media glossary - C

cache
The portion of random access memory (RAM) set aside as a temporary storage or buffer to speed up communications between CPU and a hard disk or slower RAM.

CAD/CAM
Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing.

calendar year
An annual accounting, media planning or period beginning January 1 and ending December 31. Vs. Fiscal year

camera-ready
Copy and art which is ready to be photographed to prepare negatives for printing.

canceled check
A check that has been paid by the bank and on which the bank has imprinted evidence of payment. A copy of the front and back of a canceled check serves as proof of payment in a billing dispute.

card
A small hardware expansion unit with special circuitry for graphics or other functions. Installed on an expansion slot in the computer.

carrier route presort
Mailers can get a discount from the Post Office if their mail is presorted down to the carrier route number. They can obtain a computer tape from the Post Office which allows them to do this. (See Nine digit zip-code)

cash credit
Credit earned by advertisers of a magazine for obtaining a higher rate frequency than the rate frequency on which they were originally billed. This credit can be used to run additional advertising space, to pay for open receivables (other ads already billed but not yet paid), or obtain a cash rebate in the form of a check (provided there are no past due invoices awaiting payment).

cash discount
A 2% discount deducted from the net amount of an invoice. This is allowed by some companies when an advertiser has paid the invoice within ten days of the billing date. No longer a common practice but still offered on certain publications due to industry demand.

CD (compact disc)
This is the standard 12 cm (4.72") plastic disc created by Philips and Sony to store digital information in microscopic pits which can be read by a laser beam. This disc, originally designed to store high fidelity music (standardized as the Red Book Standard), is now also becoming widely used to store images, text and programs (CD-ROM, CD-I, etc).

CD-i (compact disc-interactive)
This is a standard compact disc containing prerecorded digital video, audio, and optical text data. Also known as the Green Book Standard. The data cannot be erased or modified. A CD-i player has much of the same type of harware as a personal computer. The difference is that a CD-i machine is built around a specific task – playing the

CD-i disc.
CD-i machines can read some CD-ROM's.

CD MPEG
Also known as the White Book Standard.

CD-R
Recordable CD-ROM. CD-R's can only be written to once. Requires a CD-R burner to be written.

CD-RW
Rewritable CD-ROM. CD-RW's can be written on multiple times. Requires a CD-RW burner to write

CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory)
This is the same disc as the audio compact disc except that it contains optical information instead of audio information. Also known as the Yellow Book Standard. Up to 552 megabytes of text, images or video are placed onto compact discs which can be machine-searched to instantly locate and retrieve any desired information or images on demand. "Read Only Memory" means that the recorded data cannot be erased or altered. This format is ideally suited for storage/access of large reference information databases. The only difference between CD-ROM and CD-i is format. It is expected that, soon, both types of discs will be playable on both types of players.

central processing unit
The heart of the computer. The part that performs calculations and processes data according to the instructions specified by the software. (See CPU)

channel
A 6-MHz section of the broadcasting specturm allocated for one analog NTSC transmission.

Chapter 7
A chapter of the Federal Bankruptcy Code. Complete Liquidation. Out of Business. Provides for an orderly sale of assets and distribution of proceeds according to rules of creditor priority. (See Bankruptcy)

Chapter 11
A chapter of the Federal Bankruptcy Code. Corporate Reorganization. Provides a company with protection from creditor demands during a reorganizational period during which repayment schedules and terms are re-negotiated. In addition it protects personal property of those in the company. (See Bankruptcy)

Chapter 13
A chapter of the Federal Bankruptcy Code. Personal Bankruptcy. (See Bankruptcy)
cheshire label Specially prepared paper used to reproduce names and addresses to be mechanically affixed, one at a time, to mailing pieces. Labels are usually 4-up (4 addresses across) or 2-up.

chief editor
The editor-in-chief of a magazine who sets editorial policy.

choke
To make an image slightly smaller to facilitate registration on press. Example: to choke a light blue background into dark green lettering. (See Spread #2)

CICATS
The Computer Industry Committee on Advanced Television Standards, currently consisting of Apple Computer, Compaq, Dell, Intel, and Microsoft.

circulation
The number of copies of a publication reaching readers per issue.  Circulation is distinct from the number distributed -- for instance to newsstands or to public places -- that are not purchased or picked up.

classified ad
Small, single advertisement among many others offering a similar product or service for sale.

