Media Buying
ROS (Run of Schedule / Run of Station)
An advertising agreement where commercials are distributed randomly across all available dayparts and days.
What is ROS (Run of Schedule / Run of Station)?
ROS buys let the station decide placement — within broad constraints — and in exchange offer a substantial discount compared to fixed-daypart rates. A 50-spot ROS buy might distribute across morning, midday, afternoon, evening, and weekend slots in whatever mix best fits the station's remaining inventory.
ROS is the quintessential reach-and-frequency buy. It delivers mass Cume because spots hit every audience segment the station serves, and frequency because the spot count is usually high. The weakness is lack of targeting: a luxury advertiser who only needs to reach affluent commuters is wasting impressions on overnight listeners. ROS is therefore best for broad-appeal products and promotional messaging with universal relevance.
Why it matters
Similar to BTA, ROS is a cost-effective buying strategy for advertisers prioritizing overall frequency and mass reach over specific, surgical time targeting.
Related terms
- Avail (Availability)— Unsold units of commercial time available for broadcasters to sell to prospective advertisers.
- BTA (Best Time Available)— Commercials scheduled by the station to run at the best available time only after all premium, higher-paying sponsor commitments are met.
- Co-op Advertising (Co-operative)— An arrangement where a major product manufacturer financially subsidizes the advertising costs of a local retailer promoting their specific product.
- Daypart— The specific time segments into which a broadcast day is divided for the purpose of selling advertising time (e.