Current DMA Definitions and recent changes

[DMAGeorge]

Greetings to all from DMAGeorge. That’s my interest, DMAs.

I’m looking for some help to identify precise current boundaries for DMAs and the derived TMAs of the FCC, and how they have changed over the years.

Just by way of comparison, for radio Arbitron makes everything about market definition transparent to everyone (the general public, not just subscribers). Just hop on their site, and the counties (or split counties) for each market are available from a drop-down menu. No guesswork. They even provide a zoomable pdf map.

I have not been able to find anything similar on Nielsen’s site. Evidently, Nielsen considers market definition proprietary information, even though the FCC uses it to define TMAs.

I suppose that’s why there is so much out-of-date, misleading, and even intentionally incorrect third-party maps and information floating around, such as Newport Media, Truck Ads, and so forth.

Searching this SatelliteGuys Forum, a post from 2009 by dmendenjr [threads/165484-Neilsen-realigns-some-DMA-s] is the kind of thing I am looking for, because it lists specific counties which were moved by Nielsen from one DMA to another. I would love to know the source of this info, and whether it is available for more recent years.

Is it true that Nielsen reassigns each year? Is it always in September?

Does anyone know if Nielsen makes a formal release of these changes? If so, where?

My goal is to clarify the fuzziness of current DMA definitions, and also to identify counties which have switched in the past decade or so.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Tampa8]

There's a TON of info for DMA's. I didn't try to find out about changes. Second thing on Google search brought these, among many.......

http://transition.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/

http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/campaigns/dma-maps.html

 

[DMAGeorge]

There's a TON of info for DMA's. I didn't try to find out about changes. Second thing on Google search brought these, among many.......

>>> Sorry that I had to delete the links that you provided, but as a new member, my reply was denied because of the links <<<

Thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately, not germane.

The fcc link provides Archived Maps of All Full-Service Digital Television Stations Authorized by the FCC
Not related to DMA boundaries.

The Nielsen link shows
A DMA region is a group of counties that form an exclusive geographic area in which the home market television stations hold a dominance of total hours viewed. There are 210 DMA regions, covering the entire continental United States, Hawaii, and parts of Alaska. The DMA boundaries and DMA data are owned solely and exclusively by The Nielsen Company. Any use and or reproduction of these materials without the express written consent of The Nielsen Company is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us
For more information on licensing
Nielsen DMA data, please fill out the following form.
?
It is a sales pitch.

Yes, Nielsen will provide the DMA definitions for a fee.

I am not in a position to do that.

Please understand that I have done many Google searches, have clicked all over the Nielsen site, have found lots of really outdated stuff on the various FCC pages.

That must be why third parties create and post purported DMA maps and lists of counties.

I am hoping that someone here has pertinent info.

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys DMAGeorge!

 

[mike123abc]

Nielsen is the company the FCC uses to track TV usage by county and from that data DMA maps are drawn. Nielsen makes its money selling this information.

http://dishuser.org/TVMarkets/ (from the EKB link at the top of the page) has maps by county of DMAs. I am not sure if it has been updated in a few years. It says 2006 last update.

For a given market you could probably go to one of the Big 4 network's web pages and see which counties they serve. They are probably up to date.

 

[TNGTony]

The EKB maps are about 4 years old. I haven't updated them since 2009. They are correct as of that time period. There have been many changes since, but from 2002-2009 I discovered most of the changes involved one or two counties moving back and forth between the same two markets. One prime example is Auglaize county in Ohio moving between Lima and Dayton TV market. Another is whatever county Athens Ohio is in (Muskegum?) moving between Columbus Oh and Charleston/Huntington, WV.

 

[mike123abc]

I found the easiest place to see counties is the weather sections of the locals. They usually have their counties highlighted.

 

[Mr Tony]

Another is whatever county Athens Ohio is in (Muskegum?) moving between Columbus Oh and Charleston/Huntington, WV.

Athens is in Athens County
Muskegum is where Zanesville is (and the only county of said DMA)

 

[TNGTony]

Athens is in Athens County
Muskegum is where Zanesville is (and the only county of said DMA)

And that's why that county's name came to mind. Thanks Ice.

