ACRONYMS USED IN THE TELEVISON BROADCAST, CABLE, AUDIO, AND RELATED INDUSTRIES

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Following are the commonly used acronyms used in television broadcast, cable, audio and related industries.

ACRONYM MEANING
AA Average Audience
AAAA American Association of Advertising Agencies
AAAA Associated Actors and Artists of America
AAF American Advertising Federation
AAPOR American Association for Public Opinion Research
ABES Association for Broadcast Engineering Standards
AC Adult Contempoary
ACA Advertising Council of America
ACBB American Counciil for Better Broadcasting
ACC Automatic Chrominance (or Contrast) Control
ACE American Cinema Editors
ACSB Amplitude Compandored Sideband
ACT Action for Children’s Television
ACTS All-Channel Television Society
ACTS Association of Cable Television Suppliers
ACTVA American Community TV Association
ACU Antenna Coupling Unit
ADC Analog-to-digital Converter
ADI Area of Dominent Influence
ADS Alpha Delta Sigma (Advertising Fraternity)
AEA Actors Equity Association
AER Alpha Epislon Rho – College Broadcast Fraternity
AES Audio Engineering Society
AF Audio Frequency
AFC Automatic Frequency Control
AFCCE Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers
AFI American Film Institute
AFM American Federation of Musicians
AFN Armed Forces Network
AFRTS Armed Forces Radio & Television Service
AFT Automatic Fine Tuning
AFTRA American Federation of Television & Radio Artists
AFTRCC Aerospace Flight Test Radio Coordinating Council
AGAC American Guild of Actors & Composers
AGC Automatic Gain Control
AGMA American Guild of Musical Artists
AGVA American Guild of Variety Artists
AHAAT Antenna Height Above Average Terrain
AIAA Association of International Advertising Agencies
AID Arbitron Information on Demand
AIM Accuracy in Media
AITS Association of Independent Television Stations
ALC Automatic Level Control
ALF American Legal Foundation
ALJ Administrative Law Judge
ALPTVA American Low Power TV Association
AM Amplitude Modulation
AMOL Automated Measurement of Lineup
AMPAS Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
AMST Association of Maximum Service Telecasters
AMVB Association of Music Video Broadcasters
ANA Association of National Advertisers
ANPA American Newspaper Publishers Association
ANSI American National Standards Institute
AOR Album Oriented Rock (program format)
AOR All Over the Road (Undefined program format)
APA Administrative Procedures Act
APL Average Picture Level
APR American Public Radio
ARCH Automatic Remote Cassette Handler
ARF Advertisers Research Foundation
ARRS Association of Radio Reading Services
ASC American Society of Cinematographers
ASCAP American Society of Composers
ATFP Alliance of Television & Film Producers
ATR Audio Tape Recorder
ATS Applications Technology Satellite
ATS Automatic Transmission System
ATSC Advanced Television Systems Committee
ATU Antenna Tuning Unit
AWG American Wire Gauge for electrical wiring
AWRT American Women in Radio & Television
BAPSA Broadcast Advertising Producers Society of America
BAR Broadcast Advertisers Reports
BBC British Broadcasting Corporation
BEA Broadcast Education Association
BEDA Broadcast Executive Directors Association
BER Bit Error Rate
BET Black Entertainment Television
BFM Broadcast Financial Management Association
BIAC Broadcast Interassociation Council
BIB Board for International Broadcasting
BICIAP Broadcasting Industry Council to Improve American Productivi
BM Beautiful Music-Easy Listening Format
BMI Broadcast Music Incorporated
BNC Bayonett Connector (for small coaxial cable)
BOC Bell Operating Company
BPA Broadcast Promotion Association
BPME Broadcast Promotion and Marketing Executives
BRC Broadcast Rating Council – See EMRC
BSC British Society of Cinematographers
BSS Broadcast Satellite Service
BTA Best Time Available
BTSC Broadcast Television Systems Committee
C/CS County Coverage Service
CAB Canadian Association of Broadcasters
CAMS Cable Audience Measurement Study
CARS Community Antenna Relay Service
CATA Community Antenna Television Association
CBA Community Broadcasters Association
CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
CBO Congress of Broadcast Organizations
CC Closed-Captioned
CCAUS Component Analog Video Signal
CCB FCC Common Carrier Bureau
CCC Citizens Communication Center
CCD Charge Coupled Device Camera
CCIR International Radio Consultative Committee
CCR Central Control Room
CCSB Clear Channel Broadcasting Service
CCTA Canadian Cable Television Association
CCTV Closed Circuit Television
CD Compact Disk (Audio Recordings)
CD-ROM Compact Disk Read Only Memory (in computer systems)
CE Chief Engineer (Chief Station Operator)
CEBA Communications Excellence to Black Americans
CEG/EIA Consumer Electronics Group of Electronics Industries Asscn.
