Saturday Children's Television; A Report of TV Programming and Advertising on Boston ...

114 Pages·2007·3.26 MB·English

DOCUMENT RESUME
EM 009 312
ED 055 461
Barcus, F. Earle
AUTHOR
of TV
Saturday Children's Television; A Report
TITLE
Commercial
Programming and Advertising on Boston
Television.
Action for Children's Television, Boston, Mass.
INSTITUTION
York, N.Y.
John and Mary R. Markle Foundation, New
SPONS AGENCY
Jul 71
PUB DATE
112p.
NOTE
MF-$0.65 HC-$6158
EDRS PRICE
Television;
Cartoons; *Children; *Commercial
DESCRIPTORS
*Television Commercials;
*Programing (Broadcast) ;
*Violence
ABSTRACT
in Boston
Saturday children's television programming
that the content could be analyzed
was monitored and videotaped so
content and commercial
tor a study to gather data relevant to
that overall, about 77
practices. Some of the major findings were
and 23 percent to
percent of time is devoted to program content
commercial announcements
announcements of various kinds; that
for almost 19 percent
(CA's)--product and program promotion--account
commercials within programs than
of total time; that there were more
divided among four major
between programs; that CA's were evenly
that CA's appear
categories--toys, cereals, candy, and other foods;
and that little product
to have both sexual and racial biases;
findings were that
information is given in the CA's. Other
either youth-oriented or
noncommercial announcements were primarily
and some of these did not appear
for medical or environmental causes,
Also, when individual cartoons and
to be appropriate for children.
in detail for subject matter, it
other program segments were studied
of the dramatic programming was in some
was found that 64 percent
of nondramatic segments dealt with
sense violent, while 67 percent
literature and fine
science and technology, race and nationality,
of total programming was drama,
arts, and nature.. However, 77 percent
with only 12 percent informational.
(SR)
19sic5003
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I
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
EDUCATIONA WELFARE
OFFICE OF EDUCATION
THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO-
DUCED EXACTLY AS FIECEIVED FROM
THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG-
INATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN-
IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY
REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE CT. EDU-
CATION POSITION OR POLICY
SATURDAf CHILDREN'S TELEVISION
A Report of TV Programming and Advertising
On Boston Commercial Television
July, 1971
Prepared for
Action for Children's Television
by
F. Earle Barcus
Professor ot Communication Research
Boston University
CONTENTS
last
ghaatn
iii
List of Tables
Brief Summary of the Findings
1
INTRODUCTION
I.
1
General Procedur-..s
4
Data
A Note on the Reporting of
5
AN OVERVIEW OF PROGRAM MATERIAL
II,
5
Total Tine Distribution
5
and the Use of Animation
e
The Programs -- Origin, Format,
e
e
9
NuMber and Time of Announcements
II
Announcements Within and Between Programs
OO
11a
(Promos)
Program Promotional Announcements
13
(NCAls)
Non-Commercial Announcements
16
ANALYSIS OF PROGRAM CONTENT
III.
17
Format, Origin, and the Use of Animation
22
SUbject-Matter of the Program Segments
24
Time and Place Settings
25
Type of Characters in the Programs
26
Program Segments
The Extent and Types of Violence in the
29
Other Program Elements
32
NATURE OF THE COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Iv.
32
ProducAs Advertived
Commercials OOOOOO
34
Type Format, and Display Style of
37
Place Settings of the CAls
38
Composition of Characters in CAls
EEO
43
V. COMMERCIAL PRACTICES
43
Appropriateness of Announcements to the Child Audience a
Program/Rost/Character "Tie-Ins"
45
Endorsements
Commercial Messages
45
special Devices in the Presentation of
46
Visual and Verbal Qualitying Phrases ...... ..
47
Price
47
Premium Offers
48
Other Commercial Practices .
g
52
Other Product Assertions and Claims
54
Some Special Cases
A-1
MONITORING INSTRUCTIONS
APPENDIX A:
.
.
B-1
STUDY CODES
APPENDIX B:
C-1
MONITORING LOGS
APPENDIX C:
D-1
LIST OF COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS, BY PRODUCT CATEGORY
APPENDIX D:
LIST OF TABLES
bEa
Table No.
of
Total Program Material Monitored, by Channel and Type
1.
6
Material .
Total Time Monitored, by Program Origin and Format
2.
8
Total Time Monitored, by Origin .nd Use of Anima:-.ion
3.
Type
of
Number of Announcewants of All K'sids, by Channel,
4.
Minutes
Announcement, allrl Number of Announcements per 'IX"
10
Of Programming
Announcements Within and Between Programs, By Type of
5.
ila
Announcement, Number, and Total Announcement Time
12
Program Promotional Announcements, by Type of Program .
6.
.
. .
Cause
14
Non-Commercial Announcements, by Type of Organization or
.
7.
17
Total Number and Time of Program Segments, by Chanrel
8.
Number of and Time Devoted to Program Segments, by Origin,
9.
18
Format, and Animation Type
20
Origin of Program Time, by Format
10.
.
22
Animation of Program Segments, by Format
11.
Percent of Program Time Devoted to Subject-Matter Categories in
12.
