Average Quarter-Hour (AQH) Persons: The average number of persons listening to a particular station for at least five minutes during a 15-minute period.

Average Quarter-Hour (AQH) Rating: The AQH Persons estimate expressed as a percentage of the population being measured.

Away-From-Home Listening: An estimate reported for a listening location outside of the home. It could identify listening taking place either in-car, at-work or some other place.

Cost Per Gross Rating Point (or “Cost Per Point”): The cost of achieving a number of impressions equivalent to one percent of the population in a given demographic group.

Cost Per Thousand (CPM): The cost of delivering 1,000 Gross Impressions (GIs).

Cume Duplication Percent: The percentage of one station’s estimated Cume audience that listened to a second station.

Cume Persons: The estimated number of different Persons who listened to a station for a minimum of five minutes in a quarter-hour within a reported daypart. (Cume estimates may also be referred to as cumulative or unduplicated estimates.)

Cume Rating: The Cume persons audience expressed as a percentage of all persons estimated to be in the specified demographic group.

Daypart: A part of the day recognized by the industry to identify time periods of radio listening, e.g., Saturday 6AM-10AM or Monday-Friday 7PM-MID.

Demographics: This term identifies population groups according to age, sex, ethnicity, ect.

Designated Market Area (DMA): Nielsen Media Research, Inc.’s geographic market design which defines each television market exclusive of others based on measurable viewing patterns. Every county (or county equivalent) in the U.S. is assigned exclusively to one DMA. Arbitron reports radio listening estimates for the Top 50 DMAs (ranked on TV households) in the Radio Market Reports of all Standard radio markets whose Metros are located within the DMA and whose names are contained in the DMA name.

Discrete Demographics: This term refers to uncombined or nonoverlapping sex/age groups, such as Men and/or Women 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, as opposed to “target” or aggregate demographics, such as Men and/or Women 18+, 18-34, 18-49 or 25-49.

Effective Sample Base (ESB): The theoretical sample size used to estimate the sampling error of audience estimates.

Exclusive Cume: The number of different persons listening to only one radio station during a reported daypart.

Frequency: The average number of times a person is exposed to a radio spot schedule.

Frequency: An FCC-authorized AM or FM band designation assigned to a city service area and a radio station licensee.

Gross Impressions (GIs): The sum of the AQH Persons audience for all spots in a given schedule.

Gross Rating Points (GRPs): The total number of rating points achieved for a particular spot schedule.

Group Quarters: Living arrangements such as college dormitories, military barracks, nursing homes and prisons, plus dwelling units of 10 or more individuals.

In-Tab Sample: The number of usable diaries tabulated to produce the market report.

Meter: Arbitron Metros generally correspond to the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSAs, PMSAs, CMSAs) defined by the U.S. Government’s Office of Management and Budget. They are subject to exceptions dictated by historical industry usage and other market considerations as determined by Arbitron.

Metro totals and/or DMA Totals (Total listening in the Metro and/or DMA): These total listing estimates include listening to reported stations, nonqualifying commercial stations, noncommercial stations, cable-only stations and unidentified stations.

Minimum Reporting Standards (MRS): Criteria used to determine which stations qualify to be listed in a market report.

Net Reach: The number of different persons reached in a given schedule.

Persons-Per-Diary Value (PPDV): The weight which is assigned to each diary by sample balancing (based on the diary keeper’s age, sex, county and race, if applicable) immediately prior to reporting processing. It is the number of persons in the population which that diary represents for purposes of processing audience estimates.

Persons Using Radio (PUR): The total amount of listing to radio for a particular demo/daypart/geography. The term PUR can refer to Persons or RATINGS, AQH or Cume. (see also “Metro Totals and/or DMA Totals,” above.)

Rating (AQH or Cume): The AQH or Cume Persons audience expressed as a percentage of the total population.

Sampling Unit: A geographic area consisting of a county or county equivalent (e.g., geographic or ethnic split county, or independent city) for which sample is separately selected or monitored.

Sex/Age Populations: Various sex/age groups are determined from population estimates within a county.

Share: The percentage of those listening to radio in the Merto (or DMA) who are listening to a particular radio station.

Simulcast: The simultaneous of one station’s broadcast flow by another station (noted in the “Station Information” section, from information supplied to the Arbitron by stations).

Target Demographics: Audience groups consisting of multiple discrete demographic cells (e.g., Men 18-34, Women 25-54)

Technical Difficulty (TD): Time period(s) of five or more consecutive minutes during the survey period for which an RMR-qualifying station notified Arbitron, in writing, of reduced power, intermittent power, signal interference or time off-air during the station’s authorized broadcast day.

Time Spent Listening (TSL): An estimate of the amount of time the average listener spent with a station (or total radio) during a particular daypart. This estimate, expressed in hours and minutes, is reported for the Metro only.

To express TSL in hours and minutes:

Total Survey Area (TSA): A geographic area that includes the Metro Survey Area and may include additional counties (or county equivalents).

Turnover: The total number of different groups of persons that make up a station’s audience.

Universe: The estimated population for an age/sex group in a geographic area.

Frequently Used Abbreviations