The story is behind an AJC paywall but basically the census bureau has moved the ATL statistical area up a notch. I wonder if Neilson/ Arbitron will move It's market ranking any time soon?
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Atlanta is / has grown to #6 according the the census folks.
- Thread starter secondchoice
- Start date
Here it is, reported by Fox5:
www.fox5atlanta.com
Metro Atlanta cracks top 6 in population: It's getting crowded down South
If you've noticed that metro Atlanta seems a little more crowded than it did just a year ago, you're not wrong.
But the Atlanta Census Bureau Metropolitan Statistical Area is not the same as the Nielsen radio Metro Survey Area. Same "MSA" initials, but very different. Atlanta is not even top 10... yet... in the Nielsen market definition which is primarily based on radio usage and not based on commerce.
Again, that is the Census defined metro, not the radio metro. Very different.Here it is, reported by Fox5:
Metro Atlanta cracks top 6 in population: It's getting crowded down South
If you've noticed that metro Atlanta seems a little more crowded than it did just a year ago, you're not wrong.
Atlanta was #7 as of the Nielsen Fall 2023 Market Rankings. I don’t think Nielsen releases the spring rankings until April:
I wonder if Charlotte will make it into the #20 spot? Hard to believe we are already ahead of St. Louis, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Cleveland. That is until I get stuck in traffic! 
I’ve heard this story played a lot over the past 24 hours. So which cities are above us in the census? Nielsen has it…
1 - NYC
2 - LA
3 - Chicago
4 - San Francisco
5 - Dallas
6 - Houston
7 - Atlanta
To make us #6 on the census list - The only city I can think of that may not be in the top of the census list would be San Fran. I am guessing Nielsen combines San Fran, Oakland, and San Jose and the census takes Oakland and San Jose out of the equation? Am I correct here?
1 - NYC
2 - LA
3 - Chicago
4 - San Francisco
5 - Dallas
6 - Houston
7 - Atlanta
To make us #6 on the census list - The only city I can think of that may not be in the top of the census list would be San Fran. I am guessing Nielsen combines San Fran, Oakland, and San Jose and the census takes Oakland and San Jose out of the equation? Am I correct here?
I think that's right...the metros we leapfrogged in the Census tabulation were Philly and DC. We were already ahead of them in Nielsen.
The Houston Nielsen market has a million more folks than the Atlanta Nielsen market, so we're not moving up any time soon unless Nielsen redefines the markets themselves. I do think the Census did add some counties to the ATL metro area, so I guess Nielsen could follow suit.
Does anyone know how Nielsen defines markets, especially vis-a-vis the Census?
Right you are. I missed the growth of Atlanta as I'm, naturally, more focused on the growth of Phoenix and Miami, which will soon kick Philly and Boston out of the top 10. My mistake.
And Miami and Phoenix with leapfrog them very soon, too.
Nielsen uses radio listening to define markets, not trade... which is the OMB and Census Bureau's criteria. So it is unlikely that the radio market will be changed unless the reduction of OTA listening affects listening patterns overall.
Nielsen defines markets in all cases on a county base and never on a city by city base. The bulk of the criteria depends on listening to stations that are "home" to the Metro Survey Area.
A few counties are split between markets, such as Riverside and San Bernardino counties in CA which have all or portions of two markets in them and even some un-rated areas. Fairfield County, CT and Worcester County in MA are split, also, based on deeper analysis of listening in two different parts of each county.
But the main criteria is the predominance in given counties of listening to stations mostly in the "Home Country" vs. local station or stations from another nearby market. Houston goes through rather regular addition and dropping of fringe counties for that reason.
Nielsen uses Census data, but processed and supplemented by data from independent market analysis companies. And the key is not trade but which stations are predominantly being listened to. As OTA radio fades, it is likely that there will be further adjustment to Nielsen markets, though.
And there are cases where the stations themselves decide on market expansion or not. In Dade and Broward Counties in FL, each measured separately until 1972, local stations voted to combine the two counties in one market. Yet in the LA market, a vote to consolidate the Riverside/San Bernardino market with the LA market was voted down by stations in both markets and they remain separate, even if LA stations get 75% of the AQH listening in the Inland Empire.
I apologize if it seemed like I was calling attention to your mistake. That wasn’t my intent. I have a few of the past market ranking PDFs bookmarked, as I’m curious to see how the battle between DFW (my market) and San Francisco for the #4 spot plays out.
No offense taken. I make mistakes and it is good to have them corrected.
For years other markets have wanted to have the "wine country" and Santa Rosa areas to the north of the Bay Area removed from the San Francisco Nielsen MSA, but those in the market like the higher population rank that the area gives them.
Those northern areas in the SF market date back to when the big AMs had considerable listening in Santa Rosa (680, 740, 810 and even 560 and 610).
I guess Shreveport has to wait a little longer to crack the Top 10? 😂
I’ve always been curious how markets are designated. In Louisiana there are seven different media markets for nine different metros - in a state that barely cracks four million and continues to decline in population each year. I also have questions about Atlanta’s coverage area? It covers half the state of georgia?
Radio ratings markets are not the same as Census / Government designated markets.
Radio markets are defined by usage of radio from the central city, while government metros are based on commerce.
TV markets cover the areas where the primary network stations of the home market are carried.
Radio markets can be adjusted with counties added or removed each year.
On the TV DMA markets side Solano County is split between the Sacramento and San Francisco TV DMA's. Some of reasons why Solano County is split between two TV Markets goes back to when Sacramento needed a new ABC Affiliate after KCCC-TV shut down and KOVR-TV was originally aimed towards North San Joaquin Valley and Bay Area. The issue was if KOVR is to get an ABC affiliate it would not draw viewers away from KGO-TV San Francisco. KOVR Stockton would have to find a new place for their transmitter and aim towards Sacramento in able for the affiliation to be approved. This is one of the factors on how Solano county, CA ended up in two TV markets.
History of UHF Television
Attachments
Like radio metros, Nielsen DMA's are a function of TV audiences. To which DMA a county is assigned is based on which home market accounts for the largest share of that county's TV viewing; or as you mentioned, Sacramento TV gets the largest share of viewing in some of Solano County, and San Francisco gets the most audience from the remainder of the county.On the TV DMA markets side Solano County is split between the Sacramento and San Francisco TV DMA's. Some of reasons why Solano County is split between two TV Markets goes back to when Sacramento needed a new ABC Affiliate after KCCC-TV shut down and KOVR-TV was originally aimed towards North San Joaquin Valley and Bay Area. The issue was if KOVR is to get an ABC affiliate it would not draw viewers away from KGO-TV San Francisco. KOVR Stockton would have to find a new place for their transmitter and aim towards Sacramento in able for the affiliation to be approved. This is one of the factors on how Solano county, CA ended up in two TV markets.
History of UHF Television
uhfhistory.com
Every county is the U.S. is assigned to a DMA. In distant counties within a DMA, the home market stations' on-air signal might reach the county, but the stations are on cable and "alternate delivery systems," e.g. DIRECTV.
While every county in the U.S. is assigned to a DMA, not every county is in a Nielsen radio metro.