Education and Digital Television:
Seizing the Opportunity to Realize the Medium's Potential

A Report on Findings from Focus Groups and a National Survey Conducted for the Benton Foundation

January 1999

Executive Summary

• Americans are in favor of asking television broadcasters to do more in return for the free use of public airwaves. The public would like to see more educational programming for both children and adults, a reduction in the number of commercials during children's TV shows, and financial support from broadcasters to support public television and noncommercial programming.
• The public has little understanding of what digital TV will mean for them and lacks knowledge about basic industry facts. A near majority have not heard anything about digital television and those who have heard about digital TV believe that it means little more than a better picture. The great majority of Americans (71 percent) do not know that broadcasters get free access to the airwaves.
• The public strongly support individual proposals to require broadcasters to do more in return for the free use of new public airwaves for digital television. They give their strongest support to proposals that call on broadcasters to support public education and educational programming and to reduce the number of commercials during children's television shows.
• Once people learn that the airwaves are currently given to broadcasters for free, there is considerable support for charging broadcasters for additional airwaves they may need to create new digital channels.
• The public is especially responsive to a specific proposal to require commercial broadcasters to pay 5 percent of their revenues into a fund for public broadcasting to provide more educational and noncommercial programming.
• When discussed in the context of continuing to give broadcasters free use of additional airwaves, there is near unanimous support for broadcasters meeting certain public obligations like more children's education programming and more local programming. Only seven percent are opposed.
• The public is also overwhelmingly supportive of requiring broadcasters to follow existing law to require three hours of children's educational programming on any new channels they may create.

A majority of the American Public Mistakenly Believes that Broadcasters Pay for Access to the Airwaves. Most Think Access Costs are Very High.

Q: As you may know, television broadcasters need access to the airwaves in order to broadcast their programs. They get that access from the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC. Do you think that broadcasters pay to use these airwaves or do you think they get to use them for free?

Results:

Pay to use -- 52%
Get for Free -- 29%
Don't Know -- 19%

Q: How much do you think that broadcasters have to pay to use the airwaves? Do you think it is hundreds of dollars, thousands of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars, a million dollars, or more than a million dollars? (Asked of those who think broadcasters pay to use the airwaves)

Results:
Don't know -- 17%
Hundreds -- 7%
Thousands -- 21%
Hundreds of 1000s -- 35%
A million -- 11%
More than a million -- 10%
56% believe broadcasters pay between hundreds of thousands and more than a million.

Once They Learn that Broadcasters are Given Free Access to the Airwaves, a Majority Favor Charging Broadcasters for Additional Airwaves for New Channels.

Q: Actually, the airwaves are GIVEN to broadcasters for free. If broadcasters wanted ADDITIONAL airwaves to start NEW channels, would you favor or oppose charging them for any new access they might want? (Asked of half the sample)

Results:
54% Favor Charging Broadcasters (27% STRONGLY Favor)
30% Oppose Charging Broadcasters (14% STRONGLY Oppose)
16% Don't Know

Faced Both With a Statement in Favor of Charging Broadcasters for Access to New Airwaves and a Statement in Favor of Free Access, a Solid Majority of Americans Continue to Think that Broadcasters Should Pay.

Statement 1:
Broadcasters should continue to have free access to the airwaves: (Some people/ Other people) say that broadcasting companies like ABC or CBS provide free television programs in return for free access to the public airwaves. Broadcasters have to pay all of the costs for running a network, including equipment, production costs and the salaries of Hollywood actors. Broadcasters make their money on advertising, not by charging individual citizens to watch their programs. If government makes broadcasters pay to use the airwaves, we'll end up having to pay more for TV.

Statemement 2:
Broadcasters should pay for access to new airwaves: (Some people/ Other people) say that television broadcasting is concentrated among just a few multinational corporations who make over $35 billion dollars and don't pay a dime to use the public airwaves. It's only fair that they start paying their fair share -- it's simply part of the cost of doing business. Other businesses like phone companies and paging services have to pay to use the same airwaves that broadcasters get for free. That's like moving into a new apartment and never paying rent. It's time that taxpayers demanded something in return.

Q: After hearing these two statements, which side do you agree with more?

Results: Broadcasters Should Pay for Access -- 55% (28% Strongly Agree)
Broadcasters Should Have Free Access -- 27% (9% Strongly Agree)

By a 2 to 1 margin, the American Public Favors Charging Broadcasters for Access to the Airwaves to Provide Digital Television.

Q: As you may know, digital television is a new technology that will allow television stations to broadcast their programs using the same format that computers and compact disks use. Digital television will provide a much sharper picture and gives TV stations the ability to provide interactive services like home shopping or internet access on your television.

Do you favor or oppose charging BROADCASTERS for access to the new public airwaves to provide digital television?

Results:
57% Favor (29% STRONGLY Favor)
24% Oppose (7% STRONGLY Oppose)
19% Don't Know

A Majority of Democrats and Independents, and a Plurality of Republicans, Favor Charging Broadcasters for Additional Airwaves for New Channels. Women and Men are Similarly Supportive, with Women Slightly More Likely to Reserve Their Opinions on the Matter.

