This week we explore frequency. When paired in the discussion of reach, frequency is the number of times each individual target has been exposed. But in another part of the media industry, definition of frequency is quite different. In the electronics realm, frequency is an electromagnetic wave cycle. That is the fun and the challenge of creating a common industry language.

Henry Schafer, EVP, Marketing Evaluations, Inc./The Q Scores Company, is a media research veteran from the consumer research/ advertising agency sphere. His current company, Marketing Evaluations, is best known as the inventor of Q scores, which indicate consumer favorability and marketing potential for celebrities as well as for programs, brands and licensed properties.

The two biggest broadcast events of the year have once again come and gone. The first broke ratings records and the second actually saw a slight uptick from its performance in 2011, so nobody is going to pay very much attention to hindsight criticism. But that doesn't change the feeling of general disappointment that followed NBC's telecast of Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5 and ABC's presentation of the 84th Academy Awards last Sunday.

There are often several ways to describe the same measurement metric in media-speak. A good example is Reach (or Cume), which can be reported as a percentage (or in thousands). Reach is the unduplicated expanse of your content or your message whether it is measured in homes, viewers or set-top boxes, and whether it is based on time or quantity. With STB data, reach can be calculated to the second-by-second level which may or may not be meaningful to programmers or advertisers. Time will tell.