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Syllabus: Media Market Research
ADV5505-
Section 01
Spring Semester, 2003
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CONTACT
INFORMATION
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INSTRUCTOR
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Dr. Barry S. Sapolsky
OFFICE: 334 DIF PHONE: 644‑8774
OFFICE HOURS: MWF
11:00-noon and other hours by appointment
EMAIL: bsapolsk@mailer.fsu.edu
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CLASS MEETINGS
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MWF 1:25-2:15 pm Room 413
DIF
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COURSE
MATERIALS
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READINGS
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There is no textbook for this
course. The Nielsen and Arbitron materials will be available in
a photocopy set at Target Copy on W. Tennessee street. All other readings will be on the course Website.
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WEBSITE
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http://comm2.fsu.edu/faculty/comm/sapolsky
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COURSE
DESCRIPTION
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Media Market Research introduces graduate students
to applied audience research for electronic media. The emphasis
is on the local media market and students will gain "hands-on"
experience with syndicated and custom audience research for radio
and/or television. Students will be exposed to various aspects of
media audience research including Nielsen ratings for television,
Arbitron ratings for radio, music research, and terms and formulas
used in broadcast sales. Students will also learn how to analyze
and report custom research. Familiarity with SPSS for Windows is
required. In addition, students are expected to become very familiar
with the Tallahassee media market - TV and radio stations and cable systems. If possible, local media representatives
will speak to the class and students may tour at least one local
media outlet.
REQUIRED PREREQUISITE: COM-5331 (completed with at least a B-)
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MAJOR
ASSIGNMENTS and COURSE OBJECTIVES
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1
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Local Market Survey:
A primary focus of the class will be the Local Market
Survey Project. The class will work as "media research consultants"
for a Tallahassee media outlet. We seek one local media outlet as a "client."
Once a client is identified, students in ADV5505 serve as a "consultant"
to the station/group. In the early weeks of the course, students
meet with the client and determine the client's needs. Students
then develop a telephone survey questionnaire. The process of questionnaire
development and refinement may take several weeks. During this time
the consulting team works out the details of the survey (sample,
interviewing, etc.). It is not possible to predict in advance exactly
how many classes/weeks will be devoted to questionnaire development
and preparation for the survey.
Once the questionnaire is completed and approved by
the client, the class will conduct the survey, analyze the data,
and prepare a report to be presented to the client. You will serve
as interviewers and supervisors during the telephone survey - you are expected to be available to work evenings (mid-February; 6:00 - 9:30 p.m.) for about 18 hours during the course of the
survey. If you cannot put in the time for the interviewing, you
should not enroll in this course.
Objectives derived from this project:
a. Application
of telephone survey methods to customized audience measurement,
b. Analysis
and reporting of custom audience research, and
c.
Familiarization
with audience research consulting.
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2
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Break-the-book Assignment:
You will learn how to read and interpret the Nielsen
Viewers-in-Profile Report and the Arbitron local market report.
Then you will complete a "Break-the-Book" assignment in
which you will analyze a recent television or radio report for the
Tallahassee market. Each student will select one of Tallahassee's commercial TV or radio stations. The task is to
identify a station's strongest points and the competition's weakest
points in terms of audience during different dayparts and within
different demographic groups. As part of this process, the class
may meet with one or more local television or radio advertising
salespersons or managers.
Objectives derived from this project:
a. Understanding
of terms and formulas used in television and radio ratings,
b. Familiarization
with the local market television (Nielsen) report,
c. Familiarization
with the local market radio (Arbitron) report, and
d.
Familiarization
with the local market television and radio advertising sales process.
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3
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Audience Segmentation Assignment:
Students will choose a data set (provided by the instructor)
and conduct a TV or radio audience segmentation study. You will
analyze the data using SPSSWIN and produce tables and graphs that
could be used for programming or sales purposes.
Objectives derived from this project
a. Understanding
of audience segmentation, and
b.
Demonstration
of computer and analytic skills used in audience research.