CFR Can’t Find the Road (Undefined Program Format)
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
CH Critical Hours
CHR Contemporary Hit Radio (Format)
CHUT Cable Households Using Television
CIRT Mexican Association of Broadcasters
CLI Cumulative Leakage Index
CMOS Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
CONTAM Committee on Nationwide Television Audience Measurement
CP Circular Polizariation
CP Construction Permit
CPB Corporation for Public Broadcasting
CPCS Common Program Control Station for EBS
CPD Committee for Prudent Deregulation
CRT Cathode Ray Tube (Video Monitor)
CRT Copyright Royalty Tribunal
CRTC Canadian Radio Television & Telecommunications Commission
CS Close Shot in Video or Film Production
CTAM Cable Television Administration & Marketing Society
CTCM Chrominance Time-Compression Luminance Multiplex
CTS Communications Technology Satellite
CTY Country Music Program Format
CU Close up shot in video or film production
CUB Council for UHF Broadcasters
CUME Cumulative Audience
CUT Coordinated Universal Time
CV Composite Video
CVCC Canadian Videotext Consultative Committee
CVSD Continuously Variable Slope Delta Modulation
CWA Communications Workers of America
DA Directional Antenna
DA Distribution Amplifier
DAC Digital-to-Audio Converter
DAF Demographic Adjustment Factor
DAMA Demand Assigned Multiple Access
DASH Digital Audio Stationary Head Tape Recorder
DATS Digital Audio Transmission Service
DATV Digitally Assisted Television
DB Delayed Broadcast
DBA Daytime Broadcasters Association (disbanded)
DBS Direct Broadcast Satellite
DBSA Direct Broadcast Satellite Association
DCPM Differential Pulse Code Modulation
DE Director of Engineering
DGA Directors Guild of America
DIP Dual Inline Package integrated circuit assembly
DJ Disk Jockey (announcer for programs of recorded music)
DMA Designated Market Area
DMM Digital Multimeter (used for servicing electronic equipment)
DMM Direct Metel Master (for LP record manufacturing)
DNA Data Not Available
DOC Department of Commerce (USA)
DOC Department of Communications (Canadian)
DRAW Direct Read After Write (Optical Data Disk)
DSK Downstream Keyer
DTMF Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (telephone tone calling system)
DTTR Digital Television Tape Recorder
DVE Digital Video Effects
DW Deutsche Welle (German International Broadcast Service)
DX Long Distance Communications
EAN Emergency Action Notification
EBR Electron Beam Recording
EBS Emergency Broadcast System
EBU European Broadcasting Union
ECU Extreme close up shot in video or film production
EEPA Electromagnetic Energy Policy Alliance
EFP Electronic Field Production
EIA Electronic Industries Association
EIAJ Electronic Industries Association of Japan
EIRP Equivilent Isotropic Radiated Power
EJ Electronic Journalism (now ENG)
EMP Electromagnetic Pulse
EMRC Electronic Media Rating Council
ENG Electronic News Gathering
ENP Electronic News Processing
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
EPM Equipment Performance Measurements
EPROM Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
ERP Effective Radiated Power
ET Electrical Transcription
ETV Educational Television
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FCBA Federal Communications Bar Association
FCC Federal Communications Commission
FDM Frequency Division Multiplex
FEC Federal Election Commission
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
FET Field Effect Transistor
FIM Fairness in Media (Organization)
FIT Foundation to Improve Television
FM Frequency Modulation
FMX FM Extended Range Transmission System
FNG Film News Gathering
FOB FCC Field Operations Bureau
FOIA Freedom of Information Act
FSK Frequency Shift Keying
FSS Fixed Satellite Service
FTC Federal Trade Commission
FWH Fast Weekly Household Audiences Report
GAO General Accounting Office
GMT Greenwich Mean Time (Obsolete see UTC)
GOE Group of Experts (International Radio Conferences)
GPO Government Printing Office
GRP Gross Rating Points
HAAT Height Above Average Terrain
HASL Height above Mean Sea Level
HBI Horizontal Blanking Interval
HDTV High Definition Television
HF High Frequency (shortwave broadcasting)
HFR Hold for Release
HID High Intensity Discharger for lighting lamps
HPA High Power Amplifier (used in SNG terminals)
HSD Home Satellite Dish
HTR Household Tracking Report
HUT Household Using Television
IAAB Inter-American Association of Broadcasters
IATSE International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
IBA Independent Broadcasting Authority
