National Program Service (NPS) Audience Research

"...effectively giving the viewer a place at the table whenever discussions about the future of the public television take place."

The Framework for a Public Television Primetime Strategy

In the Fall of 2003, CPB launched the most comprehensive audience research effort ever conducted on behalf of public television. This multi-phase research project was designed to inform the development of a primetime program strategy for public television. The first edition of the Framework for a Public Television Primetime Strategy was published in April 2005. In light of the new learning that came from the Spring 2005 Consumer Insight Research on history and performance genres and the initial experience of implementing the initiative, it was determined that the Framework be refined and updated. These refinements, reflected in the 2006 Edition of the Framework emerged from extensive analysis and discussions among the same stakeholders who developed the original version. No sooner had these consultative groups completed the 2006 edition, they began working on the present edition, contributing feedback to the process whereby the questionnaire for the 2006 AAU study was developed. Once the findings from that study became available, these groups participated in a series of on-site meetings in Washington, DC and conference calls during which they reviewed findings, identified zones of potentially impactful strategic activity, and established the strategic priorities outlined in the 2007 Edition of the Framework. Major meetings of these two groups took place on May 9, June 23, September 12, and October 10 of 2006 and February 9 of 2007. Feedback on the research and the emerging strategic implications was obtained in a series of workshops and meetings with programmers, general managers, producers, and other PTV professionals including the following: the PBS Development Conference (October 4, 2006, Baltimore), the combined PBS-CPB Round Robin Meetings (October-November 2006), the Public Television Programmers' Association Meeting (November 8, 2006, Amelia Island), the PBS Content Summit (January 16, 2007, San Francisco), and the NETA Conference (January 27, 2007, Norfolk). A first draft of the 2007 Framework was distributed to members of the Station Advisory Group and Strategy Group for review and comment on March 9, 2007. A second draft, revised on the basis of the feedback gathered from those two groups, was distributed to Affinity Group Coalition members for review on April 11, 2007. The final draft reflects their input.

Although the 2007 edition reflects some realignment of priorities as a result of recent learning and developments, the main focus and direction of the original strategy remains unchanged: to increase the reach of public television, the frequency with which its programming is viewed, and the loyalty of those watching.

Using the two PDF files below, now you can produce additional copies of the "user friendly" version of the 2007 Strategic Framework. Each booklet has two files -- a file for the cover and a file for the inside pages. We suggest that you print the cover on a heavier card stock. All files should be printed in color on both sides of the page. Kinkos will trim the booklets for you and, if you don't have access to a long-arm stapler, they may be able to staple the booklets. (Not every Kinkos is equipped to handle stapling booklets this size.) If you have any questions, please contact Terry Bryant at 202-879-9830 or tbryant@cpb.org.

In January and February, 2008, CPB commissioned its third Audience Awareness, Attitude and Usage Study. Topline findings from that study have been reviewed by a group of station managers, programmers, national producers and programming staff from CPB and PBS. Although a new Strategic Framework has not yet been produced, new reference booklets will be published, updating the 2006 booklets. These booklets will posted on this site by mid-September.

Because of the changes in penetration and usage of media technology and an evolution in viewers' relationship with public television, the 2008 AAU Study and segmentation analysis produced nine audience segments (as opposed to the eight segments produced in 2004 & 2006) as represented by the new audience MATIX below.

Two brand new audience segments appear on this MATRIX: A whole new class of super-PBS viewers and supporters (the Proactive and Passionate) and a less ardent groups of PBS users and contributors (The Controlled and Contributing). An overview of the main attributes of each audience segment in tabular form and in narrative form will be published in the reference booklet mentioned above. We will post this booklets on this web site as soon as they are available.

As in the past, the nine audience segments were generated using latent class modeling – a statistical method which does not impose preconceived segmentation categories in advance but discovers the natural groups that exist in the population. This was the same analytic approach used in the original AAU and segmentation study in 2004.

Based on data from the 2008 AAU Study, we have produced a new Technology Data card. If you print the file below in color on both sides of card stock, you can fold the card and produce a useful hand-out for your staff, board members or other interested constituents.

Accessibility Best Practices Process

The Accessibility Best Practices (ABP) Process is an outgrowth of the CPB-funded 2007 Primetime Strategic Framework initiative. The Framework called for the removal of the barriers and obstacles that make it difficult for viewers to find programs on public television. (Strategic Priority # 2 in the 2007 Edition of the Framework for a Primetime Public Television Strategy.)