CLI

Command line interpreter; A utility that is the main interface between the user and the computer system. The CLI accepts the user's command lines and translates this input into commands for other utilities, or into commands that directly perform functions such as file maintenance. CLIs were in broad use prior to Graphical User Interfaces.

click-through
The number of times an ad banner is clicked on during a given period. Each time a user clicks on an ad banner – thus taking that user to the advertiser's site – it repre- sents on click-through or, click.

click-through rate
The percentage of times a banner ad is clicked on out of the total number of ad views. If a Web page containing your ad is seen by 10 users and one user clicks on the ad, the click-through rate is 10 percent. Expressed mathematically as clicks divided by ad views, the click-through rate is a measure of an ad's success. Often shortened to click rate.

client
A person or company who engages the professional services of another; i.e., all companies purchasing advertising space through or retaining consulting services from ambro.com, corp. (See Advertiser)

client
Not a lawyer's victim. A client is usually a PC that communicates over a network both with its peers, other clients, and with a larger computer, called a server, which typically stores data that many workers need to use. The client has just one user, the server many. (See Server)

client-server computing
A computer network configuration that hosts most or all of the data in question on a 'server' for the 'client' computers to access.  If a client makes a change in the data it must be sent back to the server for the changes to be implemented and stored.  The use of these combinations of large and small computers was at one time said to make big mainframe machines obsolete. (See Peer-to-Peer)

closing
The date upon which no further ads will be accepted in a particular issue.

co-op advertising
An arrangement for advertising in which the expense is shared by the advertiser and the manufacturer or supplier/distributor.

co-op mailing
A mailing in which two or more offers are included. The mailing costs are shared according to a predetermined formula.

COA
Change of Address.

coated stock
Any paper which, after manufacture, is treated with a surface coating of clay and other materials. Provides for a better printing surface and is usually glossy.

coaxial cable
Better known as coax, this is the old, fat wire used by cable TV companies and some data networks. It has more capacity than standard copper phone wire, but quite a bit less than fiber-optic lines. (See Fiber)

CODEC
A coder-decoder compresses video signals for quicker transport around the network. The most common entertainment video codecs use JPEG and MPEG-1, with MPEG-2 the most used for video-on-demand.

collection agency

A professional business service employed as an agent to collect creditors' unpaid (past-due) accounts. A collection agency is usually compensated by receiving an agreed upon contingent percentage of the amount collected. A collection agency is used only after a company's internal credit department has exhausted all means of collection.

color break
Indication on a tissue overlay for colors to be stripped before going to press.

color separation
Process on a camera or scanner that breaks a color photo or transparency into the four process colors.

color-key
A four-color proofing system that uses the layered acetate method of generating full color. Sometimes referred to by the name of the market leader as a 3-M or 3-M Color Key.

column inch
A unit of newspaper or classified/recruitment advertising space which is one inch deep and one column wide.

combination rates
A publication not only allows the number of insertions run by a particular advertiser within its own magazine to count toward a set frequency rate, but may also allow ads run by the same advertiser in certain other publications to count as well. Divisions of the same parent company may also combine ads within one magazine or an approved group of magazines for a set frequency rate. As is the case with frequency rates, combination rates must be earned within a 12 month time frame.

commercial service
General term for large, consumer-oriented online services (e.g. America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, GEnie).

common carrier
The best example is the phone company. Common carriers are licensed utilities that provide communications services for a fee, under nondiscriminatory terms. Companies usually rely on common carriers to send data between offices in different cities.

Competitive Access Provider
An alternative to the local phone company.

compiled list
Names and addresses taken from directories, newspapers, public records, retail sales slips, trade show registrations, etc. The list is compiled from several sources, rather than one source. Identifies groups of people with something in common.

complimentary copies
Free issues given as a courtesy.