IBEW International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
IBS Intercollegiate Broadcasting System
ICPM Incidental Carrier Phase Modulation
ICR Inter-City Relay Station
ICTV Independent Community Television Alliance
ID Station identification
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IFB Interuptable fold-back for SNG circuits
IFRB International Frequency Registration Board
IHF Institute of High Fidelity (merged into EIA)
IM Intermodulation
IMD Intermodulation Distortion
INTELSAT International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
INTV Association of Independent Television Stations
IPA Intermediate Power Amplifier
IPS Inches per Second (linear recording tape speed)
IRAC Interdepartmental Radio Advisory Committee
IRE Institute of Radio Engineers (now IEEE)
IRTS International Radio and Television Society
IRTV International Radio & Television Foundation
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
ISL Inter-satellite Link
ITFS Instructional Television Fixed Service
ITNA Independent Television News Association
ITS Institute of Telecommunication Sciences (div. of NTIA)
ITS International Transcription Service (FCC Copy Service)
ITU International Telecommunication Union
IX Interference
JCIC Joint Council on Intersocietal Coordination
JFET Junction Field Effect Transistor
LAPLPS North American Presentation Level Protocol Standard (Vidtex)
LCU Line Coupling Unit in transmission systems
LED Light Emitting Diode
LFCC Local Frequency Coordinating Committee
LIDIA Local ID Insertion Automatically
LMRS Land Mobile Radio Service
LNA Low Noise Amplifier
LOP Least Objectionable Program
LP Long Play Phonograph Recording (33-1/3 rpm microgroove)
LPAS Low Power Auxiliary Service for Broadcast Stations
LPTV Low Power Television
LS Local Sunset
LS Long shot in video or film production
LSI Large Scale Integrated Circuit
LTU Line Tuning Unit in transmission systems
MAC Multiplex Analog Component TV Transmission
MAP Media Access Project
MCR Master Control Room
MCS Multi-channel Sound for TV
MCTV Multichannel TV
MCU Medium Close Up Shot in Video or Film Production
MDS Multipoint Distribution Service
MEOV Maximum Expected Operating Value
MERPS Multiple Event Record & Playback System
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface
MIRF Master International Frequency Register (of ITU)
MLS Medium Long Shot in Video or Film Production
MM Metered Market Service
MMB FCC Mass Media Bureau
MMDS Multichannel-Multipoint Distribution Service
MNA Multi-Network Area
MO&O Memorandum Opinion and Order
MOL Maximum Operating Level
MOP Minute of Program
MOR Middle of the Road Program Format
MOSFET Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor
MOT Main (Satellite) Operating Terminal
MP Modified Permit
MP Monitoring Point (for AM directional antenna systems)
MPA Multiple Product Advertisement
MPAA Motion Picture Association of America
MSA Metro Survey Area
MSI Market Statistics Inc.
MSO Multiple System OPerator (CATV)
MSS Mobile Satellite Service
MST Association of Maximum Service Telecasters
MTBF Mean Time Between Failure(s)
MTBR Mean Time Between Repair(s)
MTS Multichannel Television Sound
MTV Music Television
MUF Maximum Usable Frequency (in HF broadcasting)
MUSE Multiple Sub-Nyquist Sampling Encoding (for TV)
MUX Multiplex communications transmissions
MX Mutually Exclusive Condition
N/T News-Talk Program Format
NAB National Association of Broadcasters
NABA North American Broadcast Association
NABB National Association of Better Broadcasting
NABET National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians
NABOB National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters
NABTS North American Broadcast Teletext Standard
NAC National Audience Composition
NACT National Association of Community TV Broadcasters
NAD National Audience Demographics
NAEB National Association of Educational Broadcasters (disbanded
NAITPD National Association of Independent TV Producers & Distribut
NAL Notice of Apparent Liability
NAPTE National Association of Television Program Executives
NAPTS National Association of Public Television Stations
NARAS National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
NARBA North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement
NARTE National Association of Radio & Television Engineers
NARUC National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASB National Association of Spanish Broadcasters
NATAS National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
NATO National Association of Theater Owners
NBI Nielsen Broadcast Index
