PR & Media IntelligenceA handy guide to understanding PR & market Glossary intelligence jargon Glossary The PR and comms industry is crowded, complex, and often confusing. The prevalence of PR jargon and sector specific colloquialisms can make the industry seem exclusive and If you can’t explain difficult to navigate. It can be a minefield of information, but once demystified it is as easy to understand as learning your ABCs. Signal AI’s comprehensive PR and Media Intelligence it simply, you don’t Glossary is a handy guide to the industry and will help you understand the previously understand it well unknowable. enough,” said Albert Einstein. 2 Glossary ABOVE THE LINE ANOMALY DETECTION AUDIENCE Advertising that is ‘talking at The process of modelling The people you want to you’, such as TV and radio ads, historical patterns of media reach and target with PR, or posters. coverage for topics and entities communications, and of interest, then using these marketing efforts. models as a contextual baseline ACTUALITY A news report at the scene to identify unusual trends and AUDIENCE SHARE including background sound, events that divert levels of media The percentage of an audience commentary from an on-scene coverage from the norm. within a defined market of reporter, witness or participant, or listeners/viewers who tune in to an interview with an expert. ARTIFICIAL a broadcast by a media outlet. INTELLIGENCE (AI) An area of computer science ADVOCACY AUDIO PHONE FEED Support or argument for a that focuses on the theory and Providing radio stations with a group, an organisation or development of computers special number they can call to a cause. and software with the ability to tape one or two minutes (or less) think and learn. Often referred of information you have recorded to as Machine Learning, AI for continuous automatic ANGLE The approach or perspective systems are trained to undertake sending. This provides stations from which a news fact or event is tasks usually requiring human with actualities they can use. viewed, or the emphasis chosen intelligence such as translation, for a story. speech-recognition, and visual perception. AVERAGE MINUTE AUDIENCE (AMA) Part of BBM’s television ratings ADVERTISING VALUE system, average minute audience EQUIVALENCY (AVE) ATTITUDE SURVEY The amount a story would cost A survey examining enduring represents the average number if appearing as paid advertising. systems of positive and negative of viewers watching a particular Usually in dollars, the AVE is evaluations, emotional feelings, TV channel per minute in a determined by multiplying the and pro or con action tendencies specific time period. length of a story by the going with respect to social objects – rate for paid advertising at a people, places, things, and ideas. particular publication. 3 Glossary B-ROLL BIG DATA Video material accompanying Large data sets too complex to or supplementing a VNR (see be handled by traditional data- Video news release), following the processing application software. primary material on the cassette. BILLBOARD ANNOUNCEMENT B2B (BUSINESS TO BUSINESS) A brief message, submitted Public relations, marketing, and by non-profit or community communication dedicated to groups, on community needs providing information resources and activities. They are run free between businesses. Includes of charge on community cable professional services, training, television channels. human resources and office supplies. BOOLEAN ALGEBRA The logic that defines the path a B2C (BUSINESS TO CONSUMER) computed expression takes. As B2B, but between businesses and the consumer. BOOLEAN SEARCH A type of tong-tail search used BACKGROUNDER in media monitoring, allowing A document providing more PR professionals to combine extensive background keywords with modifiers like AND, information on a person, NOT and OR to specify results organisation, or issue, than is and ensure relevancy. However, usually included in PR collateral. boolean is often a long, complex, and inaccurate process that has been superseded by AI-powered BEAT The area covered by a particular media monitoring platforms. reporter, such as politics, environment, or crime. BREAKING STORY The first report of a story that is currently taking place or is BELOW THE LINE Advertising that is ‘talking to impending (see spot news). you’, such as direct mail, point of Details may initially be scarce purchase, or leaflets. but are released as they become available. 