In another sign of this region's seemingly unending population growth, we have more homes watching television.
The Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville market moved up one spot to No. 25 among the nation's biggest television markets, Nielsen reported Tuesday in its latest annual ranking.
This region expanded 2.1 percent to 1.13million TV households, putting it just ahead of the markets of Baltimore, Indianapolis and San Diego.
The latest ranking puts the region into a new realm.
Some national advertisers only buy ads in the top 25 markets. As more start buying ads in the local region, it could boost revenue for local stations but also drive up prices for local advertisers.
"The more demand there is, the higher price that inventory potentially becomes," said Donna Mercer, chief operating officer at Howard, Merrell & Partners, a Raleigh ad agency. "Suddenly, the Raleigh-Durham market is going to come up on more advertisers' radar."
The boost is more pronounced when a market crosses into the top 50 or top 10, said Steven Hammel, general manager at WRAL, the Triangle's top-rated station. But reaching No. 25 is a positive milestone that reflects this area's vibrant economy, he added.
"Hopefully clients will see we're delivering more eyeballs to their products," Hammel said.
The top 25 status also helps when recruiting employees, he said. WRAL is the flagship station of Raleigh-based Capitol Broadcasting, which also owns Fox 50.
Local TV stations, which were hit hard by the economic downturn like most media companies, have seen some rebound recently.
Political ads tied to the November elections also are providing a temporary boost.
"We're seeing terrific recovery, especially in automotive advertising," Hammel said. "All you have to do is turn on your TV set and you see a lot of car commercials. That wasn't the case a year ago."
In the latest Nielsen ranking, Charlotte moved up a notch to No. 23, passing Pittsburgh, Nielsen reported. Among major TV markets, Raleigh was sixth in growth, while Charlotte was 10th.
Nielsen's Raleigh market covers more than 20 counties surrounding the Triangle, stretching west to Chatham County, east to Edgecombe County, north to the Virginia border and south to Cumberland County.
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