The Program Preferences and Demographics of Subscribers to the South Dakota Public Television Network Program Guide

Abstract

The main objectives of this study are focused on learning more about South Dakota’s public television viewers. Statistics released by the corporation for Public Broadcasting provide a profile of public television households. This research shows that the probability of a household tuning to public television increases as the age and education of the head of the household increase. The study also indicates that people employed in professional or “white collar) jobs are more likely to view public television. In addition, women are more likely to be viewers than are men. Knowing how South Dakotans compare with this profile will aid in determining how South Dakota public television can best serve its audience’s needs and program interests. The first objective is to determine the interests of the audience. The second objective is to determine the demographics of South Dakotan’s public television audience. The demographic data used in this study are age, sex and education of the respondents. In addition to these primary objectives, this study also attempts to determine the number of hours commercial television is viewed in a week, as well as the number of hours devoted to public television viewing. Determining the kinds of programs desired by the public television audience is another objective of this study. These data serve to aid in the making of more responsive programming decisions, as well as in the justification of public television’s channel reservations and tax support