NBMC National Black Media Coalition
NBN National Black Network
NCCB National Citizens Committee for Broadcasting
NCFM Noncommercial FM
NCPAC National Conservative Political Action Committee
NCTA National Cable Television Association
NCTV National Coalition on Television Violence
NEH National Endowment for the Humanities
NEMO Not Emanating from Main Office (A Remote Broadcast)
NHI Nielson Home Video Index
NHK Japanese National Broadcast System
NIAC National Industry Advisory Committee (EBS)
NILPTV National Institute for Lower Power TV
NNA National Newspaper Association
NOI Notice of Inquiry
NPACT National Public Affairs Center for Television
NPBS Nielson Post-Buy Service
NPR National Public Radio
NPRM Notice of Proposed Rule Making
NRB National Religious Broadcasters
NRBA National Radio Broadcasters Association (merged with NAB)
NSA National Security Agency
NSEP National Security & Emergency Procedures
NSI Nielsen Station Index
NTA National Translator Association
NTI Nielson Television Index
NTIA National Telecommunications and Information Administration
NTIS National Technical Information Service (Dept. of Commerce)
NTSC National Television System Committee
O&O Owned and Operated
OCPA FCC Office of Congressional and Public Affairs
OET FCC Office of Engineering & Technology (formerly OST)
OFS Operational Fixed Service
OIRT International Radio and Television Organization
OMB Office of Management and Budget
OMD FCC Office of Managing Director
OPP FCC Office of Plans and Policy
OROM Optical Read Only Memory (for data storage)
ORTF French National Broadcasting Organization
OS Off Screen
OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration
OST FCC Office of Science & Technology (renamed OET)
OSTP Office of Science & Telecommunications Policy
OTO One Time Only
OTP Office of Telecommunications Polity (now NTIA)
PA Power Amplifier
PA Public Address System
PA Public Affairs
PAC Political Action Committee
PACCT Political Action Committee for Cable Television
PACT Private Access Communications Terminals (Satellite Service)
PAL European Color Television System
PBS Public Broadcasting Service
PBX Private Branch (Telephone) Exchange
PC Personal Computer
PCB Polyychlorinated Biphenyl (fluid used in electrical equip.)
PCM Pulse Code Modulation
PD Program Director – Production Director
PD Public Domain Material
PDM Pulse Duration Modulation
PDT Published Data Tapes
PE Professional Engineer Registered or Licensed
PGA Producers Guild of America
PI Per Inquiry
PLL Phase Lock(ed) Loop
PLP Presentation Level Protocol
PLT Private Line Telecommunications Circuit
PM Permanent Magnet
PMRC Parents Music Resource Center
POE Panel of Experts
POM Professional Owners & Managers
POV Point of View Shot in Video or Film Production
PPI Peak Program (level) Indicator
PPM Peak Program Meter
PPV Pay per View
PRB FCC Private Radio Bureau
PRS Program Rating Summary Report
PSA Presunrise Service Authorization
PSA Public Service Announcement
PSK Phase Shift Keying
PSRA PreSunrise Authority
PSSA Post Sunset Authority
PSSC Public Service Satellite Consortium
PTAR Prime Time Access Rule
PTT Postal Telephone & Telegraph Administration
PTT Push to Talk (microphone)
PTV Public Television
PVC Polyvinyl Chloride (common plastic)
QM Quadrature Modulation
QPSK Quadrature Phase Shift Keying
R&F Reach & Frequency
R&O FCC Report & Order in Rulemaking Proceeding
RAB Radio Advertising Bureau
RADAR Radio All Dimension Audio Research
RADAR Radio Detection and Ranging
RADET Rapid Deployment Earth Terminal for SNG
RAM Random Access Memory (in computer systems)
RARC Regional Administrative Radio Conference
RASO Radio Allocations Study Organization
RCA Radio Club of America
RCC Radio Common Carrier
RCI Radio Canada International
RCL Remote Control Location
RDD Random Digital Dialing (for audience surveys)
RFA Regulatory Flexibility Act
RFE Radio Free Europe
RFI Radio Frequency Interference
RFR Radio Frequency Radiation
RGB Red-Green-Blue Color Monitor Signal
RIAA Recording Industry Association of America
RIAS Radio in American Sector (Berlin)
RL Radio Liberty
RMS Root Mean Square
RN Radio Nederland (Dutch International Broadcast Service)
RNA Radio Network Association
RO Receive-Only Earth Terminal
ROM Read Only Memory (in computer systems)
ROS Run of Schedule
ROSP Report on Syndicated Programs
RP Rear Projection
RP Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit
RPU Remote Pickup Unit
RSS Root Sum Square
RTCA Radio-Television Correspondents Association
RTES Radio & Television Executives Society
RTNDA Radio & Television News Directors Association
