run by the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement (BBM).

External link

• Nielsen's list of DMAs (http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html)

See also

• marketing