Bad News for Broadcasters

People are still watching TV, a study says, but liking it less

In Las Vegas, a city where optimism is an occupational hazard, junketing television broadcasters were dealt a bad hand last week. The dealer, ironically, was the National Association of Broadcasters, a trade organization that usually touts the future of TV in royal flush terms. At a press conference during its annual convention, the N.A.B. released a study that resembled an elaborate good-news/bad-news joke. The good news: Americans are watching as much television as before. The bad news: they like it a whole lot less. "This study is a little daring for a trade association to reveal to its members," said a candid but not contrite N.A.B. President Eddie Fritts. "But we did it to be sure that our members are equipped to deal with what's coming."

The study, conducted in conjunction with McHugh & Hoffman, a TV consulting firm, will not be released officially for a few weeks, but it is already making network executives squirm. The report is based on a poll of 1,500 viewers and follows up a similar study made six years ago. The responses, which come from all rungs on the socioeconomic ladder, indicate that TV is playing an increasingly less important role in people's lives.

Its role apparently is that of a baby sitter for the brain. While television is considered a "relaxing and enjoyable pastime," it literally functions as just that, a "pastime," an activity for those times when people have nothing better to do. The main reason cited for video ennui is the programming: only 57% of the respondents said that they were satisfied with the quality of entertainment served up by the tube. Others were fearful, moreover, that the programming was a negative influence on their behavior and on language.

Although the study claims that viewers are becoming more sophisticated and discriminating, it also suggests that people are indifferent to whether their TV signal comes from cable, over-the-air broadcast or microwave. They just want to be informed and entertained, thank you, and damn the technology. As far as technical innovations are concerned, most people surveyed wanted high-definition TV signals, which will simply enable them to see more clearly the shows they do not like watching anyway. The brave new world of convenience offered by electronic newspapers, home banking and shopping via TV does not thrill them: it seems that people want to balance their checkbooks with pencils and finger the dresses to see if they really are all wool. This, says the study, is an example of the so-called high-tech/high-touch phenomenon, which means that as technology gets more sophisticated, people seek a counterbalance in human contact.

Thus far, network executives seem only to want to execute the messenger of ; these bad tidings, rather than heed the message. Said one: "This is the ultimate death wish come to come to fruition within the industry. Do you think if the cigarette industry found that smoking causes cancer, they'd call a press conference to advertise the fact?" Yet the report may also serve to warm the hearts of crass producers. They now have more reason than ever to believe that no matter what they put on the air, viewers may carp and complain, but they will continue to watch. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.