23
Dramatic and Non-dramatic Formats
25
Time and Place Settings of the Segments
13.
26
Type of Characters in the Segments
14.
27
Formate
Type of Characters in Dramatic and Non-dramatic
15.
28
Extent of Violence in the Program Segments
16.
28
Types of Violence and its Results
17.
30
Other Elements in tne Program Segments
38.
4
-
LIST OF TABLES (CONTINUED):
Page
CA's, Total CA's,
Number of Companies, Products, Separate
19.
33
and Time Devoted to CA's, by Product Category
.
. .
.
.
34
of Product Display
Type, Format, Display Style, and Duration
. .
20.
35
Format
Number of Commercial Announcements, by Type and
21.
35
and Duration
Number of Commercial Announcements, by Display Style
22.
Style, and
Number of Announcements by Type, Format, Display
23.
36
Duration, by Product Category .
.
.
. .
. .
38
Settings of the CA's
24.
39
Type of Characters in the CA's
25.
..
39
Type and Sex of Characters in the CA's
26.
of
Ethnic Status of Characters in CA's, by Type and Sex
27.
Characters
La.
55
Summary TableCommercial Practices
28.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS
children's programming
This study is based on an analysis of Saturday
Following are same of the major findings:
stations.
an Boston commercial TV
23% to
Overall, about 77% of time is devoted to program content and
1.
annamcements of various kinds.
promotion) a::!count for
Commercial announcements (product and program
2.
almost 25% on
almost 19% of total time, and varies from a high of
17% on another.
one channel to a low of
89% of time devc,ted to entertainment
Program fare lacks diversity, with
3.
Recorded programming
cartoons).
including 70% comedy drama (primarily
92% entertainment and
was 100% entertainment, and network programs
80% comedy drama.
entertainment pro-
Programming was also mostly animated with 70% of
4.
animated.
grams and 62% of all program time being
Tfiere were 406 commercial messages in 1125 minutes of total time
5.
This amounts to an average of one message every 2.8 minutes.
studied.
devoted to
In terms of total time, about one minute in five was
cemmercial messages.
Non-commercial announcements accounted for about three-and-omi-half
6.
percent of total time, or an average of one every 17 minutes.
There was a relatively higher saturution of commercial announcements
7.
That is, of all
within (interrupting) programs they between programs.
announcements within programs, 77% were commercials and of those
between programs only 32% were commercials.
Although at least two-thirds of all progrmn promotional announcements
8.
audience (family) programs,
were for children's programs or general
materialwesterns and crime drama,
some were for more adult-oriented
adult movies and news.
Non-commercial c-A.nnouncements were primarily either youth-oriented or
9.
There is some question as to
for medical or environmental causes.
the appropriateness of some of them during the hours of children's
programming (e.g. SocJal Security Announcement).
Individual cartoons aud other program segments were studied in detail
10.
Dramatic programming differed greatly fram nan-
for subject-matter.
Whereas 64% of drama time dealt with crime,
dramatic programming.
the supernatural, or interpersonal rivalry, 67% of time in non-dramatic
segments dealt with science and technology, race and nationality,
literature and the fine arts, and nature or animals.
7
represented in dramatic settings, about
Although other countries were
11.
'United States, and 20% were unclear as
two of ',..hree took place in the
small town locatione, pri-
They were also set in rural or
to septing.
marily outside.
modern or
dramatic segments were set in the
In time, three out of four
12.
contemporary period.
human characters, but 29% of
Characters in the programs were primarily
13.
These
with human characteristics.
dramatic segments portrayed animals
cartoons.
were mostly animated
segments were "saturated" with violence,
About three out of 10 dramatic
14.
of human violence with or without the
and 71% had at least one instance
directed
Although in 52% of the segments violence vas
use of weapons.
this result in death or injury.
at humans, in only four percent did
with "chase" scenes (53%),
Other elements included dramatic segments
15.
(19%), interruptions for commercial
frightening or stapensful situations
laugh-tracks (23%) and commercial
announcements (37%), the use of
"Tie-Ints" (6%).
behalf of products or companies
Commercial announcements (CAts) on
16.
(not counting repeated
This included 132 separate CAts
numbered 311.
behalf of 57 different
airings), advertising 99 products or services on
sponsors or companies.
product oategories--toys, cereals,
CA's were evenly divided among four
17.
Other proaucts
20% each.
candy/sweets, and other foods/snacks--with about
medicine/drug/vitamin
frevuently, and only two
were advertised less
CA's were aired.
four in 10 used off-stage
Nearly six in 10 CAts were non-animated,
18.
and in six in 10 the product was illus-
announcers to sell the product,
displayed continuously
In only one-half was the product
trated in use.
throughout the CA.
sketches or skits, whereas non-
Animated CA's were primarily dramatic
19.
primarily.
animated CAts used off-stage announcers
other (mostly adult) products.
All toy CAts were non-animated as were
20.
animated or mixed, predominantly.
Cereals, candies, foods/snacks were
the outside in the open air (36%),
The settings of CAts were most frequently
21.
The second
for about 20%.
although settings could not be determined
(25%).*
most popular setting was in or aro-und home
children, either alone or with
More than six out of 10 CAts contained
22.
contained only adults.
adults or animals, and almost two in 10
8
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