slope of 0.69 $\pm$ 0.06 differs somewhat from the 0.56 $\pm$ 0.02 found here (Eq. 7). While the small difference in adopted cosmology plays some role, most of the discrepancy arises from the different luminosity ranges covered by our respective samples. Our [H$\beta$]{} luminosities range from $\sim
10^{39.5}$ to $10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$, whereas Kaspi et al.’s sample has very few points below $10^{41}$ erg s$^{-1}$. When use a restricted sample with [$L_{\mathrm{H{\beta}}}$]{} $> 10^{41}$ erg s$^{-1}$, we obtain a [$L_{5100}$]{}-[$L_{\mathrm{H{\beta}}}$]{} relation with a shallower slope of 0.97 $\pm 0.04$, which would lead to a steeper [$R_{\mathrm{BLR}}$]{}-[$L_{\mathrm{H{\beta}}}$]{} relation, consistent with that found by Kaspi [et al.]{}. A homogeneous sample covering as wide a luminosity range as possible is required to address the issue of whether the slope of the [$R_{\mathrm{BLR}}$]{}-[$L_{\mathrm{H{\beta}}}$]{} relation is truly luminosity-dependent.

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Discussion
==========

The new virial mass formalism based on the [H$\alpha$]{} emission line, which is ultimately calibrated against the mass scale of reverberation-mapped AGNs, relies on two strong empirical correlations presented in this paper. The first correlation, that between optical continuum luminosity and Balmer emission-line luminosity, has long been known (e.g., Yee & Oke 1978; Yee 1980). Shuder (1981) compiled many of the early measurements, 