# Too Many DMA's



## jacksonm30354 (Mar 29, 2007)

This mainly applies to smaller markets....

If you look at a map of all the DMA's, and look at the stations that are provided in those DMAs, does it make sense to have a Dothan, AL DMA with CBS, ABC, Fox and a Panama City, FL DMA with ABC, NBC, and FOX? If all stations had a tower located where WTVY (CBS-Dothan) was located, it could service both markets. Alot of WJHG and WMBB's signal is over the gulf of mexico. WTVY is the default CBS for the Panama City market, but Dothan has a small time ABC station and it's gets NBC from Montgomery as well as WJHG from PC. 

The same goes with Hattiesburg, MS (NBC & CBS) and Biloxi, MS (ABC). If the stations were located where WLOX (ABC Biloxi) tower was located, it would cover both cities. Areas removed from the old WDAM, WHLT signal area already overlapped good signals from the Jackson or Meridian market.

Albany, GA/ Tallahasse, FL might could be combined too.

The unified markets would not hurt for advertising as they could sell in both cities.

I am sure there are others that could be combined.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

> The unified markets would not hurt for advertising as they could sell in both cities.


But they would only have half as much ad time to sell.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

I do not in any way disagree with you but remember these TV stations are businesses that are invested in the status quo. When money is involved, people dig in their heels.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

I agree that some DMA's are just ridiculous (Lafayette, IN comes to mind) and there are others that would better off being combined (Say like Elmira and Binghamton, NY). My main beef w/ DMA's is that they use county borders to draw their maps w/. County lines have nothing to do with how far you are from a broadcast tower or how good reception you get from those towers. DMA's should have their own maps based on the stregth of signals covering an area. After all there are some counties that should have different parts in different DMA's and there should be some that are part of more than one where signals overlap. And if you're truly in the middle of nowhere with no tv signals reaching you, you should really be in no DMA at all. Of course I realize this makes things a lot more messy but it would also be more accuarate.


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

Somehow, I don't think you'll get the Nielsen folks to change the way they do business.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

The TV stations in this country were parcelled out based on the demographics of 1954. If TV stations were being assigned today, a lot would be different. 

In my area, just to the north is a one station, three county "DMA". Its laughable. The local, affiliated with NBC, puts together news with a budget of 50 cents per day, and everybody get the remaining networks from other places.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

Cholly said:


> Somehow, I don't think you'll get the Nielsen folks to change the way they do business.


True, but that brings up another point, who's great idea was it to make Nielsen's DMA's the basis of how satellite tv subscribers get their "locals" anyway? What was wrong w/ the way cable does it? Pretty much anyone who has cable gets the local channels that are relevant to the area they live w/out having to worry about DMA boundry lines.


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## leww37334 (Sep 19, 2005)

Cholly said:


> Somehow, I don't think you'll get the Nielsen folks to change the way they do business.


Turns out it isn't the Masons or the Illumanati who secretly rule the world, It's the Nielsen people,. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## FTA Michael (Jul 21, 2002)

tsmacro said:


> What was wrong w/ the way cable does it? Pretty much anyone who has cable gets the local channels that are relevant to the area they live w/out having to worry about DMA boundry lines.


That's what the recent "significantly viewed" rules were supposed to help fix.


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## JTBenson (Jan 4, 2005)

FTA Michael said:


> That's what the recent "significantly viewed" rules were supposed to help fix.


Significantly viewed rules are still inadequate. I live in the St. Joseph, Mo DMA where none of our 2 channels is available via satellite. Because of that, they don't let me have the KC channels. The only conflict is ABC. I would settle for not getting ABC out of KC just as long as I could get the program guide.


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## jacksonm30354 (Mar 29, 2007)

Richard King said:


> But they would only have half as much ad time to sell.


They could sell at a higher price given the larger audience. Since the cities aren't that far apart, people could potentially drive to whatever business or visit their website.


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