Democrats:
60% Favor (30% STRONGLY Favor)
23% Oppose (11% STRONGLY Oppose)
16% Don't Know

Independents:
57% Favor (27% STRONGLY Favor)
29% Oppose (12% STRONGLY Oppose)
14% Don't Know

Republicans:
47% Favor (25% STRONGLY Favor)
38% Oppose (21% STRONGLY Oppose)
15% Don't Know

Men:
59% Favor (31% STRONGLY Favor)
30% Oppose (15% STRONGLY Oppose)
11% Don't Know

Women:
49% Favor (23% STRONGLY Favor)
30% Oppose (14% STRONGLY Oppose)
21% Don't Know

A Proposal to Require Broadcasters to Pay 5% of their Profits into a Public Broadcasting Fund has Sweeping Support.

Q: A proposal to require commercial broadcasters to pay 5 percent of their revenues into a fund to provide more money for public broadcasting to make sure that we have more educational and noncommercial programming available to the public. Do you favor or oppose asking that of broadcasters in return for the free use of public airwaves?

Results:
79% Favor (48% STRONGLY Favor)
11% Oppose (5% STRONGLY Oppose)
9% Don't Know

Support for a Proposal Requiring Broadcasters to Put 5% of their Profits into a Public Broadcasting Fund Crosses Both Partisan and Gender Lines.

Democrats:
84% Favor (52% STRONGLY Favor)
8% Oppose (3% STRONGLY Oppose)
8% Don't Know

Independents:
77% Favor (46% STRONGLY Favor)
13% Oppose (6% STRONGLY Oppose)
10% Don't Know

Republicans:
78% Favor (47% STRONGLY Favor)
14% Oppose (7% STRONGLY Oppose)
8% Don't Know

Men:
79% Favor (47% STRONGLY Favor)
12% Oppose (6% STRONGLY Oppose)
9% Don't Know

Women:
80% Favor (50% STRONGLY Favor)
11% Oppose (5% STRONGLY Oppose)
9% Don't Know

Americans are Overwhelmingly Supportive of Requiring Broadcasters to Meet Public Obligations in Return for Free Access to Provide Digital TV on New Public Airwaves.

Q: Do you favor or oppose requiring broadcasters to meet certain public obligations like more children's educational programming and local programming in return for free access to the new public airwaves to provide digital television?

Results:
80% Favor (49% STRONGLY Favor)
7% Oppose (3% STRONGLY Oppose)
12% Don't Know

In Return for Broadcasters' Free Access to the Airwaves for Digital TV, Americans Strongly Support Public Obligations Related to Children and Education.

Q: Now I am going to read a list of proposals that people have said the public should ask of broadcasters in return for the use of new public airwaves for digital television. Please tell me whether you would favor or oppose each one. (Each item was asked of half the sample)

1) A proposal to limit the number of commercials that could be shown during children's television shows.

Results:
87% Favor (54% STRONGLY Favor)
7% Oppose (2% STRONGLY Oppose)

2) A proposal that would call for broadcasters to provide free Internet access to public schools.

Results:
85% Favor (51% STRONGLY Favor)
6% Oppose (3% STRONLY Oppose)

3) A proposal to provide more adult education programs and access to community college courses on TV.

Results:
85% Favor (45% STRONGLY Favor)
10% Oppose (4% STRONGLY Oppose)

4) A proposal to make children's television shows commercial free.

Results:
72% Favor (40% STRONGLY Favor) 17% Oppose (6% STRONGLY Oppose)

The Public Strongly Supports Extending Broadcasters' Responsibility to Provide a Minimum of 3 Hours of Children's Programming on Any New Digital Channels They Create.

Let me tell you a little more about digital TV. As the broadcasters expand into digital television, they will be given access FREE OF CHARGE to new public airwaves. With digital technology, broadcasters will be able to carve out as many as six channels out of what is now a single channel. In other words, broadcasters will have six times the programming and service options that they have now.

Q:
Right now there is a law that requires broadcasters to provide at least 3 hours of children's educational programming each week. Do you favor or oppose extending this law to require broadcasters to provide at least 3 hours of children's educational programming each week on any new channels that broadcasters create as a result of digital technology?

Results:
84% Favor (55% STRONGLY Favor)
8% Oppose (2% STRONGLY Oppose)
8% Don't Know

Methodology

This report is based on focus groups and a national survey conducted by Lake Snell Perry & Associates for the Project on Media Ownership and the Benton Foundation. The research was conducted in November and December, 1998.

Focus Groups

Lake Snell Perry & Associates conducted four focus groups, each consisting of nine to ten registered voters, in Secaucus, New Jersey and Baltimore, MD.

Focus groups are a type of qualitative opinion research. Unlike a random sample survey, where results can be measured in precise ways, focus groups are qualitative – that is, they yield descriptive findings, rather than quantifiable findings. Focus groups are idea generators. They are particularly effective when we want to better understand the ideas that people have and the words and language they use to describe those ideas. They are a powerful tool for revealing the ways in which beliefs are connected to one another, and the feelings and beliefs that diverse people may have in common. Because focus groups are qualitative rather than quantitative, the results are not scientific in a statistical sense.

National Survey

Lake Snell Perry & Associates designed and administered a national survey of 1150 adults, including a base national random sample of 850 adults and oversamples of 150 African-American and 150 Hispanic respondents. All interviews were conducted via telephone by professional interviewers from December 8 through December 10, 1998. As with all sample surveys, there is a margin of sampling error associated with these survey results. For a sample size of 1150, the margin of error is +/- 2.9 percentage points. The margin of error for subgroups is greater.

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