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Rating Services - Nothing is
free in this world, not even television (though it seems to be).
With the exception of cable services or PBS stations which rely on
cash contributions or charges to finance programming, other network
television is provided courtesy of money supplied by advertisers who
pay a premium to local/national network stations to have their
products hawked via the format known as a "commercial" (an
advertisement broadcast on radio or television).
To evaluate who is
watching what programs and thus the sponsor's commercials, marketing
measurement agencies have come into existence (first on radio) to
determine the number of audience members viewing any program at any
one time.
With this knowledge, the television networks/local
stations can calculate what to charge advertisers. The more viewers
a particular program/channel commands, the higher prices can be
charged to those companies or persons seeking air time to sell their
wares.
In the 1950s, an audience rating system called "Trendex" made
random phone calls to 1,000 people in some fifteen cities to solicit
opinions on what the audience was watching. See also -
"A.C. Nielsen",
"Arbitron"
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