RTRC Radio & Television Research Council
S/I Signal to Interference Ratio
S/N Signal to Noise Ratio
SAC Sales Advisory Committee of TBA
SAG Screen Actors Guild
SAP Second Audio Program on TV subcarrier
SAR Specific Absorption Rate of Radio Frequency Radiation
SAW Surface Acoustic Wave (type of electronic filter)
SAWA Screen Advertising World Association
SBA Small Business Administration
SBC Standard Broadcast Calendar
SBE Society of Broadcast Engineers
SBS Sound Broadcast Satellite
SCA Subsidiary Communications Authority
SCG Screen Cartoonists Guild
SCPC Single Channel per Carrier
SCTE Society of Cable Television Engineers
SDX Sigma Delta Chi (Journalism Society)
SE Sound Effects
SECAM French and Russian Color Television System
SECC State Emergency Communications Committee (for EBS)
SEG Screen Extras Guild
SESAC Society of European Songwriters Artists and Composers
SFX Sound Effects
SH Specified Hours (Licensed hours of operation)
SIA Storage Instantaneous Audimeter
SID Source Identification Signal (in TV VBI)
SIU Sets in Use
SMA Special Market Area
SMATV Subscription Master Antenna Television
SMPTE Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
SMSA Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area
SNG Satellite News Gathering
SOF Sound on Film
SOT Sound on Tape
SPACE Society for Private & Commercial Earth Stations
SPARS Society of Professional Audio Recording Studios
SPL Sound Pressure Level
SRA Station Representative Association Inc.
STA Special Temporary Authority
STC Satellite Television Corp.
STL Studio Transmitter Link
STV Subscription Television
STVA Subscription Television Association
SVI Standard Volume Indicator (VU Meter)
SVRC Satellite Viewing Rights Coalition
SWARC Satellite World Radio Conference
T&A Tits and Ass
T/R Transmit – Receive Earth Terminal
TARPAC Television & Radio Political Action Committee
TARPEC Television and Radio Political Education Committee
TASO Television Allocations Study Organization
TBA To Be Announced
TBC Time Base Corrector
TBD To be Determined
TBR To be Recorded
TD Technical Director
TDMA Time Division Multiple Access (Satellite system)
TF Till Forbid (open-ended advertising schedule)
TFN Till Further Notice (scheduled for broadcast)
THD Total Harmonic Distortion
TI Terrestrial Interference to space communications
TIM Transient Intermodulation Distortion
TIO Television Information Office
TMC Time Multiplex Component Video
TMP Test Market Profile
TNC Threaded Connector (for small coaxial cable)
TOC Television Operator Council
TPO Transmitter Power Output
TRF Tuned Radio Frequency (type of receiver)
TRL Telemetry Return Link
TSA Total Survey Area
TSL Transmitter to Studio Link
TVB Television Bureau of Advertising
TVI Television reception interference
TVRO TV Receive-only Satellite Earth Terminal
TWTA Travelling Wave Tube Amplifier
UC Urban Contemporary (Program format)
UHF Ultra-High Frequency
UL Underwriters Laboratory
USIA United States Information Agency
UT Universal Coordinated Time (formerly GMT)
VAC Voltage – Alternating Current
VAR Video to Audio Carrier Ratio
VBI Vertical Blanking Interval
VBIC Vertical Blanking Interval Code
VCO Voltage Controlled Oscillator
VCR Video Cassette Recorder
VDP Video Disk Player
VHF Very High Frequency
VHS Video Home System (a video cassette recording format)
VIMCAS Vertical Interval Multi-channel Audio System
VIRS Vertical Interval Reference Signal
VITC Vertical Interval Time Code
VITS Vertical Interval Television Signal
VOA Voice of America
VOM Volt Ohm Meter (used in electronic service work)
VPS Viewers per Set
VPVH Viewer per Viewing Household
VSWR Voltage Standing Wave Ratio
VTR Video Tape Recorder
VTVM Vacuum Tume Volt Meter (used in electronic service work)
VU Volume Unit (measurement of program level)
WARC World Administrative Radio Conference
WATCH Washington Association of Television & Children
WATS Wide Area Telephone Service
WGA Writers Guild of America
WHCA White House Communications Agency
WIC Women in Cable
WPFC World Press Freedom Committee
WST World System Teletext
WW Working Women
ZI Zoom In
ZO Zoom Out
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Author and Assistant Professor in Finance, Ardent fan of Arsenal FC. Always believe "The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance - Socrates"
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Diksha

I read your whole blog it was very informative. Thanks for sharing this information it is very helpful for me. I liked your blog also it will help others. Thank you once again for sharing this information.