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4
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Internet Searches:
Students will locate Internet sites that are relevant
to the topics covered in ADV5505.
You are required to locate and describe three sites
(format provided by the instructor). All sites must first be
cleared with the instructor to avoid redundancies. You may not use
the sites already identified under Links on the ADV5505 or RTV4504
Web sites.
Objective derived from this project:
Familiarization with Internet sites related to media
audience research.
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5
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Assist undergraduate students in RTV4504 with data
analyses for their final projects.
Undergraduate students in RTV4504 will need assistance
analyzing survey data for their final projects. Each student in
ADV5505 will assist at least two students by helping them generate
the necessary tables and graphs.
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6
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Exam:
There will be a final exam in this course. It will
cover students' understanding of the contents of the Nielsen and
Arbitron local market reports. The exam will also include the various
terms and formulas used in TV/radio sales and programming.
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COURSE
POLICIES
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Class Attendance:
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Class attendance is mandatory. More than three absences
will result in points deducted from a student's grade: 5 points
for each absence.
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Assignments:
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Due dates are clearly indicated in the syllabus. Assignments
are due by class time on the day indicated. Assignments received
later than that time will have a 10% reduction in grade for each
day late.
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Exams:
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There are no make-up exams except for students who
provide a signed note from a physician documenting an illness. NO
other reasons will be considered for missing an exam.
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EVALUATION
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Students'
Final Grade will be based on the following:
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Local Market Survey Project
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45%
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Break-the-book Assignment
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15%
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Audience Segmentation Assignment
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15%
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Internet Searches
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5%
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Exam on Nielsen, Arbitron, and terms/formulas
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15%
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Class participation
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5%
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The Department of Communication is committed to reducing
grade inflation in its courses. To that end, a department-wide grading
standard has been adopted to insure that an "A" is reserved
for outstanding performance. "A" and "A -" grades
represent work whose superior quality indicates a full mastery of
the subject. An "A" represents work of extraordinary distinction.
The percentage of points required to receive various
letter grades is as follows:
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A
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95%
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B-
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882%
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D+
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72%
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A-
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92%
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C+
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80%
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D
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68%
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B+
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88%
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C
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78%
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D-
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65%
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B
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85%
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C-
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75%
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F
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<65%
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COURSE
CONTENT
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A week-by-week description of the course content, assignments,
due dates, readings, etc. is available on the course Website under
"Schedule".
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OTHER
INFORMATION
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E-mail:
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All students are expected to have/obtain an e-mail
account. Provide Dr. Sapolsky with your email address as soon as
possible. You are strongly encouraged to use this e-mail account
to communicate your questions to Dr. Sapolsky.
You can register online for a free e-mail account
from ACNS (Academic Computing and Network Services). Log on to the
internet and enter the following address:
http://register.acns.fsu.edu
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Announcements:
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On Dr. Sapolsky’s web site, click on “Courses” and
you will see Announcements regarding the course. Be sure to routinely
check this page for updates, changes, etc.
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ACADEMIC
HONOR CODE
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Students
are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in The
Florida State University Bulletin and the Student Handbook. The
Academic Honor System of The Florida State University is based on
the premise that each student has the responsibility (1) to uphold
the highest standards of academic integrity in the student's own
work, (2) to refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity
in the university community, and (3) to foster a high sense of integrity
and social responsibility on the part of the university community.
Please
see the following web site for a complete explanation of the Academic
Honor Code.
http://www.fsu.edu/Books/Student-Handbook/codes/honor.html
http://www.fsu.edu/Books/Student-Handbook/
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AMERICANS
WITH DISABILITIES ACT
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Students
with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register
with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the
need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during
the first week of class.
For
more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities,
contact the
Student Disability Resource Center
Dean of Students Department
08 Kellum Hall
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4400
(850) 644-9566 (voice)
(850) 644-8504 (TDD)
SDRC@admin.fsu.edu
http://www.fsu.edu/~staffair/dean/StudentDisability/
(This
syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative
format upon request.)
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