Sponsor (Sept-Dec 1958)

As new market data are released, SPONSOR ASKS; How does your Company use With the release of the new Nielsen Market Coverage Report, key agency, research and slation people appraise its use in the market. Harold Miller, associate media director, Benton & Bowles, .\ew York Y ou must first have an understanding of what you mean by "coverage" in using NCS #3. There is no one single industry standard. The fact is, that coverage does mean different things to each of us. To our timebuyers, coverage mean? an effective area in which the homes /;/.s/ one tneasuretnent method not onh can view a station — but actually do view that station on some regular basis. The NCS #3 survey, through the use of a mail ballot, personal interview, mechanical device or some combination of all three, has attempted to determine the proportion of homes who claimed to view each station with some degree of frequency. This coverage study developed data for each station showing the percent daily, the percent weekly and the percent four-week audience — both day and night. Furthermore, the study attempted to reveal how often each home viewed a stati(m during a broadcast week. From our agency's point of view, the Nielsen data had substantial value in giving to us comparable information for each station on the air by county or clusters thereof. We could use these data to help us in developing our estimates of a station's effective coverage area based on a "can and do " concept. That is, we can use this basic information in a relative way to establish an area in which the homes in that area not only can receive the station's sittnal. but do receive it on some regular basis. Additionally, since the data were reported for all stations on the air at the time of the study, we were able to add to our knowledge regarding the degree of duplication which exists between stations on specific network lineups. Still another ad\ anta^ie is that it provided our agent) with the same basic data for every station. Within our organization, we were able to limit our disagreements merely to interpretation of the same facts. However, NCS #3 is not a panacea for coverage. It is just one tool. It, too, has its limitations. The sample size is small in a number of counties — the use of the mail ballot may have subjected the data to some other biases. However, to tell any of you how to specifically use this survey to develop coverage would do no good. You can best decide how to use it for your company— but only after you first understand what you want to accomplish. George E. Biechta, ''fe president. A. C. Nielsen Co., New York The uses to which data is put. often determines the difference between good and bad research. Since NCS #3 was underwritten by a large segment of the broadcast industry, its application is as varied as the individual problems of its subscribers. We have never issued any definite ground-rules as to how NCS data should he used because of this extreme range, but there are certain areas where we might. NCS was not designed for the projection of ratings. The metro area rating of a specific program cannot be multiplied by the station's average circulation in outer counties and provide a realistic total audience figure. Here's an example of why. The network program carried by station A has good audience in the central city. If we projected this rating against the station's average circulation figure in the outer area, we would not be taking into account the fact that station B, carrying the same program, but originating from a different city is splitting the outer area audience of this program. NCS #3 provides the only complete and recent composite of the country's television service. It shows in full county detail, which areas are served by which station. It reports the average daily, weekly and monthly; day and night, audiences of all stations and the location of these viewing homes. Because of the scope of this study, the range of application extends well beyond the basic function of timebuying and selling. The FCC uses this data for the study of channel allocation. Advertisers turn to NCS #3 for charging tv dollars to sales areas on the basis of the location of individual station audiences. Recently we've introduced new Market Coverage Reports to provide NCS data by individual markets to tailor NCS directly to spot buying, so that county data need not be summarized for a quick answer. But in general, it is the complete detail provided by NCS which makes it so valuable and flexible a research tool. Robert F. Davis, director of research, CBS TV Spot Sales, New York Sales use of NCS is very selective. In many markets NCS — and coverage — are minor factors, while in others NCS can be an extremely important sales tool showing up rather large differences between stations. It is interesting to discover uhy NCS reveals these important differences in spite of relatively equal engineering facilities. First of all, NCS is a measure of popularity as well as coverage. But be 13 DECEMBER 19S8