 

[Mr Tony]

no problem

 

[DMAGeorge]

My apologies if this is not the appropriate place to ask this question, but I have looked around the site and have not noticed a place to ask a question of a moderator. My previous posts have been rejected if they had even one hotlink, but were allowed after I removed them. I have been trying to compose replies here, but it would improve the conversation greatly if it would be possible to embed hotlinks. Can someone in authority let me know the rules:

• Do I have to wait a certain number of days or weeks or months?
• Do I have to make a certain number of posts without any hotlinks?
• Is there some number of hotlinks which I could now be permitted?

?Thanks, and I await a reply.

 

[navychop]

I believe you must post at least 5 times before posting links. Try a couple more posts and see.

 

[DMAGeorge]

I believe you must post at least 5 times before posting links. Try a couple more posts and see.

Thanks, NavyChop. Let's hope that 5 is the magic number!

 

[DMAGeorge]

to Satelliteguys DMAGeorge!

Chip, thanks for the boisterous Welcome. Love your Studebaker. I hope it runs as smoothly as the day it was born.

 

[DMAGeorge]

Nielsen is the company the FCC uses to track TV usage by county and from that data DMA maps are drawn. Nielsen makes its money selling this information.

[LINK DELETED] (from the EKB link at the top of the page) has maps by county of DMAs. I am not sure if it has been updated in a few years. It says 2006 last update.

For a given market you could probably go to one of the Big 4 network's web pages and see which counties they serve. They are probably up to date.

I am learning so much here, like EKB stands for EchoStar Knowledge Base.
As I'm sure you are aware, the site states that it is no longer updated, and has links to SatelliteGuys, James Long, and a Dish Network site.

Also, I have tried your suggestion of going to websites of Big 4 Networks. Some of the first ones that I found do not really follow the actual boundaries of the DMA/TMA, but are adaptations suited to the sales department, such as ignoring parts of counties, or even entire counties.
But I'll keep looking.

The EKB maps are about 4 years old. I haven't updated them since 2009. They are correct as of that time period. There have been many changes since, but from 2002-2009 I discovered most of the changes involved one or two counties moving back and forth between the same two markets. One prime example is Auglaize county in Ohio moving between Lima and Dayton TV market. Another is whatever county Athens Ohio is in (Muskegum?) moving between Columbus Oh and Charleston/Huntington, WV.

Tony, you mention that you had updated the maps until 2009.
Since I am not allowed to include hotlinks yet (as a Freshman), let me copy and paste in some of a post from 2009.
Neilsen realigns some DMA's

Posted by dmendenjr 2-19-2009
The post stated that Dish was supposedly making these changes effective 2-18-2009.
There are 27 counties named.

• 8 counties going from getting locals to no locals
• 3 counties going from no locals to getting locals
• 16 counties changing locals from one market to another market

Counting each county twice (once for market leaving, again for market entering), that is 27 times 2 = 54

• 33 markets gained or lost one county
• 7 markets gained and/or lost two counties
• Sioux Falls lost 3 counties (one each to Denver, Minot, and Rapid City)
• Denver gained 2 and lost 2

That is a total of 42 markets affected by these 27 counties, if my analysis is accurate.
Quite a few larger markets were involved, such as Baltimore, Memphis, Denver, Columbus (OH), Atlanta, Birmingham, Salt Lake City, Portland (OR), and Houston, as well as over 30 smaller markets.
Does this seem consistent with what you were seeing on an annual basis in the 2002-2009 period that you were keeping track of these changes?

 

[OTAworks]

DMAGeorge,
Did you find any more information on this topic? I am trying to get a better understanding of DMA boundaries as well, and the lack of clear, publicly-available information is frustrating.

 

[moghedien14]

I found this site a few years back...

http://www.truckads.com/Affiliate/Dallas_Ft_Worth.htm#map

 

[Just the facts Jack]

I think DMAGeorge is a bit of a purist and perhaps even a propagandist for Nielsen. If all you want are the facts jack, according to GARP, I mean Nielsen, then I suggest everyone spend their hard earned money for the footprints of the EXACT boundaries for each media market based on Nielsen. Puh!

Or perhaps, not everyone is a purist when it comes to DMA boundaries and the boundaries don't mean that much anymore because the markets are no longer just about broadcast signals, but more about cable and direct TV, which creates a fixed footprint. After all, only 7% of the viewing public get their TV from broadcast signals these days (a fact) and most of those viewers reside in the hinter lands. That's the outskirts of the media markets for those in Rio Linda.

