Abstract
Walter S. McDowell (2008). Why TV Cume Matters: An Exploratory Case
Study of Four Local TV News Brands, Journal of Media Business Studies
5(3):1-15.
Key Words: audience, audience measurement, ratings, television
This article demonstrates the value of analyzing non-duplicated audience data that often
are overlooked by television professionals. To that end, this exploratory single-market
case study focuses on the ratings performance of four competing daily television
newscasts. Findings suggest that, despite appearance of audience stability using
conventional average-quarter-hour data, substantial audience volatility was found when
calculating audience turnover using cume data. In addition, the findings provided
circumstantial evidence of the impact of occasional viewers on building and maintaining
brand equity. The study concludes with practical implications for media brand managers
and recommendations for future research using some custom ratings analysis tools
available from Nielsen Media Research.
Walter S. McDowell (2008). Why TV Cume Matters: An Exploratory Case
Study of Four Local TV News Brands, Journal of Media Business Studies
5(3):1-15.
Key Words: audience, audience measurement, ratings, television
This article demonstrates the value of analyzing non-duplicated audience data that often
are overlooked by television professionals. To that end, this exploratory single-market
case study focuses on the ratings performance of four competing daily television
newscasts. Findings suggest that, despite appearance of audience stability using
conventional average-quarter-hour data, substantial audience volatility was found when
calculating audience turnover using cume data. In addition, the findings provided
circumstantial evidence of the impact of occasional viewers on building and maintaining
brand equity. The study concludes with practical implications for media brand managers
and recommendations for future research using some custom ratings analysis tools
available from Nielsen Media Research.