4 Glossary Continued BRIEF BROADCAST MEASUREMENT BYLINE A concise news item covering The measurement of viewer/ The writer or reporter’s name at the bare facts (who, what, listenership of broadcast the beginning of a news item, why, when, and where) of a story, media. Nielsen Media provides story, or column. often grouped with other brief TV ratings while the Bureau of news items. Broadcast Measurement (BBM) BYLINED ARTICLES provides data for both radio and Articles written mostly for trade television. and business publications, with a BRIEFING BOOK Briefing material provided to byline that is a key player in the management or corporate BUMPER submitting organisation. spokespeople prior to a news A brief or transitional device conference or other event, used in between segments of a consisting of potential questions, broadcast program, such as a suggested answers, fact sheets, newscast. For example, it can be and backgrounders. as simple as “we’ll return after these messages.” BROADCAST The dissemination of BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE programmes or messages The technology-driven process for through the media of radio, analysing and presenting data as internet or television. actionable insights to corporate end users to inform business decisions. 5 Glossary CAMERA-READY FEATURES CITY EDITOR COLUMNISTS Evergreen columns or feature Director of a newspaper’s local A guest or staff writer producing stories that are ready to be news operation. They assign signed stories of opinion or published by a newspaper. reporters to cover stories, analysis. Guest columnists often although some publications will syndicate their columns to a have an assignment editor to number of newspapers. CAMPAIGN The planning, carrying-out and fulfill that function. the analysis of a PR plan of COMMUNICATION PLAN action. A roadmap for delivering your CLEAR To obtain permission or message to an audience. It is an authorisation to publish content. essential tool to ensure you send CENTRAL AREA A geographical area defined for a clear, specific message with reporting purposes and assigned measurable results. COLLATERAL PR to stations. All stations in a market The effect of gaining good PR share the same central area. on the back of someone else’s COMMUNICATIONS coverage. This can happen MANAGEMENT when your product or service Developing and managing CHANNEL The means or pathway through is compared favourably to a communications objectives which a message is transmitted competitor’s in an editorial. that are consistent with the from source to receiver. organisation’s overall goals. Communications managers COLUMN An opinion piece written by a identify relevant stakeholders CHIEF NEWS EDITOR and audiences, and devise long- The editor responsible for both guest or staff columnist, often term strategies and tactics to national and international news published on a regular - weekly reach them. stories, often supported by a or monthly - basis. news editor, national editor, and world editor. COLUMN NOTE A pitch to a columnist, providing them with brief information CIRCULATION/SHARE Total number of copies of a relevant to their regular column. printed publication delivered directly to audiences; known as a media circulation. 6 Glossary Continued COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE CONTENT/NATURE COPY DESK Defining, gathering, analysing, OF QUOTES The desk, or an area of an office, and distributing intelligence An amalgamation of what was used by copy editors to edit about products, customers, said or printed in the media, who copy and write print headlines competitors, and any aspect of was quoted in the story, including if necessary. professional context needed the quotes themselves as well as to support executives and the source. COPY EDITOR managers in strategic decision An editor who proofreads making. The Signal A.I. platform CONVERSATION MEASURES and sub-edits copy for various allows businesses to build Analysing and measuring online purposes. Traditionally, their competitive intelligence conversations such as tweets, newspaper copy editors work effectively and in real-time. blog posts and comments, around a desk called a rim and and linkbacks, related to an edit or re-write stories for all organisation or issue, by quantity, CONNOTATIVE MEANING sections. The emotional meaning we read tone or sentiment, and message into words due to our individual fidelity. COPY STORY experiences and background. A brief story or news item read CONTROLLED CIRCULATION by a TV anchor without any Distributing printed publications, CONTENT MEASURES accompanying videotape. Evaluations of how online content free of charge and usually in (facts, opinions, or messages bulk, to specific areas, businesses, about an organisation, issue, or groups of people, or locations. COPYRIGHT LICENSING AGREEMENT (CLA) topic) is accessed, adapted, and A UK non-profit organisation shared on websites. COPY providing rights and licences for Text written for a publication intellectual property, simplifying or broadcast. copyright to make it easier to access and re-use content. The Publishers Licensing Society performs