Nielsen Revises Market Rankings Ahead of Spring Ratings Period (2024)

Before the spring ratings period begins on Thursday, Nielsen has updated the market rankings, with a change in the top five.

Dallas has now surpassed San Francisco as the fourth largest market, according to Nielsen. With the slip, San Francisco drops to fifth.

Other changes include Miami/Fort Lauderdale moving up to 11th, changing places with Seattle/Tacoma.

In the top 50 markets, other changes featured:

• Now #16 Tampa/St. Petersburg (up from #17)
• Now #18 San Diego (up from #19)
• Now #19 Denver (down from #18)
• Now #20 Charlotte (up from #21)
• Now #21 Long Island (down from #20)
• Now #22 Baltimore (up from #23)
• Now #23 Portland (down from #22)
• Now #28 Austin (up from #29)
• Now #29 Sacramento (down from #28)
• Now #35 Raleigh/Durham (up from #37)
• Now #36 Cleveland (down from #35)
• Now #37 Columbus (down from #36)
• Now #39 Nashville (up from #40)
• Now #40 San Jose (down from #39)
• Now #44 Jacksonville (up from #46)
• Now #45 Providence (down from #44)
• Now #46 Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News (down from #45)
• Now #48 West Palm Beach/Boca Raton (up from #49)

Three other noticeable drops outside the top 50 included Lousiville falling from #55 to #58, Memphis dropping from market #51 to #52, and Hartford shifting to market #55, down from #54, according to Radio Insight.

The announcement of the market re-rankings comes on the heels of Nielsen leaving three diary markets behind. #99 Greenville/New Bern/Jacksonville, North Carolina, #109 Visalia, California, and #214 Sunbury/Selinsgrove/Lewisburg, Pennsylvania will no longer be rated by the service. However, Eastlan Ratings has expanded to the Greenville/New Bern/Jacksonville market, insisting its decision to enter the market was not influenced by Nielsen’s decision to exit.

TikTok is taking a stand against state-affiliated media accounts attempting to manipulate global audiences. The social media giant released a statement Thursday, outlining its new rules. They don’t bode well for state-affiliated media accounts.

According to the news rules, reach will be limited, preventing those accounts from appearing on users’ main feeds. TikTok began labeling state-affiliated media accounts two years ago. The new measures build upon that policy, and come in advance of the 2024 U.S. election.

The platform will also no longer allow state-affiliated media accounts to advertise outside of their home country. The decision comes after a study by the Brookings Institution revealed an increase in usage of TikTok by Russian state-affiliated accounts, with a particular focus on spreading messages in English and Spanish.

Other social media platforms have also struggled with foreign propaganda. However, Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, as well as Elon Musk’s X have faced less scrutiny. TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, has raised concerns over national security due to its Chinese ownership. The company has continually denied these claims and is currently suing the federal government over a law that would require it to sever ties with its parent company in order to continue operating in the U.S..

In addition to these measures, TikTok announced it will regularly update its efforts to combat covert influence operations on the platform. The company has disrupted fifteen operations during the first four months of the year. Among them, one that targeted audiences in Indonesia during their presidential elections.

The rise of Artificial Intelligence has been a hot-button topic in media circles. Now, the FCC is looking at requiring political advertising to disclose if a commercial utilized the technology.

The proposal from FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel would not prohibit the use of AI-generated content in political advertising. Instead, it would simply require the advertiser to use both on-air and written notification that the content was created by the technology.

Rosenworcel shared her thinking behind the proposal.

“As artificial intelligence tools become more accessible, the Commission wants to make sure consumers are fully informed when the technology is used,” she said. “Today, I’ve shared with my colleagues a proposal that makes clear consumers have a right to know when AI tools are being used in the political ads they see, and I hope they swiftly act on this issue.”

According to results from TechSurvey 2024 from Jacobs Media, 3/4 of respondents said they would support regulations of the technology, with another 39% saying they had major issues with AI-voiced spots.

FCC commissioners will vote on a proposal, and if enacted will allow public comment on any proposed regulations.

Longtime St. Louis radio and television personality JC Corcoran is celebrating his 40th anniversary of working in the city by looking back at some of his favorite interviews and bits from his long tenure.

Some of his more memorable segments airing include broadcasts from Moscow and the Abbey Road Studios in London. During his “40 Years in 40 Days” lookback, he’ll also replay interviews he held with the likes of Harrison Ford, Bill Murray, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts, among others.

“Even in the old analog days back in the 80s I always archived our best bits and interviews,” Corcoran said. “I’m glad I did because it’s really been fun digging up segments with people like Tom Hanks, Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, and David Letterman back when we were all just kids!”

During his time in the Gateway City, Corcoran has worked at KMOX, KSHE, KSD, and KHITS. He also spent time working in his hometown of Chicago working part-time at WGN and WLS.

In addition to his time in St. Louis radio and TV, JC Corcoran has written two books and also had his 1998 Opening Day baseball show included in the archives at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY.