We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Social Problems on the Air: An Audience Study.
- Authors
Kercher, Leonard C.
- Abstract
Using the "recall survey" technique, an analysis was made of the size and composition of the audience for two recent Columbia Broadcasting System Inc. documentary broadcasts. The listening zone studied was the immediate trading area of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The number of people who heard both programs was strikingly low. Also, a tendency toward listener concentration at certain occupational and income levels raises the possibility that those who are already "converted" are the main listeners to educational broadcasts. The first, entitled "The Eagle's Brood," was on crime and delinquency; and the second, "A Long Life and a Merry One," dealt with the nation's health. The vehicle used was a series of dramatic episodes, which illuminated the problem while compelling attention. Top-flight writers wrote the scripts, both powerful and literate. Slightly over percent of the 1,076 persons in the basic sample heard "The Eagle's Brood," while a little more than 12 percent heard "A Long Life and A Merry One." The proportion of men and of women listening was approximately the same. Closer examination of the data seems to indicate that listener concentration appears in the more "studious" and "problem-minded" segment, such as teachers, social workers and ministers.
- Subjects
DOCUMENTARY radio programs; RADIO audiences; CBS Interactive Inc.; EDUCATIONAL broadcasting; RADIO writers; LISTENING
- Publication
Public Opinion Quarterly, 1947, Vol 11, Issue 3, p402
- ISSN
0033-362X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1086/265866