Glossary of Media Terms

Page Views – The number of times a Web page has been successfully served to a user's browser.

Pages-per-Person – Average number of Web pages each unique visitor has viewed on the listed site. This measure can help determine how many pages a person views per visit to a site, and thus indicate their level of interest in the particular site.

Panel – In audience research, a continuing sample of people or households that are measured repeatedly.

Parent Station – A broadcast television station that supplies programming and commercials to another station (satellite station) to expand the coverage of the parent.

Pay Cable – Any of a number of program services for which cable subscribers pay a monthly charge in addition to the basic cable subscription fee.

Pay-Per-View Television – Pay TV for which subscribers pay on a program bases, rather than on a monthly subscription basis.

PBS – See Public Broadcasting Service

PC – Personal Computer.

PDF – Portable Document Format. A method for distributing formatted documents over the Internet.

Peabody Awards – Annual awards recognizing excellence in public service. Named after George Foster Peabody, the awards are administered by the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia.

Penetration – The percentage of households in a given population using a product or receiving a service. For example, the proportion of television households to total households in an area.

People Meter – An electronic metering device attached to a TV set to measure tuning status (set on/off, channel, time, and duration of tuning) as well as demographic data (who is watching). Household members and their guests push buttons to identify themselves. The People Meter is used by Nielsen Media Research to measure nationwide audience measurement in the U.S. and Canada. (See also, Audimeter)

Persons Rankings – Ranking of TV programs (highest to lowest) based on the number of persons reached by selected age groups (Women 18-34, etc. See also, Demographics).

Persons Using Television (PUT) – The percentage of persons using television at a given time. May be qualified by demographic group.

Piggyback – A commercial announcement by a signal advertiser which combines two different product commercials.

Pocketpiece – Printed weekly ratings report from Nielsen Media Research which earned its nickname because it was designed to fit into an inside coat pocket. Separate pocketpieces are used for broadcast networks, syndication, and for each cable network. The reports are part of a much larger ratings database distributed electronically to customers.

Pod – A group of commercials, promos or announcements contained in a television program break.

Port – A place where information goes into or out of a computer. Also, an Internet term that refers to a number that is part of a URL address.

Posting – A single message entered into a network communications system.

Postproduction – Everything done to a film or video after it is shot with a camera but before it airs.

Pre-designated Sample – Households or people initially chosen for a research survey.

Preemption – The temporary replacement of one program by another.

Prime Access – The prime access time is 7:30pm to 8pm. See, Daypart of Fringe.

Prime Time – Peak evening television viewing time, most often 8-11PM, Monday through Saturday, and 7-11 PM Sunday (EST). (See also, Dayparts)

Prime Time Access Rule (PTAR) - An FCC rule, adopted in 1970 and repealed in 1996, which prohibited network-affiliated stations in the top 50 television markets from airing more than three hours of network or former network programs during the four prime time viewing hours, between 7 and 11 PM (EST). (See also, Les Brown’s Encyclopedia of Television, 3^rd Edition)

Probability Sample – A research sample in which the elements are selected from a sampling frame with a known, non-zero probability of selection. Some common types of probability samples are:

Simple random sample: Each element is selected at random from the population as a whole;

Stratified sampling: The original sampling frame is divided into mutually exclusive sub-frames (strata) and separate and independent samples are selected from each strata.

Multi-stage samples: Sampling elements are selected in stages. For example, the first stage might involve selecting block groups within counties. The second stage might then be a sampling of blocks. Different frames and different elements are usually used at each stage. The probabilities of selecting each element are known for each stage of selection.

Cluster Sample: The sample elements are groups of units and not individual units. Each element is identified with only one cluster in the selection process.

Projected Audience – Expressing or projecting a rating in terms of the estimated number of households or persons reached.

PSA – See Public Service Announcement

Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) Access Channels - Channels on cable systems that local franchising authorities are authorized (pursuant to Section 611 of the Communications Act) to require a cable operator to set aside for public, educational, or governmental use by the franchising authority.

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) – Distribution network and representative organization of public TV.

Public Service Announcement (PSA) – An announcement carried by a station, network or cable service, free of charge, for its informational service to the viewer.

Public Television – Non-commercial television supported by federal and state funds, voluntary contributions and grants, offering a variety of programming.

PUT – See Persons Using Television.