Composition
The term describing either phototypesetting or phototypesetting plus any assembly required to get a page ready for printing.

compressed file
A file that has been compressed using a special data storage format to save space on your disk or for quicker download. Common types of compression are zip, arj, and FAT. (See also archive file)

compression
The process of making files smaller so as to use less disk space and take less time to transmit over phone lines.

computer languages
The symbolic coding in which computer programs are written. Two of the most popular ones for business applications are COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) and BASIC.

computer personalization
Printing of letters or other promotional pieces by a computer using names, addresses, special phrases, etc. based on data that appears in one or more computer records. The objective is to use the information from compiled lists in the computer record to tailor the promotional message to a specific individual.

consignee
Person to who goods are shipped.

consignment
Delivery of merchandise from an exporter or other seller to an agent under the agreement that the agent sell the merchandise for the account of the exporter. The seller retains title to the goods until the agent has sold them. The agent sells the goods for a commission.

console
The portion of a computer that houses the apparatus (keyboard, mouse, joystick, light pen)used to manually operate the machine, and also provides a means of communication between the computer operator and the central processing unit.

consumer publication
A magazine or periodical targeted to people with specific interests, including, but not limited to; business, recreation, and hobbies. These magazines are available through subscriptions and also on the newsstand.

continuity program
Products or services bought or sold as a series of small purchases rather than all at one time.

contract year
A twelve month time frame used to determine rate structure. Within a contract period, ads earn a frequency rate in conjunction with applicable magazine combos and other divisions of the same company.

controlled circulation
Distribution, at no charge, of a publication to individuals or companies on the basis of their title or occupation. Recipients are asked from time to time to verify the information that qualifies them to receive the publication.

convergence
The merging of television, computers, telephones, and possibly other media.

copy
An editorial matter. For example: headlines, captions with photos, story text, etc.

copy editor
A person who edits copy for grammar and style.

cornermarks
Lines on a paste-up or page proof that indicate where the page will be trimmed.

cover 2
Rate price from 1 to 4 Inside front cover of a magazine, usually more expensive than a regular ad page.

cover 3
Inside back cover of a magazine, usually more expensive than a regular ad page.

cover 4
Outside back cover of a magazine, usually more expensive than a regular ad page.

CPM
Abbreviation for cost per thousand ad views.

CPU
Central Processing Unit. The heart of a computer. The part that performs calculations and processes data according to the instructions specified by the software. (Computer Services) (See Central Processing Unit)

cracker
A person who maliciously breaks into a computer system in order to steal files or disrupt system activities. A strictly malicious version of a hacker.

crash (computer)
The unexpected failure of a computer to function properly. A crash usually disables the system for either a brief or extended period of time. The loss of data is a possibility under certain circumstances.

(file) creator code
A four-character sequence associated with a file that specifies which application created the file.

credit hold
Status caused by failure to pay past-due invoices in a timely fashion. Advertisers and agencies on Credit Hold are carefully monitored by Credit Department personnel. May result in our refusal to run future ad space.

credit line
1) Name of the photographer or artist responsible for a photo or drawing.
2) The maximum dollar value of credit to be extended to a customer.

credit memo
A follow-up credit invoice issued to an agency or client for the difference between lower rate frequencies originally billed and higher rate frequencies ultimately earned at the end of a 12 month contract period.

credit risk
The probability of not being paid if credit is extended to a particular advertiser or agency based on past performance.

creep
Effect seen on a saddle-stitched product in which the inner pages are smaller (shorter) than the outer pages because of the thickness at the fold.

cromalin
High quality process-color proof designed to closely simulate what the job will look like on press. Used by printer to match desired color on press.

crop
To eliminate portions of the copy, usually on a photograph, indicated on the original by "cropmarks."

crop year
A company fiscal year starting in the summer usually associated with the crop cycles.

cross section
A group of names and addresses selected from a mailing list in such a way as to represent the entire list.

crosshead
Bold face line in body copy used to break up body copy or give emphasis.

CRT
Cathode-ray tube; personal computer or TV screen.

customs
The authorities designated to collect duties levied by a country on imports and exports. The term also applies to the procedures involved in such collection.

CWT
Abbreviation for hundredweight. For example: $40/CWT means $40-per-hundred pounds.

cyan
One of the four process colors. Cyan has a brilliant blue appearance.

cyber- (prefix)
Indicates a person place, or thing's residence on the net (i.e., cyberspace, cyberpunk, cybersex). Emerging definition – attaching "cyber" to anything relating to the Internet, as in "wait until the cyberdust settles."

cyberspace
Sometimes refers to the online world or the Internet, but can refer to any part of the digital world.

cyrillic
A reference to the relative difficulty of the Russian alphabet, something senseless or unintelligible. "The chat went cyrillic after the 10 th person joined in."