Utilizing the best available research on how viewers are navigating their program choices, and aided by a thorough analysis of the business infrastructure that determines how data and metadata travel from production unit to the viewers set, the Content Accessibility Working Group (CAWG) has developed a set of best practices that can be used throughout the public television system to increase viewer awareness of, access to, and interest in the programs of the primetime NPS.

The CAWG consists of a group of individuals representing a wide range of relevant disciplines—from station management, promotion, programming and production to engineering, traffic, marketing and development. These individuals bring their personal experience to bear in analyzing the available data and to consult widely among their own colleagues and constituencies so that the resulting guidelines express the full wisdom of the system. Once the Best Practices Handbook has been published (anticipated to be the fourth quarter of 2008) the members of the CAWG are expected to play an important role in the system-wide comprehension and implementation and the assessment of outcomes.

Members of the Content Accessibility Work Group (CAWG)

Station Management

Dennis Haarsager, KWSU

Michael Isip, KQED

Programming

Scott Chaffin. KUED

Gillian Gonda, GPB

Shawn Halford, PBS

Traffic

Craig Carter, Myers Information Systems

Michelle Nesmith, Rocky Mountain PBS

Marketing/Development/Promotion

Steve Baker, WGBH

Judy Diaz, PBS

Kerri Hanlon, WHYY

Engineering

Bruce Jacobs, TPT

Production

Jared Lipworth, WNET

The CAWG's first meeting took place on September 26, 2007. In order to help prepare the group for the work ahead, they studied the PowerPoint deck attached below. This deck is a first pass at the analysis of the data from the Navigation Study CPB commissioned in the fall of 2007.  This is an updated version of a presentation that was made by Terry Bryant and Chris Schiavone during PBS Showcase 2007.  It includes very important information about the technologies and methods viewers use to find programs.

On September 26, 2007, the following presentation was given at the first meeting of the Content Accessibility Working Group.

At the September 26, 2007 meeting, the Content Accessibility Working Group agreed on the following definition of "Accessibility:"

"Whatever helps the general adult audience -- particularly the strategically relevant research segments -- to connect to PTV content that has been created primarily for "Primetime.*" (*Primetime as defined by the viewer generally means when that viewer watches television.).

For questions about this important initiative, please contact Terry Bryant at 202-879-9830 or tbryant@cpb.org.

2006 Audience Awareness, Attitude and Usage/Segment Tracking Study

In January and February of 2006, a new Audience Awareness, Attitudes and Usage (AAU)/Segment Tracking Study was commissioned by CPB and conducted by Knowledge Networks/Statistical Research (KN/SRI). The goal of this study was to track what changes, if any, had occurred since the 2004 AAU Study. Increased penetration of technology in the home accounted for most of the changes noted in the 2006 study. The reference materials below graphically address those changes.

Additional Research Reference Materials from 2006 AAU Study

2006 Research Reference Booklets

Now you can print additional copies of the three audience research reference booklets included in the CPB Audience Research Tool Kit:

Ten Viewer-Based Principles

Narrative Descriptions of Audience Segments 2006

Reference Tables for Audience Segments 2006

Each booklet has two files -- a file for the cover and a file for the inside pages. We suggest that you print the covers on a heavier card stock. All files should be printed in color on both sides of the page. If you don't have access to a long-arm stapler, Kinkos can staple the booklets for you. If you have any questions, please contact Terry Bryant at 202-879-9830 or tbryant@cpb.org.

2005 Consumer Insight Research on Primetime Public Television

Two distinct but similar qualitative consumer insight studies were fielded during Spring 2005. They were commissioned in connection with the 2005 Framework for a Public Television Primetime Strategy, which made it a priority to fill important learning gaps pertaining to public television programs traditionally thought of as falling within the "performance" and "history" genres. Key findings from this research are below.

Additional Research Reference Materials from 2003 -- 2004 Research

Round Robin Follow-up

In October 2004, CPB invited General Managers to a series of Round Robin meetings to review and discuss research on primetime public television, local station service strategy and children's programming.

2004 Round Robin Research Materials

Materials from the 2006 Round Robin meetings can be downloaded from the Public Television Affinity Group Coalition Web site.

Upcoming Audience
Research Presentations

PBS Development Conference

October 2-4, 2008
San Antonio, Texas

Contacts

NPS Primetime Programming Research

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