Nielsen's "hook" when it comes to DMA Maps is that they are the only ones who can provide the "most accurate media market boundaries in the U.S", based on survey questions they hand out every year to a few people in a few counties in the U.S. We all know, this is so the TV industry remains beholding to Nielsen and will continue to pay lots of money for data tied to their DMA boundary maps that no longer change that much - at least not enough to matter. Broadcast signals and how far they reach tend to be "just facts". Cable and direct TV boundaries are fact based borders, too. So Nielsen owns the facts - we give them that, or should I say a federal judge gave them that a few years ago when they sued Truck Ads for thinking facts are not copyrightable.

Nielsen and Truck Ads live at arms length on the internet. Nielsen conceals their boundaries from the public, so they can charge big bucks for the privilege of seeing the boundaries that change very little from year to year, while Truck Ads provides a much needed public service and provides the most popular U.S. Media Market maps on the internet.

Just by way of comparison the Truck Ads market boundaries are slightly different than Nielsen's, but not enough of a difference to matter when it comes to using the market data for what it is intended - to market to consumers. Truck Ads maps are free and so is the U.S. Census market demographics they provide. Truck Ads also lists for free a complete list of counties and cities as well as a free list of TV Stations within each market with links to the stations. All free. They charge for market zip code data tied to each market, but the price is 10x less than Nielsen. Wow that's a deal!

So for my money, I use the most popular (they claim) U.S. market maps on the internet. Truck Ads market maps don't claim to be perfect, but they are really easy to navigate.

DMAGeorge you sound like an employee of Nielsen's who is trying to promote Nielsen. Good for you! I just wouldn't go around trying to sully the reputations of other companies like Truck Ads, when Nielsen's maps are not supposed to be based on facts, but rather surveys. If the maps were based on facts, Nielsen's maps would not be copyrightable. You know that, right?

Greetings to all from DMAGeorge. That’s my interest, DMAs.

I’m looking for some help to identify precise current boundaries for DMAs and the derived TMAs of the FCC, and how they have changed over the years.

Just by way of comparison, for radio Arbitron makes everything about market definition transparent to everyone (the general public, not just subscribers). Just hop on their site, and the counties (or split counties) for each market are available from a drop-down menu. No guesswork. They even provide a zoomable pdf map.

I have not been able to find anything similar on Nielsen’s site. Evidently, Nielsen considers market definition proprietary information, even though the FCC uses it to define TMAs.

I suppose that’s why there is so much out-of-date, misleading, and even intentionally incorrect third-party maps and information floating around, such as Newport Media, Truck Ads, and so forth.

Searching this SatelliteGuys Forum, a post from 2009 by dmendenjr [threads/165484-Neilsen-realigns-some-DMA-s] is the kind of thing I am looking for, because it lists specific counties which were moved by Nielsen from one DMA to another. I would love to know the source of this info, and whether it is available for more recent years.

Is it true that Nielsen reassigns each year? Is it always in September?

Does anyone know if Nielsen makes a formal release of these changes? If so, where?

My goal is to clarify the fuzziness of current DMA definitions, and also to identify counties which have switched in the past decade or so.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Greetings to all from DMAGeorge. That’s my interest, DMAs.

I’m looking for some help to identify precise current boundaries for DMAs and the derived TMAs of the FCC, and how they have changed over the years.

Just by way of comparison, for radio Arbitron makes everything about market definition transparent to everyone (the general public, not just subscribers). Just hop on their site, and the counties (or split counties) for each market are available from a drop-down menu. No guesswork. They even provide a zoomable pdf map.

I have not been able to find anything similar on Nielsen’s site. Evidently, Nielsen considers market definition proprietary information, even though the FCC uses it to define TMAs.

I suppose that’s why there is so much out-of-date, misleading, and even intentionally incorrect third-party maps and information floating around, such as Newport Media, Truck Ads, and so forth.

Searching this SatelliteGuys Forum, a post from 2009 by dmendenjr [threads/165484-Neilsen-realigns-some-DMA-s] is the kind of thing I am looking for, because it lists specific counties which were moved by Nielsen from one DMA to another. I would love to know the source of this info, and whether it is available for more recent years.

Is it true that Nielsen reassigns each year? Is it always in September?

Does anyone know if Nielsen makes a formal release of these changes? If so, where?

My goal is to clarify the fuzziness of current DMA definitions, and also to identify counties which have switched in the past decade or so.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys Just the facts Jack!