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Analysis of kids' TV: There really may be nothing to watch
June 9, 1997
Web posted at: 6:12 p.m. EDT (2212 GMT)In this story:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Quality children's television programming exists but is still too scarce, and what there is remains too hard to find, according to the conclusions of several reports.
Parents and children are still confused about what TV ratings mean, according to four reports on children's television compiled by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
VXtreme streaming video: What kids watch
In addition, there is little consistency in the "Educational" or "Informative" designation symbols in TV listings, and there isn't enough promotion for children programs to attract the attention of parents and children, the Annenberg Center said.
What level of promotion might be needed? Consider the introduction of "Sesame Street."
"Many people talk about Sesame Street as if it went on the air and then millions of parents -- with lemming-like movements -- turned to the television sets, when in fact the campaign to launch Sesame Street was one of the instances of very effective use of public relations in service of quality," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Center.
Poor publicity, parent awareness cited
The Annenberg Center studied more than 1,000 programs on cable broadcast and premium cable.
About one-quarter of the programs were targeted at pre-school children. Of those, more than 80 percent were judged by a research team as being of high quality.
But programs aimed at older children were often "violence laden" and of poor quality.
A poll of parents found that fewer than half knew that most educational or informative shows carry the "E/I" icon at the beginning of the program. Less than 3 percent said they used the icon as a guide for selecting programs for their children.
Newspaper critics and columnists who write about television programs rarely cover children's programming, the researchers said, making it harder for parents to make a judgment about whether a certain program is suitable for their kids.
Most often, parents get information about a show by watching it themselves, reading publications such as TV Guide, or by word of mouth.
Maximum, or minimum?
The reports found troubling information from television stations which, later this year, must be carrying three hours of children's programming per week in order to avoid complications with license renewal.
Some local stations affiliated with the big three networks may scale back children's programming because networks provide them with the minimum, the reports said.
Local stations cite low ratings and lack of audience feedback as indicators that their communities don't care much about children's programming. The Annenberg reports add that local stations see the three-hours-per-week standard as a maximum, not a minimum.
Jamieson said incentive structures must be devised to reward broadcasters and thereby their advertisers for airing more quality children's programming.
Related stories:
- Broadcasters, lawmakers wrangle over educational television - June 3, 1996
- TV's family hour loaded with sexual content, says study - December 12, 1996
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